Video Card problems

[Budtron]

Building a computer.
Got a AMD 2500 barton cpu
A7V8X-X motherboard
512 mushkin RAM
80gb HD
Radeon 9600 SE video card

I put everything together. Seems to boot up fine except for the picture. The words on boot up are all distorted, it seems that the letters aren't all complete. I've tried taking it out and putting it back in.
Do I have to install the drivers first? I'm not sure how If i can't even read the desktop to install windows. Could it be a broken video card??

 

[paintballer]

My first thought was drivers. But if you are having incomplete words and stuff it could just be bad (I've never really had a bad one though so I could be wrong). Before you go through the hassle of returning it, try another video card if you have one in another computer you can get your hands on. Another possibility could be the monitor.

 

[Budtron]

I tried antoher monitor, same thing. Explaining it a little more: it looks like the screen is covered in colons but when I push a button they go away, but the distorted numbers and letters are still there. I think I'll just try doing the drivers. Im sure I can get myself through Windows install

 

[bluto]

Building a computer.
Got a AMD 2500 barton cpu
A7V8X-X motherboard
512 mushkin RAM
80gb HD
Radeon 9600 SE video card

I put everything together. Seems to boot up fine except for the picture. The words on boot up are all distorted, it seems that the letters aren't all complete. I've tried taking it out and putting it back in.
Do I have to install the drivers first? I'm not sure how If i can't even read the desktop to install windows. Could it be a broken video card??

This is a wild guess,but does the bios regognize your AGP card ?
The basic vga startup should not be a mess.
Getting to Windows is next for the enhanced "drivers"

 

[KingBobCat]

the card might be overheating? or it has been damaged through previous over use.

i had an old gf4ti4200 on for a few weeks, and the fan on it stopped working so i nearly fried the card

 

[Cappy]

try increasing your screen refresh rate .I bought a new Flat Panel CRT when i first booted up i couldnt read anything .It was like having 2 desktops smashed together .The refresh rate was set at adapter default .I changed it to 85 Hz and that solved the problem .

 

[Budtron]

Turned out to be a bad video card!! Got it exchanged for a new one and everything works great. Thanks