Computer Help - New Video Card - System Won't Boot

Superman said:
I used to go to a shop called PC Club, and for a few bucks, they'd test your components in a couple of boxes to see what the issue might be. They went out of business a few months back, maybe a year ago.
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aw, way to tease him, with an out of business shop. :p

since when did you become a mod?
 
Ok, the problem is the weak power supply combined with power hungry GPU. I need to get a better one. Spoken to an IT I know and I risk frying my whole system, even if I manage to get the GPU to work with the current PSU. He recommends a really pricy PSU and tells me not to skimp on a PSU, but it seems to me that there should be something in between the crappy 430w Thermaltake 12V with 18A for $39.99 and the 600W Corsair with 12V with 60A for $130.

Best Buy has a Antec 500W 12V with 24A for $79.99. Not sure if its even worth getting something with such a low amperage after talking with IT guy.
 
C Diddy said:
Ok, the problem is the weak power supply combined with power hungry GPU. I need to get a better one. Spoken to an IT I know and I risk frying my whole system, even if I manage to get the GPU to work with the current PSU. He recommends a really pricy PSU and tells me not to skimp on a PSU, but it seems to me that there should be something in between the crappy 430w Thermaltake 12V with 18A for $39.99 and the 600W Corsair with 12V with 60A for $130.

Best Buy has a Antec 500W 12V with 24A for $79.99. Not sure if its even worth getting something with such a low amperage after talking with IT guy.
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Were you the guy who made the help thread about what PC parts to get to build your computer? The one where I kept on reiterating to not skimp on your PSU because most people do and then come to regret it...

Well I hate to say it but....

(if you aren't him then I retract the above snide remark)
 
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tradepeja said:
Were you the guy who made the help thread about what PC parts to get to build your computer? The one where I kept on reiterating to not skimp on your PSU because most people do and then come to regret it...

Well I hate to say it but....

(if you aren't him then I retract the above snide remark)
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Nope, wasn't me.
 
This has been a huge learning experience for me. I never knew power supply was so important before.

So, I tried my Antec 500w PSU with Dual 12v rails with 22A per rail.

Didn't work.

At first I thought it was because the card requires 26A and its only 22A per rail. But I knew from previous research that 26A is the entire system, and dual rails should separate the mobo from everything else, and one 12V rail with 22A should be able to run everything without the mobo. The issue is that this particular card I have does not have its own power line (6-pin connector). It gets its power from the board. :mad:

Back to the store I go, to get a PSU that supports more than 26a per rail.
 
C Diddy said:
This has been a huge learning experience for me. I never knew power supply was so important before.
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Frankly, for a long time they weren't that "important" as you could use most generic PSUs without concern. But higher wattage CPUs and video cards have changed that significantly. People also now have multiple hard drives in RAID configurations, network servers at home running 24/7, etc. Power supplies are more important now than previously IMHO.
 
Warhawk said:
Frankly, for a long time they weren't that "important" as you could use most generic PSUs without concern. But higher wattage CPUs and video cards have changed that significantly. People also now have multiple hard drives in RAID configurations, network servers at home running 24/7, etc. Power supplies are more important now than previously IMHO.
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I knew in general that more watts = better, but I never knew the importance of amperage.
 
C Diddy said:
I knew in general that more watts = better, but I never knew the importance of amperage.
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Not just that, but look at temperature range during testing.

Some units are tested at cooler temperatures, which inflates their efficiency and output. Higher quality units are tested at hotter temps to more accurately reflect real-world situations.

You can read more about testing here as a start:

http://www.hardwaresecrets.com/article/534
 
***UPDATE***

I purchased a 750W Corsair with a single 12v with 60A and the computer still will not boot.

I've eliminated everything on the list of possible issues except motherboard incompatibility and faulty card.

I have an email out to tech support with Biostar to determine compatibility.

Next step is to return the card.

A big thank you to everyone that has followed and responded to this thread. Thank you very much!
 
Put the old card back in and check to make sure the pci slot is turned on in the bios.

Also, avoid tigerdirect at all costs. They just ship out crappy defective products and hope people dont return it.
 
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