Is this a bad GPU or something else?

[Guest]

Hi guys,
,
I have had this problem since i have installed the GPU. It is intermittent so it is very hard to diagnose, and only happens sometimes. Basically, when booting up, the screen will freeze. It used to be the "Starting Windows" screen but now its after that, just a screen with a frozen cursor. I have also reinstalled Windows. Is this a bad GPU or possibly my WiFi dongle?

I have an ASUS 2GB GT-610.

Many thanks,
AKNerd

 

[blazorthon]

The card might be bad, but it's also possible that it's just a driver issue. Before you installed the GT 610, what graphics was the computer using? Was it integrated into the motherboard or CPU, or did you have a different graphics card?

Also, what steps did you take in installing the new card? By that I mean did you uninstall the old graphics drivers (and if yes, how did you do it) and install the new drivers?

 

[Guest]

I didn't have a graphics card before. I relied on the integrated graphics. I assume this didn't require uninstalling drivers?

I had trouble installing drivers for it, after I reinstalled windows.

 

[johnnyb105]

Ahh what is your system specs ???? PSU ECT HELP US HELP YOU/

 

[blazorthon]

System specs would help (including the integrated graphics you have).

Still, I can say this much. The reason you had trouble with the drivers is likely because you did not uninstall the old ones. Reinstalling Windows should have fixed this if you did it while using the new graphics card, but had you not reinstalled Windows, then uninstalling the old drivers (causing the system to use the Microsoft basic driver) would be necessary before you install the new drivers. Did you install Windows while using the GT 610?

 

[Guest]

I reinstalled using the card yes.

Here are my specs.

AMD Sempron 145
MSI 760GM P23 FX
120GB Kinsgton v300NOW SSD

I'm not quite sure what intergrated graphics I have, but the processor is not an APU, but a CPU. So I must be using the motherboard graphics.
8GB HyperXFURY RAM
CiT 450W PSU

I am building a new PC soon, and I do not plan on using the card. I will howvever be reusing the RAM. SSD, and DVD Drive.

Could it be anything else apart from the GPU?

 

[blazorthon]

If the computer did not have these problems before the new card, then it is unlikely that something else could be causing it. I would say the PSU might be an issue, but the GT 610 doesn't really use much more power than an integrated solution anyway, so I doubt it.

What version of Windows are you using?

The 760G motherboards use an old Radeon 3xxx series IGP, probably a 3250 or something like that. I have something similar in my old desktop and those drivers were definitely a problem.

 

[Guest]

Whats wrong with the PSU?

I know its not good but for the new build I am getting a CX430.

The only problem I had before the card was when my PC used to boot up with the WiFi dongle plugged in, it would freeze just after POST. It does not do this anymore.

Thanks for help.

 

[blazorthon]

I wasn't saying something was necessarily wrong with the PSU, only that it is a common cause of odd problems.
If possible, I would suggest considering something a little more reliable than the CX series. They aren't horrible, but they're not great either and there are usually better options in the same price range. Where do you live? we might be able to find better options like a Seasonic or an Antec. One good alternative is an Antec VP-450 if you need to go cheap (in the USA you can find it between $30 and $40).

That issue with the WiFi dongle is odd. The board might have been confused and trying to boot from it like it was a USB flash drive (just guessing) or some kind of conflict. It might be a sign that the board or the BIOS is slightly damaged. Have you ever booted the computer with the GT 610 with the dongle removed and it still froze?

 

[Guest]

I had this problem when I first built the PC, even when it was to ignore any USBs to boot from. It works though now.


I'm not sure if you have read this, but I will say it again anyway: This only happens every so often. This is why I really want to know what it is, so I don't have to spend ages diagnosing it.

I know the CX series are not great, but I am on a very limited budget. I am in the UK, and things are a lot more expensive than the US. I mean, £1 is worth $1.55.

The price of the CX430 here in the UK is £33.99, which is $52.

 

[Guest]

If the computer did not have these problems before the new card, then it is unlikely that something else could be causing it. I would say the PSU might be an issue, but the GT 610 doesn't really use much more power than an integrated solution anyway, so I doubt it.

What version of Windows are you using?

The 760G motherboards use an old Radeon 3xxx series IGP, probably a 3250 or something like that. I have something similar in my old desktop and those drivers were definitely a problem.

I am building a new PC with a 760g motherboard (ASUS M5A78L M USB 3.0). Do you think I'd jave any problems with that and a GTX 750ti or maybe a 950.960?

 

[blazorthon]

There shouldn't be any problems so long as you don't try to have drivers for the integrated graphics and the discrete card installed at the same time when you aren't using both the discrete card and the integrated graphics at the same time. I have an 890GX board in my desktop and I have no problems with discrete graphics cards.

 

[Guest]

So I should uninstall my built in graphics before installing the card? I thought the onboard GPU would be disabled as soon as you installed a card

 

[blazorthon]

Disabled in the hardware, yes. However, the drivers for the integrated graphics would still be present in the system even when the integrated graphics is disabled and these old drivers can conflict with the new drivers for the new graphics card. Before you install a new graphics card, you should always completely uninstall the current graphics drivers. This usually requires not just uninstalling them with the windows programs and features windows, but also using a program meant for the job such as Driver Uninstaller or something similar.

Once that is done, windows will be using the default Microsoft generic driver which works with pretty much all integrated graphics and discrete cards. Then, you can shut down the computer, add in the new card, power up, and install the drivers for the new card because the default Microsoft driver is just to make the computer usable; it does not have good performance.

 

[qwertyK]

I may have actually installed the card as soon as the re installation of Windows finished. I just checked in device manager and I didn't see anything apart from the GT610 in the Graphics section.