HIS ATI Radeon HD 4670 Not working

[Kuponut]

Been a long time since I posted on BG forums.

My outdated computer's motherboard only has a 8x AGP slot. For years I had been using a Nvidia Geforce 5500 FX. It burnt out a couple weeks ago, so I have been using an even more outdated Geforce 2 MX/MX400. There aren't many options for AGP Video cards, and I don't actually play any computer games anymore, but decided to try and upgrade the card anyways. Ordered a HIS ATI Radeon HD 4670 AGP from Amazon for $112, plus a $20 rebate. I've heard Amazon has a good return policy, so oh well.

It arrived today, tried putting it into my computer after erasing the old card drivers, and nothing. The fan on the card lights up and everything, but nothing displays on my monitor. I think if a 10+ year old video card can display, a rather recent one should as well, so I am assuming the new one is kaputt. Same slot, setup, cable etc. as the working card.

I have 30 days to return the item, which is what I will probably do. But if anyone has any suggestions that might get the card working, I'd appreciate it.

I should have stuck with Nvidia ! Maybe I'll go read the Cute Taru Thread.

[Kohan]

How powerful is your PSU?

[Almaut]

What kind of power supply do you have? Only thing I could imagine it being would be that it's not getting enough power since you said the Geforce 2 you were using works fine in the same slot.

[Kuponut]

Relatively new Power Supply, 500W Cooler Master Extreme Power Plus.
http://www.coolermaster.com/product.php?product_id=3738


Here's a link to the specific card I got:
http://www.hisdigital.com/un/product2-448.shtml

[Kohan]

I would say that's kind of pushing it, as while an efficient PSU should be able to perform around its max advertised capacity, that AGP card is for machines with one rated at "400W or higher". This could well be why it is not working.

Out of curiosity, did purchasing this graphics card bankrupt you? Did you save up for it? If not, why have you decided to upgrade an old machine? I won't suggest that you spend a grand on a new one, but you could get an entirely new computer for only a couple hundred bucks more.

EDIT: Also, if you don't play any games at all and truly are not concerned with speed, there is no reason for you to have an AGP card this powerful. A weaker one will do. It's wasted money if it's doing nothing more than displaying your desktop.

[Kuponut]

Did not bankrupt me, I don't play on the computer, but in the future if I had some free time, I would not mind it. So just wanted to upgrade it if possible, just a little. I'd lag a bit in FFXI with the Geforce 5500FX. I just figured that a new 5500 FX would cost $40~$50 depending on where it was bought. Some cheaper up on eBay. Maybe I'm just a bit vain!

I've considered upgrading and building a new computer, getting a proper motherboard without outdated memory and video card slots etc. But would rather keep this one going for as long as possible, as I don't need a super powerful gaming computer, if in the future I did need a computer like that, the one I'd have bought would be outdated or less expensive etc.

Is there a brand or a card you'd recommend that would be an upgrade over the Geforce 5500FX? My card was BFG brand.... I don't exactly understand the different brands, PNY, BFG, EVGA, all have Geforce 5500FX cards, Nvidia just provides the processor or some computery component for the brand? I loved how FFXI looked in super high resolution, tweaking the registry and such, I only just cancelled my FFXI account again back in January, though I hadn't played for months and months before that.

Here's my Monitor... not the best, got it for christmas, was a huge improvement over the previous one.
http://www.samsung.com/us/computer/m...s/LS24PTNSF/ZA

[Kohan]

There is a point where this becomes unwise, as maintaining an older machine becomes more expensive than building and taking care of a new one. If you're doing it for efficiency's sake, it seems you've reached the point where it's going to be inefficient no matter what you do. In a way, you're only torturing yourself rather than saving some money and/or time. That you recently bought a PSU, too, is unfortunate, though technically, that could go in a newer and more powerful machine, which would mean that you've already secured one part of a new build.

As for card brands, EVGA is one of my favorites due to their stellar customer service. However, it's always best to research the specific piece of hardware you're buying—no matter who its manufacturer is—than it is to go by a brand name.

To give you an idea of how easily and cheaply you could build a more powerful PC than whatever you're chugging along in now, here's a slapped-together Wish List:

http://amzn.com/w/2RGCZLXQIZ6ZU

It doesn't include a PSU because you already have a relatively new one, nor does it have an HDD, optical drive (e.g., DVD-R) or case, as you can likely re-purpose whatever you already have. Only one of the items on that list isn't from Amazon, so the rest would ship without a charge for tax or shipping. It would be, total, around $270.

Naturally, if you spend more, you can do better, and in the world of computer building, it's better to spend as much as you can and utilize whatever you build until it's truly outdated. However, it can also be considered a starting point, as you can upgrade the CPU, RAM, etc., later; the point you're at now is a dead end, in comparison.

EDIT: By the way, you could remove the graphics card from that build completely (chopping off about $110) and just use the motherboard's integrated chipset. It would likely perform better than what your current machine was using, and that would bring the total cost of basically buying a new computer down to $160—hardly more than the AGP card you bought.

[orinthia]

Did you try using the other ports on the card? Try the hdmi or dvi port instead of the svga one (it probably came with a dvi to svga converter; try this. if you have an hdmi monitor/tv, give that a shot). Did you plug in the 4-pin power to the card? This pic: http://www.hisdigital.com/UserFiles/...AGP_4_1600.jpg shows a port for extra power toward the card's upper right corner under the fan. Other angle: http://www.hisdigital.com/UserFiles/...AGP_1_1600.jpg

[Kuponut]

Did you try using the other ports on the card? Try the hdmi or dvi port instead of the svga one (it probably came with a dvi to svga converter; try this. if you have an hdmi monitor/tv, give that a shot). Did you plug in the 4-pin power to the card? This pic: http://www.hisdigital.com/UserFiles/...AGP_4_1600.jpg shows a port for extra power toward the card's upper right corner under the fan. Other angle: http://www.hisdigital.com/UserFiles/...AGP_1_1600.jpg

I had tried two of the three ports on the back, I had also tried it with that 4-pin thing plugged in, with no luck.

It did not come with an adapter and such.


To Kohan: Thanks for the help and such, I'll try and figure out what I want to do. The PSU is nearly a year old, I consider that to be relatively new.

It's been awhile since I looked at computer parts, they seem to be quite cheap now. I'll keep that in mind if I were to build a new one.

Thanks again and such.