# Computer won't start with Graphics Card plugged in



## jkm5054

I have sort of an unusual problem, which is that my computer will not start when I have my graphics card hooked up to my psu power cables. The computer has worked fine for a long time, but I recently moved the computer from my home back to my apartment at school, and it ran fine for a while, but I noticed later that night that the computer was off (even though I had left it on), and that it wouldn't start up when I pushed the power button.

I thought at first that my power supply had died, but by sheer luck I discovered that if I disconnected my video card from a power source, the computer would start up fine. I took my card to my friend's place and tried it in his computer, and got the same result (his computer worked fine until he plugged in my card). 

It's obvious to me that it's the graphics card that's the problem, but I'm just not sure what's wrong with it, or what happened. The card is a KFA2 8800GT 512 MB. The card has two 6-pin power connectors as opposed to only one, with a jumper next to them that I have yet to figure out the purpose of. I've looked over the card several times, and cannot detect any physical damage whatsoever.

My question is, is it possible to somehow ressurect the card, or should I just suck it up and buy a new one?

Also, I have realized that my CMOS battery has gone bad (though I haven't replaced it yet) since my system clock resets every time I restart, and was wondering if this could have anything to do with it.


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## Wrench97

What Brand and model Power Supply do you have and did you test the card with?
A bad or under powered supply will exhibit the same symptoms.


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## jkm5054

First off, thank you very much for replying, I greatly appreciate it.

Second off, my power supply is an Intec True Power Trio 430w (a little underpowered, I know, but it powered my computer just fine with the 8800 installed for about 2 years). My friend's computer, which I also tried the card in, was an 850w power supply.


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## dai

replace the cmos battery,it can cause odd problems


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## jkm5054

Okay, so I replaced the CMOS battery (it's keeping system time perfectly now), but when I connected power cables to the graphics card, the computer still wouldn't start. However, when I removed the power cables, the computer turned on as before, but this time I noticed that the fan on the graphics card is still working fine (it must be drawing power from the motherboard itself).

Any suggestions?


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## Tyree

jkm5054 said:


> Second off, my power supply is an Intec True Power Trio 430w (a little underpowered, I know, but it powered my computer just fine with the 8800 installed for about 2 years). My friend's computer, which I also tried the card in, was an 850w power supply.


You are underpowered with the Antec 430. It powering your 8800 for 2 yrs. makes it more suspicious. Does the PC work OK with your 8800?
Did you experience any problems using the card in your friend's PC? Can you borrow his GPU, or another GPU, to try in your PC?


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## jkm5054

The computer has always worked fine with the 8800, and has never given me any problems. When I tried the card in my friend's computer, he had the same problem as me. However, in his computer, once the card was inserted and connected to his power supply, his computer would try to start (i.e., his fans would start to spin for a second), but would always stay unresponsive, like mine. My fans don't move at all when I push the power button with the card plugged in, but other than that, there was no difference between his computer and mine.

As far as another GPU goes, I guess at this point it might just make more sense to buy a new one (and a better power supply, as well). As I've said, the computer itself works fine, and in fact I'm using it right now, with the only difference being that I now have to use the on-board graphics (geforce 6150 LE).


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## dai

it points to psu

what brand and model was your friends psu and what video card does he run with it


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## jkm5054

Sorry for the delayed response; my friend's card is an ATI Radeon HD 4870, and he uses an OCZ GameXStream 850w power supply.


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## Wrench97

If your card did not work in his system then I would tend to think the card is bad, but be aware that under powering does damage video cards.


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## 5870gamer

Your video card is dead, it could be due to many reasons however. It could have been the power supply or it could have been something else. Make sure to get a new power supply when you get your new video card, keep in mind to give yourself some head room with the power supply. if the card needs minimum 450 watts, I would get a 650 watt power supply, you could do with a 550 watt if you'd like but I recommend going with a 650 watt.


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## jkm5054

Alright, looks like I'm buying some upgrades. Thanks a lot for the help, guys!


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## DavidjKiss

OMG. I just wrote an entire essay about this issue but lost it since i wasnt logged it. :sigh:

So, now in very short:

*SYMPTOMS:*
- Micro-second power on (fans start to spin, LED's flash once) when the Power button is pressed for the first time.
- No response from the power button there after.
- Following powering off the PSU, or disconnecting the PC power cable, the first Power On again show's a micro-second "sign of life."
- Motherboard LED is lit if the PSU is connected and powered.
- Unplugging the power cables on the PCI-E video card then pressing the ON button cause the system to start (fans spin properly, LED's lit).

*SOLUTION:*
1) Unplug the computer
2) Remove all sticks of RAM
3) Remove graphics card and replace with another one (connect all power cables).
4) Re-insert 1 stick of RAM
5) Boot up
6) Wait for Windows to finish boot (incl. installing new hardware) and is idle:
7) 'Shut Down'
8) Disconnect power cable from the PSU
9) Put the original Graphics card back in (connect all cables) and the rest of the RAM.
10) Start up, viola!

Took me ages to figure this out. I recently upgraded my Video Card from a HD2900XT to a HD6790. I have a 500W Zalman PSU, Q6600 @2.4, on a ASUS P5E3 Deluxe/WiFi AP motherboard, 1+1+2 GB RAM, 3x HDD, 500 GB USB external storage, USB flashdrives, USB wireless headset, USB remote control reciever, 2x WiFi attenae, DVD drive, 6 large quiet fans, 2 monitors.... So my first thought was that I was under powered suddenly. But since the new graphics card has been working perfectly till now (installed about 10days ago) I kept looking for some solution other than buying a new PSU and / or Graphics card (again). And this worked for me. 

Hope this works for everyone else with this issue too!!:grin:

What might be important the the computer went into Sleep Mode, then I powered it off "incorrectly" (i just turned off the power extention the PC is plugged into.) I think this is one of the key elements of getting this bug.


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## Wrench97

Check the voltages(12v, 5v, 3.3v) on the system health page in the bios, your pushing a 500w Zalman pretty good with the 6790 card.


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