Radeon 9800 Pro, faulty power adaptor?

brc64 · Feb 10, 2004, 04:33 AM

I was at a LAN party over the weekend, and things were going pretty good, but I would occasionaly run into some odd problems getting my computer to start. When I first tried to start it up, I got a red error message on my screen telling me that the external power connector was not attached to my video card, and my motherboard was beeping nonstop. I opened up my case, checked all the connections, and everything was fine, so I tried to turn the computer on again. It started up fine, and I figured that maybe something came lose while I was moving it.

Later on, though, while installing a game, my computer locked up on me. When I restarted, I got the same error message again. This time, though, no matter how much I fiddled with everything, the error message wouldn't go away. I even completely rearranged how the power was plugged in to all of my hardware, and it still wouldn't start. As a last resort, I removed the ATI-supplied power extension cable and plugged my video card in directly from the power supply, and this time it worked.

Is it possible that the power adaptor that came with my video card went bad, or could it be something else that I should be concerned about? I haven't seen that error message since then, but I've only restarted my computer once since messing with everything. Any ideas?

- Me

TwistedMetal · Feb 10, 2004, 04:46 AM

What watt is your power supply?

Also you may want to unplug the power cables one by one then plug them in one by one, and then turn the computer on. A power cable could have went bad and it shorts out at random. That's happen to me before.

GutterPunk · Feb 10, 2004, 05:20 AM

You know what... I have seen problems about this... PM DrakesteakN... I believe he changed his power connector and things were okay.... It only does this every once in awhile when you boot up right?

drakesteakn · Feb 10, 2004, 05:44 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by disastropy
You know what... I have seen problems about this... PM DrakesteakN... I believe he changed his power connector and things were okay.... It only does this every once in awhile when you boot up right?

i had the same problem with my R9800. it drove me crazy trying to figure out what was the problem. i narrowed it down to the "Y" power adapter that came with the card. the connector that comes with the card is cheaply made and after a while will become loose and the connection inside the connector will not work. u can buy another if u need the extra connection or just have a power connector from the power supply connecting straight to ur card.

**Roadee** · Feb 10, 2004, 12:10 PM

Break out a multi tester and check for resistance.......and have someone move the wires in the connectors while you hold the leads........should let you know pretty quick.

brc64 · Feb 10, 2004, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by drakesteakn
i had the same problem with my R9800. it drove me crazy trying to figure out what was the problem. i narrowed it down to the "Y" power adapter that came with the card. the connector that comes with the card is cheaply made and after a while will become loose and the connection inside the connector will not work. u can buy another if u need the extra connection or just have a power connector from the power supply connecting straight to ur card.

I was able to plug everything in without the "Y" adapter. I haven't had a problem since then. You pretty much confirmed what I originally suspected. Thanks.

- Me

drakesteakn · Feb 11, 2004, 04:58 AM

No problem.

The_Neon_Cowboy · Feb 11, 2004, 09:40 AM

they joys of outsourced cheap parts lol

Feb 10, 2004, 04:33 AM	#1
brc64 Zeeky H. Bomb Join Date: May 2002 Location: Evansville, IN Posts: 826 Rep Power: 0	Radeon 9800 Pro, faulty power adaptor? I was at a LAN party over the weekend, and things were going pretty good, but I would occasionaly run into some odd problems getting my computer to start. When I first tried to start it up, I got a red error message on my screen telling me that the external power connector was not attached to my video card, and my motherboard was beeping nonstop. I opened up my case, checked all the connections, and everything was fine, so I tried to turn the computer on again. It started up fine, and I figured that maybe something came lose while I was moving it. Later on, though, while installing a game, my computer locked up on me. When I restarted, I got the same error message again. This time, though, no matter how much I fiddled with everything, the error message wouldn't go away. I even completely rearranged how the power was plugged in to all of my hardware, and it still wouldn't start. As a last resort, I removed the ATI-supplied power extension cable and plugged my video card in directly from the power supply, and this time it worked. Is it possible that the power adaptor that came with my video card went bad, or could it be something else that I should be concerned about? I haven't seen that error message since then, but I've only restarted my computer once since messing with everything. Any ideas? - Me

Feb 10, 2004, 04:46 AM	#2
TwistedMetal MC John-117 Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Phoenix, Arizona Posts: 728 Rep Power: 0	What watt is your power supply? Also you may want to unplug the power cables one by one then plug them in one by one, and then turn the computer on. A power cable could have went bad and it shorts out at random. That's happen to me before. __________________ [color=red][/color]

Feb 10, 2004, 05:20 AM	#3
GutterPunk I = Greatest Dood Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Nebraska Posts: 5,949 Rep Power: 71	You know what... I have seen problems about this... PM DrakesteakN... I believe he changed his power connector and things were okay.... It only does this every once in awhile when you boot up right? __________________ Rock On \m/ Thank you Mousey for the Sig! --------------- Intel Core2Duo E6660 (3.4GHZ) ~ Tuniq Tower 120 ~ Enermax Galaxy 1000W ~ Corsair Dominator @ 1090MHZ 5-5-5-15 (OCZ XTC Modded Cooler)~ EVGA 8800GTX W/ HR-03 Plus 120MM ~ Asus DVD-RW LiteScribe ~ LG DVD-RW ~ Corsair Voyager 2GB ReadyBoost Drive ~ Vantec Nexus Fan Controller ~ ThermalTake Armor 25CM fan ~ Personal Finance Blog: Dent Your Debt

Feb 10, 2004, 12:10 PM	#5
Roadee Never forgotten Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Rest In peace, Joe. Posts: 2,198 Rep Power: 69	Break out a multi tester and check for resistance.......and have someone move the wires in the connectors while you hold the leads........should let you know pretty quick. __________________ We are born naked, wet, and hungry. Then things get worse.

Feb 11, 2004, 04:58 AM	#7
drakesteakn boo!!!! Join Date: Aug 2003 Location: Ft. Meyers, FL Posts: 2,041 Rep Power: 0	No problem. __________________

Feb 11, 2004, 09:40 AM	#8
The_Neon_Cowboy HardwareHeaven Extreme Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: U.S.A. Posts: 16,009 Rep Power: 92 System Specs	they joys of outsourced cheap parts lol __________________