urgent! video card confusion...

[the ryan]

hey everyone,

a while ago i posted my problem after my comp just froze and hung out of nowhere then just died and the computer wouldnt turn back on. At that time i believed it was due to my power supply unit, becuase when i turned it on it would turn off within 8 seconds making a noise like it was dying, and the fan on the psu stopped spinning completely.

So i ordered a new psu Antec NeoHE - 550watt. i just finished putting it in and turned it on and the same exact thing happened, its on for a few seconds and shuts off...except there is no dying noise anymore with the new psu .

but i noticed that there are 2 red lights that light up on my video card, "extpwr" and "tfault". These both life up last time with my other psu but i figured that it was due to the dead power supply. now i have a brand new psu and im still getting those red lights. I'm not sure if they light up by default since in the beginning my case was always closed, and i never noticed it.

can anyone help me on what the two lights mean and this whole problem?

thanks ~ Ryan.

 

[ShackledPhoenix]

Which Graphics card?

 

[<[MaTT]>]

Maybe the lights are telling you that the cards aren't getting the power so you should make sure you've plugged everything in right. If it does it with a new psu then it must be a problem with something else or a connection somewhere.

 

[ShackledPhoenix]

He's right. Is this a PCI express graphics card? Is there a seperate power connector for the Graphics card you're not plugging in?

Describe the noise it makes "Like it was dying". Is it a beeping noise? grinding? Clicking?

How far does it get before dying? Windows load screen? Can you get into the bios? Does ANYTHING appear on screen? Does it beep at you while starting up?

Again what Graphics Card do you have?

Sadly this could have nothing to do with your Graphics Card. And honestly I doubt the lights have anything to do with this.

Try reseating your memory. Try moving the memory to a different slot. if you have more than one stick, take em out and try em one at a time. If your PC has an onboard graphics card, remove your current one and plug the monitor into that. Reset your bios by unplugging your PC, and removing the battery on the motherboard (it looks like a big watch battery) for about 1 minute, then putting the battery back in and starting your PC.

If none of that fixes the issue, look into motherboard or processor issues.

 

[the ryan]

this is a pci-e x1800xt, the noise that was made was from my old psu which i took out after i bought this new one. the old psu was broken too i think, the back fan wasnt spinning anymore.

and when i turn it on, it powers up far enough where hardware turns on, fan, drives, etc. but dies before a picture loads up on the screen.

i will try re-seating the ram tommorow when i have more time.

 

[Instrumediatech]

Remember - there's a reason they call it a "motherboard"....

 

[the ryan]

meaning....i need a new mobo?

how can i check to see if its my video card or motherboard thats messed up?