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Thread: GFX card

  1. #1
    Only african to own a PC! Cider's Avatar
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    GFX card / Mobo

    Hey all

    Got a pc @ work which I have to fix for someone. They use it for home use and the kids play various games.

    Running XP Prof SP2
    P3 863 Mhz and 512 PC133 ram.

    The Graphics card just went so I have to replace it. There was a GF3 128 mb in there.

    Now I have to replace it. Would something like a Fx 5200 be okay or is the CPU to weak?

    Thank you

    EDIT: Ok now I have another problem with this PC.

    I had to test out the RAM (2x Kingston 512@133). The one works fine however when I put the other in, I recieve a blank screen on startup. When I now take it out and use the original Kingston stick I get the same blank screen.

    I unplugged the power supply from the mobo, plugged back in and bam it works? Now is there some sort of a short. This does it with another supply I found here in the office as well.

    I will try get the details of this the mobo for everyone.

    Any help appreciated.
    Last edited by Cider; December 11th, 2007 at 11:37 AM.
    The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
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  2. #2
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Cider,

    By "CPU" I take it you mean PSU (power supply)?........That would depend on how powerful it is.

    As a rule of thumb, if the card can draw its power from the AGP or PCI slot (don't worry about the little fan) then you will certainly be OK.

    If it needs its own power supply then it depends what else is in the machine. If the PSU is 300 Watts or better then you should still be OK.

    The FX 5200 should fit the bill perfectly.

    PIII/863? Not exactly rocket science is it? So there is no point in getting a fancy video card, it would be a waste of money.

    Windows XP SP2, 512Mb PC133? That is where your performance block is. But be careful, because the machine may not support more than 512Mb. IMO it could certainly do with some more RAM to run Windows XP SP2 and play games.

    Basically, you have a Windows 98SE/NT4 SP6a machine there. I guess that without additional RAM I would have upgraded to Windows 2000.

  3. #3
    Only african to own a PC! Cider's Avatar
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    Wink

    Very good call Nihil. I put 2 x 128 Ram with the 512 however the system stays on 512 RAM.
    Great Call

    One more question. When you change power supplies does the system timer/clock , whatever you call it - reset?

    When I swop PSU's a msg comes up telling me the " Low on Battery". I then have to go into Bios and Set the Date and time?

    Is this normal? Is it possible the mobo is shorting or something to that effect.

    Thanks again.

    P.S Nihil must start charging people for tech support however I am near Zimbabwe and with inflation around 14000% I wont get charged. Thanks Nihil again.
    The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
    Albert Einstein

  4. #4
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Cider,

    One more question. When you change power supplies does the system timer/clock , whatever you call it - reset?
    No, you are now looking at an old machine that I would guess at late 1990's. It probably still has the original CMOS battery in it, and this is flat. It is on the MoBo surface somewhere, and is a button cell around 20mm, or just over threequarters of an inch in diameter. You need to replace it.

    Because you live in a relatively warm climate, these batteries tend to last longer than they do here.

    Is this normal? Is it possible the mobo is shorting or something to that effect.
    I would say it is probably just fine. It is the battery that needs replacing. You usually have to do that about every 5 years over here. It is the battery that keeps the clock going when the power is off.

    Now, with the machine being in regular use, the battery has a chance to recover and will probably keep the clock going for the few hours that the machine is turned off. Because you have had the machine turned off for a much longer period whilst you have been fixing it, the flat battery has shown up



    EDIT:

    Sorry I didn't see your edit.

    I had to test out the RAM (2x Kingston 512@133). The one works fine however when I put the other in, I recieve a blank screen on startup. When I now take it out and use the original Kingston stick I get the same blank screen.
    That will probably be because the BIOS has detected memory in excess of the supported amount. I would guess that when you removed the power you reset the BIOS (remember that you have an almost flat battery).

    I am surprised at it recognising the 512Mb strip though. How many memory banks (slots) does it have?

    Also, is it a brand name machine (make and model please) or is it custom built (MoBo details please)?

    I have an IBM flat top with a PIII/533 that is obviously of around the same era. It will support 512Mb in two strips of 256Mb. That was pretty common for that time, when office machines generally had 128Mb and ran NT4.0.

    I am wondering if this machine does not, infact support 1Gb, but is confused because it has found a 512Mb strip?

    Try taking the second 512Mb and replacing the original with it. If it doesn't work, then it looks like a dud memory strip?

    I am guessing now, but I think your MoBo has 3 memory slots? In which case I would expect it to want 256+256+256 = 768

    The first thing to do is replace the CMOS battery on the MoBo. All sorts of unpredictable things can happen until you do this.
    Last edited by nihil; December 11th, 2007 at 02:31 PM.

  5. #5
    Only african to own a PC! Cider's Avatar
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    Thanks mate. Ill do so.
    The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
    Albert Einstein

  6. #6
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Cider, please check my post again I have edited it

  7. #7
    Only african to own a PC! Cider's Avatar
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    Hi there Nihil

    It have 3 memory banks.

    Make: Intel Desktop Board

    Model: D815EFV / D815EPFV

    [bold]EDIT[/bold]: I checked out the manual and yes it only supports 512 RAM.

    I will replace the battery asap.

    Thanks again for all your help.

    Tyron
    Last edited by Cider; December 11th, 2007 at 03:11 PM.
    The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
    Albert Einstein

  8. #8
    Senior Member nihil's Avatar
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    Hi Cider, I have just downloaded and checked the Intel technical manual for that board.

    It supports a maximum of 512Mb of RAM (minimum = 64Mb) but no mention of individual capacity, which is probably why it "sees" the 512Mb strip.

    That is pretty weird, as normally, stuff that will recognise 512Mb strips will support 1Gb, and Windows NT4.0 would support 2Gb, so it is not an OS constraint.

    The board is later than I thought as well: 2001


  9. #9
    Only african to own a PC! Cider's Avatar
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    Yeah pretty wierd. Im confused ...

    Well Ill just order a FX5200 even though it supports AGP 8x and the mobo is only 4x. THat card is lowest grade card I can find atm.

    Can I use any cmos battery or how does that work?

    Thanks Nihil.

    If you figure out anything more please let me know.
    The world is a dangerous place to live; not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.
    Albert Einstein

  10. #10
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    Unfortunately, most manufacturers will not list the exact type and model of your CMOS battery; therefore, once you have located the battery, write down all information about the battery (Voltage, chemistry, wiring, and packaging) which should be on the battery itself. If possible, remove the battery and take it to the location you plan on purchasing a new battery from. they should know, because its their job to.

    google is your friend.


    EDIT: here check this website out.

    http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000239.htm
    Last edited by chaosclown; December 11th, 2007 at 05:41 PM.

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