video card problems.... upon start up

[Sweeper]

Ok I purchased a Radeon 9500 Non Pro 128MB Sapphire card Friday. Well, when I first put it in and booted the system all I got were blocks of colors and couldn't even see the boot screen or anything. No beeps or anything. So I took it out looked it over put it back in hooked the power connector back up to it and this time it worked. Well I left it on Friday night and saturday it was working just fine. Saturday night I turned it off and when I went to turn it on Sunday same thing.... blocks and couldn't see anything.... So I turn it off and mess with it again and it worked. I turned it off last night and this morning THE SAME THING.... I have done everything and the card goes bonkers when it sits over night. You leave it running it works fine, benchmarks fine, it's not overclocked... the system isn't overclocked... Put my Radeon 9700 Pro in just to check and it fires up perfectly.. and I know the 9700 is pulling more power or just as much as the 9500 Non Pro.

System:
MSI 845PE-Max
P4 2.53Ghz w/ Vantec Aeroflow
Radeon 9500 128MB
Antec 300w "True Power" PSU (worked just fine with my 9700)
cdrw
cdrom
3 1/2 floppy
Sound Blaster Audigy
WD 60 GB ATA/100 HD
Maxter 20GB ATA/100 HD
10/100 NIC
Thermaltake Xaser II case


Sweeper

[Eladijaz]

At a guess, I would say power.
Are you saying that after it has sat for while it does this and if you've been running it and turn it off and then back on again that it does not do this? If so, it may be your PSU, motherboard, video card or the number of devices on your system. It may be that at some point along the way, the device is not getting enough power and as there is a surged of power needed on a cold boot (and less-so on a warm boot), this is when these sort of problems occur. It may not be any particular component being at fault but combination of things. The fact that the 9700 pro runs may mean that the main fault lies with the video card ... however - does the 9500 have an extra power connector? If it does not (and the 9700 pro does), then that is an indicator. Also, have you left the 9700 pro in for several very cold boots?
Cheers,
Elad.

[Sweeper]

The 9700 pro was the card I was using before I sold it. I still have it waiting for payment. I tried it and let it sit and it still booted fine. Both the 9500 and 9700 both have that extra power connector. The 9700 boots fine. Have been using it up till this past Friday without a problem. With the 9500 in once the system sits for a long period of time (over night) it turns on, the system boots up (you can hear the hard drive etc running through it's cycle) but I get NO IMAGE but a bunch of colored blocks. The system is booting up, but I'm not getting an image. Once I shut it down and boot up again (usually after I tinker around with the video card) it boots up with picture. Only on cold boots. If it were a power problem wouldn't have I experience the problem with the 9700 Pro ? It has the same extra power connector as the 9500. System booted just fine up till the 9500 was put in. Can a NEW card be bad????? Sucks , because all they have left are 9600 Non Pro's and I heard they suck compared to the 9500's. That they are even slower..... unless you get the 9600 Pro which is out of my price range right now..

[Sweeper]

Ok, now I waited from 5am till just now 9:20am and hit the power button and now NOTHING. Just a real quick flash of the power light then that was it. Did this card just fry my PSU? How can it draw more power than my 9700 Pro ??? Can a video card burn up a PSU? I had "NO" problems with my 9700 Pro ..... ??????

[Sweeper]

Ok, so I dug up a 450w power supply I had here... it's a Leadtech 450W but the 3.3 and 5v rails are lower than the Antec 300w I have in there now. Do I go through the trouble of rewiring my entire case (which is a big pain in the @@@, due to the MANY fans, Tt XaserII case) or return the card and fork out an extra $20.00 for a 9600 Pro which is the only thing they have left or a Radeon 9200 which I don't think I would be happy with.... uugghhh!!! If I put in the new PSU then I am afraid the if the card is defective then I will blow that PSU..... Also how can a 9500 NON PRO consume more power than a 9700 Pro????

[Sweeper]

Got the 9600 Pro and the card is slower than the 9500 non pro? By a good amount???? I can't catch a break.........................

[blubomber]

How much is a good amount?

It kindof sounded like the 9500 had a cold connection somewhere on the card that caused the bad video and enventuall non-operational status.

Did you get a built-by ATI 9600 pro or was it another brand like saphire or power color?

[Sweeper]

Sapphire Radeon 9600 Pro Atlantis 128MB (powered by ATI Radeon 9600 Pro) and it is SLOW, or I haven't got something tweaked right...!!!! Tried the Omega drivers and the latest ATI drivers and the 9500 Non Pro kicked it's butt!!!!!!!!!! I was near 13,000 2K1 with the 9500 Non Pro and now I'm just getting around 10,000 with the 9600 Pro....

I dropped to the 9500 due to lack of cash so i sold my 9700 Pro. I went for the cheaper 9500. Only one I could find locally. Card was defective, so I paid the extra $21.00 for the 9600 Pro and it's actually a slower card , or at least on my machine. I don't game much any more so I shouldn't be complaining, but, i forked out the extra $$$ that I didn't have and feel like I got ripped......