Random Video Card Installation Question

[Yangsing]

What would happen if you installed a new video card and turned on your pc without plugging in the power supply connector to the video card? I always wondered that.

[Epical]

Nothing extravagant, you just probably wouldn't get a video signal seeing as the card doesn't have enough power going to it.

[Reality]

The PC would start up fine, but 3D applications would not start properly

External power for certain videocards is primarily for entering 3D Mode

[Grandcross]

My card beeps pretty loud if there is no power connected.

[Vyvian]

I get a black screen in old console lettering, that says:

You failed to follow the provided instructions..


followed by some message telling you to shutdown and plug the power connector in.

[Avanarius]

I have two 8800's and I once forgot to plug the power into both of them after doing some work on the comp and it made the most disturbingly high pitched sound you could ever imagine. Didn't do it with only 1 card plugged in though.....hmmm

[Makenshin]

If the video card requires another power plug outside the one you plug intot he motherboard, it will do the super high pitch squeal of death. I was building my friends comp and I have never had it happeend before and his dad came downstairs thinking we broke something. The computer may still boot up depending if you have onboard video or not, but since the video card is plugged in, i don't think it will be looking at the onboard video, and you would get bios beeps for video card error.

[Reality]

The squealing you're talking about is an electrical noise that a lot of Geforce 8800 cards make (mine doesn't), it's normal from what I hear

The Vcore series inductors on some 8800's do not sing when the GPU loads up in 3D but the vast majority
of them do. Virtually all GTX and Ultra cards will sing when loaded (haven't had one yet that didn't to some
degree) and can sound like the Vienna Boys Choir at full rack when the Vcore and clocks are really leaned
on. It is perfectly normal albeit irritating to some with tender ears.

[Yangsing]

Squeal of death, smell of burning circuitry, and poof of smoke. Interesting

[ShinseiRyu]

I had an ATI card that would flash power cable not connected on the screen if I tried to boot without it connected. My 8800GTS has the squeal if you don't connect the power cable.