Two machines different PC's won't boot with GTX 285 fitted

[Piggie]

Before I go any further, let me just say. Yes, I know both motherboards I detail below are only 775 socket systems and a few years old, my reasons for purchasing the GTX 285 was just to bump up my graphics a bit.

================

First a little background of my systems

1st system.

Abit AB9 Pro
4GB Memory (in two dimm slots)
Intel Q6700 CPU
Corsair HX 550w modular power supply.

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/showproduct....rodid=MB-105-AB



2nd system.

Asus P5B-VM
2GB Memory (in two dimm slots)
Intel E6600 CPU
Hyper 500w power supply

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Asus-P5B-VM-Mother...e/dp/B000IG775C



Graphics card GTX 285 (purchased 2nd hand privately)

BFG BFGEGTX2851024OC2E

http://www.amazon.com/BFG-BFGEGTX2851024OC...s/dp/B001PR1URO



Note: Both machines have been and are running Nvidea 8800 GTS/GTX cards happily in their PCI-E x16 sockets.



To cut a long story short. If I fit the BFG GTX 285 card into either machine and power up the machine, after only 2 to 3 seconds the system freezes. No HDD activity. the machine's wont POST. No BIOS activity. No display on connected monitors nothing.

Green LED's show on the graphics card, the fan on the graphics card (and my CPU fan) is running and the HDD spins up but loads nothing (no HDD activity)

On the off chance it may be a power issue (despite me reading a good quality 500w would be enough) I also used a separate PSU to independently power the GTX285 so it had almost 350 watts all to itself if needed.

The seller tells me he feels both my mother boards are probably too old to support the GTX 285, and yet I cannot find any info on the Internet to say this may be the case, and a local computer shop also feels it should run fine.

The seller also says he had the same thing and purchased a brand new i7 style motherboard which he says it ran fine on three days ago for him.

I am trying to find anyone who can give me a reason why the GTX 285 will stop two different PC's from even booting up.

Can anyone offer any suggestions, as the natural reaction otherwise may be to suspect the GTX 285 of having a possible fault.

Thanks in advance for any advice, thoughts or reasons for this problem you may be able to give.

 

[james.wired]

Any motherboard that has a PCIExpress x16 1.0 or 2.0 should be able to work with your card, those cards came out when socket 775 was mainstream....where he gets "too old" is complete crap. I would demand a refund on the transaction asap. Just tell him it doesn't work for you, he can sell it to someone else.

 

[iFargle]

I have that same card, and it says it requires a minimum 575W PSU.

 

[Piggie]

I have that same card, and it says it requires a minimum 575W PSU.

As far as I understand these things (and someone please correct me if I'm wrong) but when they say something like this (needing 575w) they are taking a guess as what a typical user may also have in their case along with the card.

They are not saying THE CARD needs this much, only that a typical system with this card in it should have this.

Also this is with the card running at full bore (fast 3D game) fan running flat out and the card working at it's hardest (pulling the max watts it can)

I may be wrong (and please correct me if I am) But this does not mean the card needs 575W to boot up and/or just tick over in windows. It would run at (require) a LOT less than that.

If I have a 520W quality corsair supply, powering "only" the following:

Mboard
CPU with it's 1 fan
2 sticks of memory
The GTX285 graphics card

I can't believe it's not getting enough power to even start up properly and the machine boot up.

 

[carnageX]

I have that same card, and it says it requires a minimum 575W PSU.

I'm running a 285 on a Corsair 520hx just fine, and he was using a Corsair 550w PSU in one of his systems, so power isn't an issue here.

 

[Piggie]

I'm running a 285 on a Corsair 520hx just fine, and he was using a Corsair 550w PSU in one of his systems, so power isn't an issue here.

Apologies my mistake.

I'm actually running the exact same supply as you.

Corsair 520 HX (supposed to be a good quality supply)

Out of interest, my 8800 cards, on bootup the fan spins up fast for 2 or 3 seconds then slows back down again. Does the 285 do this also?

In all my testing it just starts slow spinning instantly.

Some 285 cards I've seen in reviews have a reset button on them, the BFG one I linked to in my 1st post appears not to have anything like that.

I'm still puzzled why it just sits there (apparently fine) with green LED's and it's fan spinning slowly, yet it stops both machines from booting up, or getting anywhere near a BIOS screen coming up.

So, do you all feel it should fire up and work ok, on both those (few years old) motherboards I linked to in my 1st post.

I'm at a loss as to what else to try to make it work. I mean, you plug it in, connect it up and it works and that's that !!!!! (normally)

 

[carnageX]

Kind of an obvious question, but you have the PCI-E power connector plugged into the card, correct?

 

[patonb]

Actually it 2 pci-e isn't it?

 

[carnageX]

My bad, it is 2 PCI-e power plugs, thanks for correcting me paton.

 

[Piggie]

Kind of an obvious question, but you have the PCI-E power connector plugged into the card, correct?

No problem answering any question anyone may have

Yes, I have two separate "modular cable" power lines coming from my Corsair HX 520w power supply to the GTX285 card.

The exact same two in fact that were feeding my 8800 GTX card

Despite the fact that both LED's on the GTX 285 were lit up green (I can only guess that means it's happy with the power it has)

To be on the safe side, I went and got a totally separate, good quality 350 watt supply. Connected that (the main connector) to a very old small motherboard with only a celeron CPU on it (just to give it some loading as I read you must give them SOME loading)

And connected this "other" power supply onto the GTX285

Did not make any difference.

I can't imagine the small celeron board was pulling much of the 350 away from the seperate power supply, esp as there was no graphics card/hdd/cdrom connected to this OTHER mboard.

So totally wild guess, there must have been 200w+ for the GTX285 to have drawn from if it needed it, just to boot up with.

If anyone can suggest I try anything else them please do.

All I have at the moment is a GTX285 (the exact model in my 1st posting) that won't even fire up in the two motherboards I also posted links to in my 1st posting.

And a private seller who is saying I need to buy a new more modern motherboard for it to work.

And (so far) everyone else on the Internet apparently saying it should work fine.