How to upgrade - downwards, in one easy lesson.

Hi guys, Mr. Upgrade here.

I took the advice in the forums a couple of weeks ago and upgraded my PC memory from 1Gb to 4Gb (see my post on graphics cards last week). It seems I wasted 1 Gb of that as Windows XP cannot use all that memory, even though it can address it, as around 1Gb is reserved for graphics memory etc.

Anyways, undeterred by the negligible effect this upgrade had on my SL experience (which is laggy as hell), I then asked about graphics cards. I again took the advice of the forums (and supported by that nice new graphics card info in the KB) and went for the Nvidea 8800GTS. Set me back 271 euros (apparently the 8800GT is a little better and a little cheaper, but none of the computer stores in my large German town had any, and said they were having difficulty in obtaining supplies, so I went for the 8800GTS instead, which WAS in stock.

The nice man in the computer store assured me that all I had to do was uninstall my existing Nvidea 6600 drivers (I have dual 6600GT cards), then power off, then remove the PC cover, unscrew and remove the existing two cards, install the 8800GTS card, put cover back, connect up and power on. My PC will then detect the new hardware and ask for drivers, at which point I insert the supplied driver CD, and Robert is your mother's brother.

Now, hands up all of you who agree with the computer store owner's description of what needs to be done? Be honest now, before you read on!

So, OK, I followed all those steps. I then found that the monitor connector on the back of the 8800GTS is NOT the same as my computer monitor cable connector, (the monitor likes a blue D-type looking connector, not sure what its official name is), and is provided on the 6600 card, whereas the 8800GTS has this cream-coloured two row flat bladed type of connector. So, back to the PC store, where I got the required adaptor, and the store owner made it sound like it was my fault for not asking for one in the first place!! So, back home, and installed the adapter. I then switched on, got a high pitched whistle, and nothing on my screen, although the PC did make all the other usual boot-up noises, time to panic.

I powered off, removed the cover, powered on, and the whistle returned and boy is it loud, like the old kettle boiling type of whistle, and was definitely coming from my nice new 8800GTS card.

Out it came, and I examined it closely. First thing I saw, and it is quite hard to see, was a small label in the centre of the card saying 'Remove this protective film first', in a tiny font, in red, but among a very colourful snazzy background. Could this be causing the high-pitched whistle, I doubted it, as the film had holes in all the right places anyway, but off it came. I then noticed, at the rear of the card, a power socket! This was new, my 6600 cards did not have one of these. So I checked the installation manual (which is on the CD and you need your PC working to read it of course!), fortunately I have my trusty laptop. It said this:

"XFX Graphics Cards with auxilliary power requirement, you must connect the AGP 4 pin mollex adapter or the 6 pin mollex adapter for PCIE."

This was all gobbledy-gook to me. How do I know what the power requirement is for my card? They should be telling me! Anyway, I looked at the various unused power leads coming from my power supply, and there was one that looked the same as the socket on my 8800GTS card, but it was a female too, so did not fit. So, grinding halt, and the PC store was now, of course, closed.

So, everything out again, put back the 6600 cards, cover on, recabled, powered on. The PC then told me it couldn't find the drivers for these 'new' 6600 cards. I found the Nvidea folder on the C: drive, and chose Setup, and it told me later it had successfully installed the drivers for my 6600GT cards. Phew! Rebooted. Now, every tenth word or so in this post, as I prepare it in Notepad, is thick and blurred, as are several of the names below icons on my desktop.

So, there you have it. How to upgrade - downwards, in one easy lesson!

Sigh,

Rock

OUCH

Seriously tho ... get it sorted out and put it all back! If not ... can I have your graphics card please?

I feel your pain and dissapointment, Id be crying in my tea now....big hug >=0=<

I'm always amazed at the only user manuals being put on CD's now, especially if you need the manual to actually get your machine working. Brilliant. back when I was having trouble installing my cable modem and getting online, the CD user guide said for support, go to a website, DOH!

OK, now I'm terrified...I have a new graphics card arriving today or tomorrow.

I don't know about your locale, but in the U.S., one should not rely on the salespeople at a computer store for advice, nor expect them to necessarily confess to ignorance: they may just say nonsense to make a sale.

One would certainly not expect them to know which video cards have unusual power requirements.

Reading a review or two of the card you bought before buying it would almost certainly give you the heads up on the extra power cable need. One source for good equipment reviews is Tom's Hardware.

It's not at all unusual to need to upgrade a power supply when getting a high end video card.

My Resident Geek says:

This is why people who have never opened up their computers before should leave upgrading them to the professionals. If you can't find a professional, snag any nearby fifteen to twenty year old male. (I hit him when he said this, and he explained, cringing, that many girls can do this stuff too, but odds are that any young teenage boy will know all the latest stuff.)

Your friendly dealer didn't lie to you. He just assumed that you knew the stuff that is second nature to him, having been swimming in a geekish environment for years now.

Modern graphics cards now use a digital video connector, or DVI. That's the white port you saw. Older monitors that use the analog VGA connector (the blue one) need an adapter.

High powered graphics cards are little computers in their own right, and they consume a lot of power. Most of them now require their own power connector, since the data bus (the pins at the bottom of the card) can't supply as much as they need.

I'm glad you have a spare power connector...but be sure that your power supply is big enough, too. The specs for the graphics card should have a recommended wattage, but if you can't find that, I'd try to have at least a 650 watt power supply in your machine.

Unfortunately.. anycomputer hardware upgrades aren't that simple.. except ram usually lol...

The extra power *should* have a cable coming from the PSU in your computer, just find one shaped like the power connector on the card. If there isn't one there, you should have a cable somewhere (Or be able to find one at said store) that connects from the card to your motherboard, if your motherboard even supports it....

Computer parts are evil =(

And the blurred image would be a bad sign lol.... maybe you shocked one of the cards(Though doubtful really.. you'd know), or on/both is just not seated properly. Make sure they are completely in, the drivers are installed and all that.. if all else fails.. sue the shop =P

And im gonna have to say it. next time, RTFM!!! It tells you EVERYTHING on how to install.

Also, make sure that power is actually needed. My current 8600GT has it as well I believe, but my Motherboard isn't required to use it, and the card works fine.

For me, it took two installs oft he card for it to work as well however...


First time, absolutely no image came up... (this is a PCI express x16 card), so we uninstaled and shoved in a plain PCI card (old) and made sure it was the card not something else... then shoved it back in and it worked!

Man.. you just stopped me cold from buying new computer!
LOL!

Good Luck!

I feel your pain, Rock. The IT people, the computer store people - all act as if it's a refrigerator you're buying. "Just go home and plug it in." Unfortunately, there are any number of variables that are operative in, it seems, almost any computer action. Macs have less of these problems because, if I understand it correctly, they have less flexibility when it comes to upgrading. Have a Mac and need a new this or that? Buy a new Mac. Where's that Maytag repairman who was so bored because he was never needed? Did he go to computer school?

Oh sounds like i have all this to look foward to

At the moment though my pc takes between 10 and 13 minutes from when i double click my SL icon to when i can actually move in SL, somthing needs to be done!

They expect that if you are shopping for a part and know what yuo want, you know how to do it as well. It really is just 'go home and plug it in' if you think about. Then just stick in the driver disc and install and you're done.

Theproblem is for most people, where to plug it in, and what all to plug in, along with 'can my pc handle it?'

I, as well as many others on these forums I'm sure, would be willing to help you out in what you need, though I'd recomend having someone else build it if you don't know anything abuot doing it. That being said, I've built a bunch of PCs and would be glad to walk you through it in Real time if you chose to do that, though... webcams are extremely useful for such things.

I'd also recommend that you get a better/bigger internal fan. I don't know if the 8800 comes with one, but it's sure gonna need it. Also, and this sounds silly, put an old pair of panty hose over your computer, and point a regular desktop fan at it. The cooler and cleaner that you can keep it, the happier it will be.

The box for the video card should actually specify that it needs an extra power supply.

I feel your pain!

Hubs wanted to get on SL, but his graphics card wouldn't handle it. So he goes to the computer store with a list in hand from the SL website, of what cards worked. He buys a card (name of which escapes me at the moment, but it's for gaming), brings it home, attempts to plug it in and the first thing he notices is....the plugs are different. Hm.

OK, well, the computer is 3 years, probably need to upgrade the motherboard anyway, and of course, this requires upgrading the chip...and he upgrades to the one that matches his graphics card...ah yes, SLP(?) technology...need to upgrade the memory, and power supply.

By the time he got done, he had spent over $700, and the only original thing left was the case!

"Dude, you could have had a Dell!"

Most computer store employees are usually only trained on what they carry. Kinda like how some Lindens use the copy/paste support booklet. These days it is hard to find a good computer 'tech' in most large computer stores. I'm shocked the store owner didn't ask about the connector! That connector is a VGA to DVI. DVI's(aka Digital video input) is becoming the standard with the majority of new monitors. An intelligent salesman or store owner would have known to ask. Most people say, 'take it to a pro'. If you do that, how will you ever learn to do it yourself?

If you are using power supply made prior to PCIE, it wont have the proper connections. The connector you will need is something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16812887001
^ Is also a great site for buyer reviews and good prices to boot.

As for that train whistle, it could have been that "remove me first film" or just the sound of the high speed fans on the new cards. Yes some can be pretty loud.

Hope you get it all sorted.

Would you get the same quality of parts for 700 from Dell?

I built my own machine for 1100 USD including the OS (Windows XP Home, ill go pro if i see a reason to)

If I was buying something premade, I'd have to spend near 2000 USD to get the quality I have.

u might need to upgrade the power supply aswell if it`s a standard 350-400 (says on the side on the lable)

when i got my 8800GTS, i took the advice of others in another thread about power supplies and upgraded from 400 to 620 wich had modular cables to pick from and plug it into it, including an GFX card cable

ROFL @ HoneyBear !!!

Weeelll, I bought the one my computer programmer, builder of new computers for fun, brother suggested. If I have problems, I'm making him drive up here and fix it.

He's never given me bad advice, though.

*nods* It's not worth it to buy a package deal - unless maybe you are getting a monitor. Otherwise, it's a heck of a lot cheaper to upgrade parts. And this coming from a former Dell user who has now turned her XPS into something that actually WORKS. And no, the quality from Dell SUCKS.

They don't put in a powerful enough power supply for starters. Right now, that and RAM are the only things I've changed on mine and it runs much faster. So what if the power supply is sitting outside the case? (I said XPS, didn't I? Well, it's the same as my hubby's ex-computer which was an XPS, only in a Dimension case.) Now, if I could get my comp's innards into the XPS case.. but when it comes to motherboards, I steer clear.

The graphics card will be the next thing to change out.. just waiting for the money.

I find it amazing that the OP didn't get a VGA to DVI adapter with the card. I have at least 4 or 5 extra ones which were free with the last few cards I've bought. What kinda cheap bastard company leaves out VGA to DVI adapters?

I know... my card came with ne.. and the shop where I built my machine (I was new to it at the time, so had a pro wathcing over me) had probably.. 20 just from cards they'd got for other builds....

most of the new geforce 8 serie card require a dedicated 12 volt rail on the power supply, be carefull your PSU is over the specs requred about this or you might reduce the life of your psu/computer quite a bit.

Actually, it did! After I returned from the store with the adapter, and with the store owner shaking his head that there 'should' have been one in the box, and after all the problems and post to the forum, before I went to bed I looked again, this time taking out the bottom layer of cardboard which holds the card in place, and it was there, in a small sealed cellophane bag, so I have a spare now!

The guy in the store is not a pimply-faced youth who knows very little, this was the store owner, who is the authorised rep for both MSI and Nvidea in the town, and has Nvidea cards up to the ceiling.

I am still miffed he neglected to tell me about the connector, the film, the power supply requirements and power connector. I will be 'speaking' to him today.

Does anyone know if leaving off the power connector for the 8800GTS could be responsible for the high-pitched whistle from the card?

Rock