[jr2]

Alright... last try; go to MSI's website and download the latest BIOS for your board.  I've seen this fix lockups when new memory was installed that wasn't around when the board was manufactured.

[Iss Mneur]

The board never came with an integrated gpu it's always ran on a card via the pci-e slot. When I looked into BIOS the primary graphics adapter was already set to pci-e. None of the IRQ settings have an option for VGA, it's either 'enabled' or 'reserved'. The board is an MSI MS-7366, P6GNM series.

I should clarify that I'm using a d-sub to d-sub cable with a dvi adapter on the end to connect to the card. This setup worked for me in the past so I can't see how it would be a problem. Is it worth buying a dvi cable?

It is entirely up to you.  I think it is worth getting a proper dvi cable, if only because it means you have less crap hanging out of the back of the computer.

The downloaded manual is almost identical to the one I have on paper unfortunately so no help there. I doubt it's a BIOS issue. I'm looking on AMD's site to see if there's some kind of fix. I really don't get why this is happening. My machine isn't the best in the world but it more than qualifies for running this card.

I would suggest making sure that you have correctly seated *all* of the auxiliary power connectors for the card.

[Buckshee Rounds]

The board never came with an integrated gpu it's always ran on a card via the pci-e slot. When I looked into BIOS the primary graphics adapter was already set to pci-e. None of the IRQ settings have an option for VGA, it's either 'enabled' or 'reserved'. The board is an MSI MS-7366, P6GNM series.

I should clarify that I'm using a d-sub to d-sub cable with a dvi adapter on the end to connect to the card. This setup worked for me in the past so I can't see how it would be a problem. Is it worth buying a dvi cable?

It is entirely up to you.  I think it is worth getting a proper dvi cable, if only because it means you have less crap hanging out of the back of the computer.

The downloaded manual is almost identical to the one I have on paper unfortunately so no help there. I doubt it's a BIOS issue. I'm looking on AMD's site to see if there's some kind of fix. I really don't get why this is happening. My machine isn't the best in the world but it more than qualifies for running this card.

I would suggest making sure that you have correctly seated *all* of the auxiliary power connectors for the card.

The card takes two auxiliary power cords, both of which I've connected and seated properly. I know this since the motherboard would be squealing if either one of the cords wasn't connected. I did get a dvi cable and it made little difference. I tested the cable on my old card to ensure it works and it does so the issue remains.

I have hope however. Oddly enough the motherboard's BIOS version is *severely* out of date. I've downloaded MSI's latest version and I'm hoping that once I've upgraded it'll make a difference. If succesful I'll return, bearing gifts of whisky and ham for all. Wish me luck HLP!

[Nuke]

im wondering if its not a version mismatch between the card and the pci-x slot. supposedly cards and slots are forward and reverse compatible across all versions, but there might be compatibility settings in the bios that need to be set.

another issue is perhaps the card wants more power than the psu can put out. or perhaps your trying to draw too much current from the same rail. if you are connecting the cards extra power connections to a molex connector through an adapter you might want to connect them to different rails or rails without any other devices connected to them (especially drives). this shouldn't matter if the psu has dedicated lines for the video card.

[Buckshee Rounds]

The PSU is an 800W unit, more than enough for this card. The lines are dedicated, not through an adapter of any kind. I've tried running the machine with the hard drive disconnected, no difference, not a power issue I can see.

After flashing the BIOS I found I was able to get the onboard VGA working via BIOS settings, which oddly didn't work before. Here's something interesting: I can run the machine with the GT440 or the motherboard's onboard VGA by itself (the latter of which is how I'm running it now). However, when I connect the 6950 to the machine the onboard vga refuses to work, even if I leave the card unconnected to the monitor. This is getting bizarre.

UPDATE: I can hear Vista's startup tune behind the blank screen and the board's little 'hello' beep when it starts up. AFAIK the system is working, the card is somehopw refusing any output to the monitor, by itself or by the onboard vga.

[rev_posix]

Here's something interesting: I can run the machine with the GT440 or the motherboard's onboard VGA by itself (the latter of which is how I'm running it now). However, when I connect the 6950 to the machine the onboard vga refuses to work, even if I leave the card unconnected to the monitor. This is getting bizarre.

It was pretty bizarre when I first ran into this as well at work on some new D'hell desktop systems we got in at work.

Apparently, it's not uncommon for newer systems to do just this, disable the on-board video chip when it detects a discrete video card.

And considering that MSI has been the ODM for various OEM's (I know of an old Compaq that has an MSI made MB), it's not inconceivable that they carried over this annoying-as-fsck behavior to their consumer boards.

[Buckshee Rounds]

How very strange and useless of MSI to do this. I don't want to get my hopes up hoping that this is the issue pinpointed, but if it is, is there any way of stopping the MB disabling it's onboard vga when it detects a new card? Did you get the issue with the Smell desktops resolved?

If I can't get this card working today I'm handing it back. No sense wasting a week trying to get one card working when I can get my money back, buy the Nvidia equivalent and have it working on the same freaking day.

[jr2]

I'm starting to suspect a bad video card... it's either that or an incompatibility... hmm.  Have you tried using the other one of your card's dual outputs?  Maybe it's outputting to one and not the other (that would be dumb and it should detect which one you're using, but hey...)

FWIW here's the specs on the card and mobo in case anyone here can offer more info on this:

http://www.geeks3d.com/20101212/amd-radeon-hd-6970-and-hd-6950-complete-specs-and-3dmark11-scores/  (HD6950)

http://www.axiontech.com/prdt.php?item=81499&PRICECOMPARISONSID=7

[Buckshee Rounds]

Yeah I've tried both dvi ports with multiple cables. The monitor and cables are fine, it's the card. You might be onto something rev_posix. To test your theory I hooked my monitor up to the onboard graphics and put in the 6950 then the old GT440 (unconnected to anything else but the pci-e slot and power cords). In both cases the monitor remained blank, even though I specified internal graphics to be used via BIOS. Doesn't really help me much, but it would've been useful to have the card hooked up while running onboard vga so I could test to see if the card showed up in device manager.

I thought I was onto something today when I remembered the card has a dual BIOS. I flipped the wee switch next to the crossfire bit to specify number the second BIOS. No change. I can still hear Vista's startup tune and the motherboard beep so I know the system is working the card just isn't outputting anything.

At any rate I've contacted BT to say I'll be returning the card. I accidently did the "item unwanted within 7 days" option instead of "technical fault", so they're expecting the bloody thing to be unused. I hope I get my money back.

In the meanwhile anyone got any suggestions for an Nvidia replacement? Preferably in the £200-£250 range...

[jr2]

At any rate I've contacted BT to say I'll be returning the card. I accidently did the "item unwanted within 7 days" option instead of "technical fault", so they're expecting the bloody thing to be unused. I hope I get my money back.

Get on the horn with their support line and tell them.  And tell them in no uncertain terms that the item doesn't work and you want your money back.  If they give you crap ask to speak to their manager.  Keep going up the chain until you find someone who will take care of your problem.

[Buckshee Rounds]

At any rate I've contacted BT to say I'll be returning the card. I accidently did the "item unwanted within 7 days" option instead of "technical fault", so they're expecting the bloody thing to be unused. I hope I get my money back.

Get on the horn with their support line and tell them.  And tell them in no uncertain terms that the item doesn't work and you want your money back.  If they give you crap ask to speak to their manager.  Keep going up the chain until you find someone who will take care of your problem.

Did just this in a polite wee email. Hopefully they'll be reasonable though I won't underestimate the capacity of faceless corporate suits to be utter sh*tebags.

Thankyou everybody for posting your thoughts. The card might not have worked in the end, but the effort is greatly appreciated and you're all incredibly patient people.

[jr2]

The GeForce 7050 that is in your board beats that 440 senseless BTW, even if it is integrated... you can grab the newest nForce drivers whilst you're waiting for your new GFX card.

Hmm... I do remember some sort of incompatibility I ran across before when a customer had an integrated ATI or nVidia and the add-on card was the reverse.  Oh wait, it wasn't a customer, it was a buddy in job school in mid 2009 and he was building a gaming rig from iBuyPower

This one wouldn't work:

AMD Phenom II DDR2 Configurator
Case ( [$15 OFF Mail-In Rebate] Nzxt Apollo Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )
Power Supply ( 800 Watt -- Power Supply Quad SLI Ready )
Processor ( [== Quad Core ==] AMD Phenom™ II X4 810 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology AM3 & AM2+ support )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game - [Halo 2] must purchase with Microsoft Windows Vista operation system )
Processor Cooling ( [=== Quiet ===] AVC Silent AMD CPU Fan and Heatsink Quiet & Overclocking Proof )
Motherboard ( [SLI] Asus M3N72-D NVIDIA nForce 750a SLI Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, IEEE 1394, USB 2.0, Dual PCI-E/HDMI MB )
Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR2-800 PC6400 Memory Module Mushkin High Performance II (HP2) w/Heat Spreader )
Video Card ( 2x ATI Radeon HD 4650 512MB PCI-Express x16 - running CrossFire mode )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( None )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( iBUYPOWER 2.1 Channel Stereo Super Bass Subwoofer Speaker System )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Black )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( Thermal Temperature LCD Display Black )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 64-Bit )
Case Round Cable ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( None )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** Network 10/100/1000 LAN Surge Protector Assures integrity and stability of data communications + Strengthens system immunity against electrostatic discharges )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )

Ended up getting this one instead:

AMD Phenom II AM3 DDR3 Configurator
Case ( [$15 OFF Mail-In Rebate] Nzxt Apollo Gaming Tower Case w/420W Power Supply Black )
Case Lighting ( Cold Cathode Neon Light Blue )
Power Supply ( 800 Watt -- Power Supply Quad SLI Ready )
Processor ( [== Quad Core ==] AMD Phenom™ II X4 910 Quad-Core CPU w/ HyperTransport Technology AM3 & AM2+ support )
Free Software/Game ( Free Game - [Halo 2] must purchase with Microsoft Windows Vista operation system )
Processor Cooling ( [=== Silent ===] Thermaltake V1 CPU Cooling Fan System Kit Silent & Overclocking Proof = Maximum cooling efficiency for quietness and performance )
Motherboard ( [CrossFire] Gigabyte GA-MA790XT-UD4P AM3 DDR3 AMD 790X CrossFire Chipset w/7.1 Sound, Gb LAN, S-ATA Raid, USB 2.0, Dual PCI-E MB )
Memory ( 8 GB [2 GB X4] DDR3-1333 Memory Module OCZ-Gold or Major Brand )
Video Card ( 2x ATI Radeon HD 4650 1GB PCI-Express x16 - running CrossFire mode )
Video Card Brand ( Major Brand Powered by NVIDIA )
Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
2nd Hard Drive ( 1 TB HARD DRIVE [Serial-ATA-II, 3Gb, 7200 RPM, 16M Cache] )
External Hard Drives [USB 2.0/eSATA] ( None )
CD/DVD Drive ( None )
CD-RW/DVD-RW Drive ( [** Special !!! ***] LG 20X Dual Format/Double Layer DVD±R/±RW + CD-R/RW Drive Black )
Sound Card ( 3D Premium Surround Sound Onboard )
Speaker System ( Logitech X-240 2.1 Configuration Speakers System )
Network Card ( Onboard LAN Network (Gb or 10/100) )
Floppy Drive ( Mitsumi 1.44 MB Internal Floppy Drive Black )
Monitor ( None )
2nd Monitor ( None )
USB 2.0 Accessories ( Built-in USB 2.0 Ports )
Meter Display ( Thermal Temperature LCD Display Black )
Flash Media Reader/Writer ( 12-In-1 Internal Flash Media Card Reader/Writer Black )
Operation System ( Microsoft Windows Vista Home Premium + [Free 60-Day !!!] Microsoft Office 2007(Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access ....) 64-Bit )
Case Round Cable ( Professional wiring for all cables inside the system tower )
USB Flash Drive ( None )
MP3 Player ( None )
TV Tuner ( None )
Video Camera ( i-Rock Web Camera )
Headset ( None )
Power Protection ( ** iBUYPOWER Recommended ** Network 10/100/1000 LAN Surge Protector Assures integrity and stability of data communications + Strengthens system immunity against electrostatic discharges )
Warranty ( Warranty Service Standard 3-Year Limited Warranty + Lifetime Technical Support )

[Buckshee Rounds]

I noticed the main difference there was memory type. My RAM is DDR2, which is getting old these days. Would the card's DDR5 be humping the older tech in my comp?

[jr2]

That shouldn't matter.  The DDR5 in the card is for the use of the card's GPU, which is fully capable of handling it.  It's more likely a failure on the part of the card to ensure full backwards compatibility with an older slot specification.  The graphics card (I just looked it up on AMD's site) is PCI-E 2.1, x16 and the motherboard just states "x16", so maybe it's PCI-E rev 1.0 -- It should still work, but maybe something got messed up in the backwards compatible area.  According to AMD, all you need is an x16 slot, it's supposed to work with older revisions; just at a slower rate.

Then again... it could just be a bad card.  Without a second system to test it in, that's always a big possibility.