LuvinmyEB

Ok I'll start from the start here on the problem I'm having with my PC.

In March I purchased a 128Mb Nvidia FX 5200 MSI graphics card. It was put into my pre existing computer with the following specs:

Jetway N2PA-ultra Motherboard (NForce 2 nVidia chipset)
AMD XP 2000+ CPU
The above graphics card
512Mb of RAM (2 x 256Mb PC2100 DDR) running in dual channel mode
52x ATA CD ROM
40GB 7200rpm ATA100 Seagate HDD
40x12x48 ATA CD-R/CD-RW/CD
A:/
V92 PCI Internal modem (Netcomm)
Intel 10/100 PCI Network Interface Card

Approximately 2 weeks ago I decided to upgrade my CPU, RAM and HDD to the following:

AMD XP 2800+ CPU (Barton Core)
1024Mb RAM (2x 512Mb PC3200 DDR) still running in dual channel mode.
120GB 7200rpm 8Mb Cache ATA133 Western Digital HDD
New casing and 400 Watt power supply.

I've never overclocked anything in my PC. What did happen was that I left the 40gig HDD in my PC along with the new 120gig, I was doing the upgrade so that I could give my old CPU and HDD to my son, so the 40gig HDD was removed, up until then the graphics card didn't have a problem working.

Sounds easy right?, remove the 40gig HDD, change the settings in the BIOS and move a jumper so that the 120gig was now the master. Reinstall windows XP because it wasn't on the primary drive before, download all the windows updates, put all the drivers back on. The jobs done.

Now we come to turning the computer on. No picture (monitor stays in standby mode, never receives a signal), computers internal speaker doesn't even beep, and the computer is constantly restarting itself (the only indication of this being hearing the CD-ROM spin up then spin down again straight away, repeatedly.) ... Houston we have a problem.

Troubleshooting time, the RAM was taken out and checked in my sons computer, it's fine (whew!). Checked all the connections, the gfx card was in the AGP slot nice and snuggly. Tried pulling out all the expansion cards (network card and modem), disconnected the HDD and CD burner. Every time we plugged the sucker back in, no picture and it kept trying to restart itself.

Ok time to start thinking outside the square, so the gfx card was removed and replaced with my sons 128mb ECS ATI Radeon 9200se, plugged the computer in and it booted and we had a picture so then we double checked the CMOS settings, settings were fine, so that wasn't the problem.

We seem to have eliminated the crashing and over heating problems that it was having by putting in a new power supply (the older one was very dodgy for some reason) and flashing the BIOS.

Fingers crossed we've now fixed the problems, so we tried putting the FX 5200... *screams* ... it does the same old thing, no picture and keeps trying to restart itself. So I have the Radeon back in my PC and the computer hasn't crashed, so for now it looks like it's staying until I find the problem.

I want my FX5200 back!!! It has worked in this computer before and is working in every other computer in this house (3 of them), I want it to work in mine again. I have had two computer technicians working on this problem and they are both at their wits end trying to work out what the glitch could be.

It may be something small that we have completely overlooked and is plain as the noses on our faces, so any input would be appreciated.

HELP.... please, for the sake of my sanity. Ooops too late!

Otsile

have you overclocked the computer? If so by how much.

Night_Lurker

try the card in your son's pc...if you have already forget this comment. my mate just got a FX5200 card, i can't remember what board his is running (some ECS one). no dramas on it..

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Steffo

I know a guy who had the same problem as you with his Athlon XP3000+ system running an Abit NF7-S motherboard, except he was using a GeForce FX5600. After a week of drama, he bought a ATi Radeon 9600 Pro and has been using it problem free ever since. Maybe if the FX5200 works in your son's comp and his 9200 works in yours, swap them, they're about equal performance videocards anyway.

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Ambrose_1

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Founder of TKTDSGM Group
The Kiwi's That Don't Support Greg Murphy

The MaDDeSTMaN

Err, no, the FX5200 is a much better card then the 9200se.

DirectX version:
9200se - DirectX 8.1
FX5200 - DirectX 9.0

OpenGL version:
9200se - OpenGL 1.3
FX5200 - OpenGL 1.4

Steffo, you seriously think there is no performance difference between a 9200SE and an FX5200?!?

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Steffo

Whoops, didn't see the 9200SE part. A proper 9200 isn't much different, the budget SE chips aren't that special.

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MaD_WoG

leave my 9200 SE alone :(

its getting upgraded to a 9600 xt in 3 weeks :D but then, my computer is bieng upgraded AGAIN (this one is 2 months old hehe)

but try to swap video cards.... but you say that no pc speaker sound, and just keeps restarting, so remove the video card, and see what happens, fi it restarts all the time, its deeper than the video card

when i first built this computer, nothing happened, removed EVERYTHING and nothing, so i ended up pulling out the motherboard, and leaving it on the motherboard box, and it worked there, the board was shorting out on the chassis.... dunno if u removed ur board, but yeh

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XE Fairmont Ghia... Silver/Grey Met over black, soon to be v8, cant wait till i get another v8, after 3 LONG HARD YEARS

http://home.iprimus.com.au/diablo_vt/xeesp.swf

the_wheel_man

The FX5200 sucks ass anyway, get a 5700


(and yes, i do have a 5200, and it does suck ass)

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Am i suppost to put something funny here?

The MaDDeSTMaN

Good suggestion, thanks for the input, but I don't think that's it, because if the m/b was shorting out on the chassis, then it wouldn't boot with either the 9200se OR the FX5200.

And I'm not picking on your 9200se, it's still better then what I had until just over a week ago - which was a Sparkle SP6800M4 (64Mb GeForce 2 MX 400 AGP card) - please stop laughing, at least I got $36 for it on eBay! I upgraded to a GIGABYTE GV-R955128T (128Mb Radeon 9550 AGP card), which, although far from a high-end card (it's the best I could afford, I'd rather spend as little on the PC as possible so I can spend it on my car instead), is definately an upgrade over a GeForce2 MX.

It's still got us scratching our heads, and I didn't have that much hair to start with...

There is no doubt that an FX5700 is better then a FX5200, the issue is that it worked in her PC, and now won't, and we have no idea why. Upgrading to a better graphics card would be nice, no doubt about that, but we can't justify spending the sort of money a 5700 (a quick look shows me that a 5700 is worth $180 without DVI) is worth when we have a card here that used to work in her PC and still works in any other machine.

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