I recently built myself a custom computer for multiphysics simulations and light gaming.
System Specs
-Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
-Intel Core i7 930 (NO OC, Corsair H50 cooler)
-Gigabyte X58A-UD3R rev1.0
-EVGA nVidia GTX470 (NO OC, Stock cooler)
-(6x) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 2GB (12GB) in triple channel mode
-Intel X25-M 80GB SSD (OS drive)
-(2x) Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB HDD
-Corsair 800D case
-Corsair TX950W power supply
-Corsair H50 CPU cooler
(BIOS set to load Optimized Defaults)
The system is highly unstable and significant display artifacts are present. In addition, the system will always crash during the introduction scene of Crysis (display=1920x1200). (I've been trying to use it to benchmark my system). I have tried very high settings, high settings, medium settings, and low settings at 0x,4x, and 8x AA. It doesn't seem to make a difference, the system always crashes during that scene. Also, the system consistently fails to boot. Whenever the system crashes or windows fails to boot, usually the GPU fan kicks into overdrive (insanely loud at this point compared to very quiet during normal operation).
I have been using the application "GPU Observer" to monitor the GTX470. The card operates around 45*C at idle and 55-65*C under load (I have been using Starcraft 2 for testing stability since Crysis always crashes). For reference, CPU is around 35*C with the H50 cooler. I once found the GPU at 83*C after playing SC2 for an hour (Corsair 800D with side on). I thought that may have been a problem with Crysis, so I turned off the computer, removed the side of my 800D and placed a LARGE box fan immediately in front of the system components. Idle temperatures dropped by about 10-15*C all around. After 6 hours with the side off and the fan blowing, the GPU was sitting around ~45*C. I loaded Crysis and once again, the system crashed. I rebooted the computer immediately after Crysis crashed. According to "GPU Observer" , the GTX470 core was at 59*C and the PCB was at 49*C. I don't feel like the GPU temp would've changed drastically in the time between system crash and temp measurement after reboot (I'm booting off of an Intel X25-M solid state drive).
I have reinstalled Windows 7 4 times. I have used the GTX470 drivers available through Guru3d, the drivers that came with the card (CD), and EVGAs drivers. I have been using the application "Driver Sweeper" to remove the old drivers. The system still fails. It doesn't seem to matter what drivers are used.
The system fails to load the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
I loaded Sandra SiSoftware. My system crashed during the GPGPU test. I decided to run the environment sensors test
CPU 1 DC line = .93V (min .91V, avg .94V, max 1.2V)
CPU 2 Aux DC line = 1.52V (min 1.52V, avg 1.52V, max 1.52V)
+3.3V DC Line = 3.31V (min 3.31V, avg 3.31V, max 3.31V)
+5V DC Line = 5.00V (min 5.00V, avg 5.00V, max 5.00V)
+12V DC Line = 1.75V (min 1.75V, avg 1.84V, max 3.99V) = ?
However, immediately after I got this reading, I rebooted the computer and entered the BIOS. According to the X58A-UD3R, my 12V rail is at 12.365V and my 5V rail is at 4.99V.
I took videos of the system while it was exhibiting this behavior and uploaded them to youtube. Hopefully, these videos will convey the problem accurately.
YouTube - Windows 7 finally boots, display artifacts are significant
^I've uploaded a video of the system booting. This was the fourth boot attempt and was finally successful (the system crashed at windows start-up the first three times).
(There is a few seconds of darkness at the beginning of the video, I do not enter the BIOS. This is a standard boot.) The display artifacts should be readily apparent.
At the conclusion of this video, I use the application "Display Sweeper" to remove the display drivers (I did not take a video of this).
Computer Problems Part 1
Prior to this video, I used the freeware application "driver sweeper" to remove nVidia's display drivers. The video shows the installation of EVGAs Windows 7 64 bit GTX470 display drivers and the beginning of reboot. You should be able to see the display artifacts clearly.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 1 (Installing EVGA nVidia GTX470 display drivers)
Computer Problems Part 2
This video immediately follows "Computer problems part 1". The video begins with a system restart after EVGAs nVidia GTX470 display drivers have been installed. Upon reboot, I enter the BIOS and show the system settings.
YouTube - Computer problems part 2 (I go through the entire BIOS after reboot)
Computer Problems Part 3
This video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 2". The video shows the display artifacts on the BIOS enter screen and the system attempting to boot into Windows 7. The system freezes upon startup. The GPU fan kicks into overdrive (insanely loud).
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 3 (system freezes after attempting to boot Windows 7)
Computer Problems Part 4
This video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 3". It begins with the frozen Win7 loading screen. I physically turn the computer off by pressing the power button and then turn it on by pressing the power button. Upon startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and boot into Win7 Safe Mode with Networking. The system boots successfully and I enter "my computer" to view the display drivers. After checking the drivers, I restart the system.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 4 (booting into Win 7 safe mode)
Computer Problems Part 5
This Video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 4". The video begins with the system restarting from Safe Mode with Networking. Upon startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and allow the system to boot normally. The system freezes attempting to boot Win7. About when the system crashes, you should be able to hear the GPU fan kick into overdrive. I physically turn off the system by pressing the power button and restart it by pressing the power button. I do not enter the BIOS, I allow the system to boot normally. During startup, Windows recognizes it failed to boot. I enter Safe Mode. I attempt to enter the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
I then enter my computer and search for the application "Driver Sweeper". I load "Driver Sweeper" and click the box next to "nVidia display". I then click clean and remove the display drivers. After the display drivers have been removed, I restart the system.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 5 (System fails to boot, display drivers are removed)
Computer Problems Part 6
This Video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 5". During startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and allow the system to boot up normally. Windows loads (finally). However, there are still significant display artifacts. As soon as Windows loads, I check the application "GPU Observer". The program doesn't recognize the card (GPU not found, 0*C GPU, 0*C PCB). I then attempt to load the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 6 (Win 7 loads, SIGNIFICANT display artifacts are present)
Any ideas? I will be uploading more videos (loading Crysis, SC2, benchmarking applications, etc). Could you recommend some benchmarking applications that could properly elucidate the problem. I'm familiar with Sandra SiSoftware, Prime95, and Memsoft.
System Specs
-Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit
-Intel Core i7 930 (NO OC, Corsair H50 cooler)
-Gigabyte X58A-UD3R rev1.0
-EVGA nVidia GTX470 (NO OC, Stock cooler)
-(6x) Corsair XMS3 DDR3 2GB (12GB) in triple channel mode
-Intel X25-M 80GB SSD (OS drive)
-(2x) Western Digital Caviar Black 1.5TB HDD
-Corsair 800D case
-Corsair TX950W power supply
-Corsair H50 CPU cooler
(BIOS set to load Optimized Defaults)
The system is highly unstable and significant display artifacts are present. In addition, the system will always crash during the introduction scene of Crysis (display=1920x1200). (I've been trying to use it to benchmark my system). I have tried very high settings, high settings, medium settings, and low settings at 0x,4x, and 8x AA. It doesn't seem to make a difference, the system always crashes during that scene. Also, the system consistently fails to boot. Whenever the system crashes or windows fails to boot, usually the GPU fan kicks into overdrive (insanely loud at this point compared to very quiet during normal operation).
I have been using the application "GPU Observer" to monitor the GTX470. The card operates around 45*C at idle and 55-65*C under load (I have been using Starcraft 2 for testing stability since Crysis always crashes). For reference, CPU is around 35*C with the H50 cooler. I once found the GPU at 83*C after playing SC2 for an hour (Corsair 800D with side on). I thought that may have been a problem with Crysis, so I turned off the computer, removed the side of my 800D and placed a LARGE box fan immediately in front of the system components. Idle temperatures dropped by about 10-15*C all around. After 6 hours with the side off and the fan blowing, the GPU was sitting around ~45*C. I loaded Crysis and once again, the system crashed. I rebooted the computer immediately after Crysis crashed. According to "GPU Observer" , the GTX470 core was at 59*C and the PCB was at 49*C. I don't feel like the GPU temp would've changed drastically in the time between system crash and temp measurement after reboot (I'm booting off of an Intel X25-M solid state drive).
I have reinstalled Windows 7 4 times. I have used the GTX470 drivers available through Guru3d, the drivers that came with the card (CD), and EVGAs drivers. I have been using the application "Driver Sweeper" to remove the old drivers. The system still fails. It doesn't seem to matter what drivers are used.
The system fails to load the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
I loaded Sandra SiSoftware. My system crashed during the GPGPU test. I decided to run the environment sensors test
CPU 1 DC line = .93V (min .91V, avg .94V, max 1.2V)
CPU 2 Aux DC line = 1.52V (min 1.52V, avg 1.52V, max 1.52V)
+3.3V DC Line = 3.31V (min 3.31V, avg 3.31V, max 3.31V)
+5V DC Line = 5.00V (min 5.00V, avg 5.00V, max 5.00V)
+12V DC Line = 1.75V (min 1.75V, avg 1.84V, max 3.99V) = ?
However, immediately after I got this reading, I rebooted the computer and entered the BIOS. According to the X58A-UD3R, my 12V rail is at 12.365V and my 5V rail is at 4.99V.
I took videos of the system while it was exhibiting this behavior and uploaded them to youtube. Hopefully, these videos will convey the problem accurately.
YouTube - Windows 7 finally boots, display artifacts are significant
^I've uploaded a video of the system booting. This was the fourth boot attempt and was finally successful (the system crashed at windows start-up the first three times).
(There is a few seconds of darkness at the beginning of the video, I do not enter the BIOS. This is a standard boot.) The display artifacts should be readily apparent.
At the conclusion of this video, I use the application "Display Sweeper" to remove the display drivers (I did not take a video of this).
Computer Problems Part 1
Prior to this video, I used the freeware application "driver sweeper" to remove nVidia's display drivers. The video shows the installation of EVGAs Windows 7 64 bit GTX470 display drivers and the beginning of reboot. You should be able to see the display artifacts clearly.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 1 (Installing EVGA nVidia GTX470 display drivers)
Computer Problems Part 2
This video immediately follows "Computer problems part 1". The video begins with a system restart after EVGAs nVidia GTX470 display drivers have been installed. Upon reboot, I enter the BIOS and show the system settings.
YouTube - Computer problems part 2 (I go through the entire BIOS after reboot)
Computer Problems Part 3
This video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 2". The video shows the display artifacts on the BIOS enter screen and the system attempting to boot into Windows 7. The system freezes upon startup. The GPU fan kicks into overdrive (insanely loud).
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 3 (system freezes after attempting to boot Windows 7)
Computer Problems Part 4
This video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 3". It begins with the frozen Win7 loading screen. I physically turn the computer off by pressing the power button and then turn it on by pressing the power button. Upon startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and boot into Win7 Safe Mode with Networking. The system boots successfully and I enter "my computer" to view the display drivers. After checking the drivers, I restart the system.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 4 (booting into Win 7 safe mode)
Computer Problems Part 5
This Video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 4". The video begins with the system restarting from Safe Mode with Networking. Upon startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and allow the system to boot normally. The system freezes attempting to boot Win7. About when the system crashes, you should be able to hear the GPU fan kick into overdrive. I physically turn off the system by pressing the power button and restart it by pressing the power button. I do not enter the BIOS, I allow the system to boot normally. During startup, Windows recognizes it failed to boot. I enter Safe Mode. I attempt to enter the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
I then enter my computer and search for the application "Driver Sweeper". I load "Driver Sweeper" and click the box next to "nVidia display". I then click clean and remove the display drivers. After the display drivers have been removed, I restart the system.
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 5 (System fails to boot, display drivers are removed)
Computer Problems Part 6
This Video immediately follows "Computer Problems Part 5". During startup, I enter the BIOS to check the PC Health Status (rail voltage, temp). I then exit the BIOS and allow the system to boot up normally. Windows loads (finally). However, there are still significant display artifacts. As soon as Windows loads, I check the application "GPU Observer". The program doesn't recognize the card (GPU not found, 0*C GPU, 0*C PCB). I then attempt to load the application "EVGA OC Scanner". An error results.
The title of the error window reads:
"EVGA OC Scanner ERROR"
The text within the error window reads:
"Could not initialize ZoomGPU. EVGA OC Scanner startup failed. Bye!"
YouTube - Computer Problems Part 6 (Win 7 loads, SIGNIFICANT display artifacts are present)
Any ideas? I will be uploading more videos (loading Crysis, SC2, benchmarking applications, etc). Could you recommend some benchmarking applications that could properly elucidate the problem. I'm familiar with Sandra SiSoftware, Prime95, and Memsoft.
Looks more like a hardware issue to me than a driver issue. If you haven't tried this already take the graphics card out of the system, clean the contacts and put it back in. Also if the card has any socketed chips (unlikely) push on them to make sure they are fully seated.
I'd be suspicious of the memory on the card. I'd contact the store you bought it from (or the manufacturer) and show then a picture of the lines on your screen and see what they say.
I have seen similar issues on my old geforce GTX II card which finally gave up the ghost recently. was getting display corruption, system freezes and failures to boot. Replaced the card (which was about 8 years old) and all has been fine since. gpu fan failure can also cause pretty much all of those symptoms, but from what you have said it doesn't sound like there is an issue there, unless of course there is a problem with the temp sensor, and it is not ramping up the fan until it gets too hot.... have you checked if there are any firmware updates available for the GFX card?
Good airflow through the case is essential as well for a reliable system, Did you buy a decent case to go with all the other good stuff? Something with a 120mm fan at the front sucking in air (to blow over the HD's) and another at the rear to exhaust usually works well.
Other things that could cause a problem would be the powersupply not being up to the task (but sounds like you have a massive one)... or even a motherboard issue, but I'd lean towards it being a faulty graphics card. If you have any friends with a card you could borrow then swap it out for something else and see whether that makes a difference.
Tony.
I'd be suspicious of the memory on the card. I'd contact the store you bought it from (or the manufacturer) and show then a picture of the lines on your screen and see what they say.
I have seen similar issues on my old geforce GTX II card which finally gave up the ghost recently. was getting display corruption, system freezes and failures to boot. Replaced the card (which was about 8 years old) and all has been fine since. gpu fan failure can also cause pretty much all of those symptoms, but from what you have said it doesn't sound like there is an issue there, unless of course there is a problem with the temp sensor, and it is not ramping up the fan until it gets too hot.... have you checked if there are any firmware updates available for the GFX card?
Good airflow through the case is essential as well for a reliable system, Did you buy a decent case to go with all the other good stuff? Something with a 120mm fan at the front sucking in air (to blow over the HD's) and another at the rear to exhaust usually works well.
Other things that could cause a problem would be the powersupply not being up to the task (but sounds like you have a massive one)... or even a motherboard issue, but I'd lean towards it being a faulty graphics card. If you have any friends with a card you could borrow then swap it out for something else and see whether that makes a difference.
Tony.
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Have heard of similar issues being due to the fact the internal additional power supply to the gfx card was forgotten. Most modern gfx cards can't get enough power from the motherboard and need extra juice via a connection to the power supply. Some pcs will boot when this is missing, mine emits a loud beeping noise from a beeper on the gfx card itself and fails to get passed POST.
Both of the answers so far are the first couple things I thought of. IT seems like you have a hardware issue. You need to start swapping out components and the first one I would start with is the GPU - does the gigabyte have an onboard graphics? That way you could see if the gpu is the problem and avoid buying another card.
Look at the windows event viewer, sometimes it leaves good cues (not sure if it is still called that in 7 - I am a bit behind the times lately
)I build myself one based on a ASUS P6T WS PRO Motherboard X58 with an i7 cpu, 600W powersupply, ATI All In Wonder HD card, bluray reader/writer, M audio 1010lt soundcard all in a thermalatake housing with 2 TB harddrives, one dedicated for audio library (about 2300 folder and 25 000 files) the other split for the OS/ temp. files etc.. Use foobar, dppoweramp or media monkey as musicplayers.
I use windows xp 32/ sp3 as the operating system. No problem with anything. Play my records and music files through it, download video, and watch bluray disc in HD.
Took about a week to get everything going and organized, but has been working flawlessly ever since march.
I use windows xp 32/ sp3 as the operating system. No problem with anything. Play my records and music files through it, download video, and watch bluray disc in HD.
Took about a week to get everything going and organized, but has been working flawlessly ever since march.
I completed the Sandra SiSoftware burn-in. Here are the results. (GPU drivers are not installed)
I think my PSU might be shot, any thoughts? It's interesting that my motherboard thinks the 12V rail is at 12.365V, while Sandra observed it below 3V.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I think my PSU might be shot, any thoughts? It's interesting that my motherboard thinks the 12V rail is at 12.365V, while Sandra observed it below 3V.
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The Gigabyte X58A-UD3R has 2x PCIe 16x slots. I have tried both of them. The system still crashes.
I'm currently in contact with EVGA. They only have a support form (ie text). I'll see if they'll accept the videos. They are pretty self explanatory.
I bought a Corsair 800D. The case is HUGE (24" deep, 24" tall, 9" wide). Here is a photo of my system (sorry for the poor quality, I was using my Droids camera)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I currently have the side off (exactly like the photo) with a huge box fan pushing air into it (a few inches away from the opening) and another home fan pulling air out the top.
I currently have CoreTemp running. Here's a screen shot.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I'm staying at Purdue over the summer and literally no one is here. I'd have to wait a few weeks before I could find someone to loan me a GFX card.
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I completed the Sandra SiSoftware Analysis and Advice. Here are the results. (GPU drivers are not installed)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
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I have CoreTemp and GPU Observer both running. Here are some screen shots.
I assume GPU Observer is not recognizing the GTX470, because no GPU drivers are installed.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I assume GPU Observer is not recognizing the GTX470, because no GPU drivers are installed.
I completed the Sandra SiSoftware Performance Index. Here are the results. (GPU drivers are not installed)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Also, Windows 7 is not recognizing my 1.5TB Western Digital Caviar Black HDDs. However, they are recognized in the BIOS.
Here are some screen shots.
My Computer (showing only the Intel X25-M 80GB SSD)
Devices and Printers screen shots.
It appears the HDDs are recognized as hardware :hmm:
The HDDs are apparently working properly.
HDD volume data (all blank)
HDD driver details.
I think this discrepancy might be presenting itself because when the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R is set to optimized defaults, the HD controllers are set to IDE mode instead of AHCI. Any thoughts?
Here are some screen shots.
My Computer (showing only the Intel X25-M 80GB SSD)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Devices and Printers screen shots.
It appears the HDDs are recognized as hardware :hmm:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
The HDDs are apparently working properly.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
HDD volume data (all blank)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
HDD driver details.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I think this discrepancy might be presenting itself because when the Gigabyte X58A-UD3R is set to optimized defaults, the HD controllers are set to IDE mode instead of AHCI. Any thoughts?
You have a graphics corruption problem. It's most likely the card itself - would you have a cheap PCI-E card laying around to test with? The screens look normal, but that's because Windows doesn't know how the display looks to you.
I'm willing to bet good money it's either the card's BIOS or memory, like the good gentleman a few posts above.
I'm willing to bet good money it's either the card's BIOS or memory, like the good gentleman a few posts above.
I'd say it's a hardware issue as well. To be sure you could download the phoronix test live cd, it's a linux based benchmarking suite that runs from dvd/usb memory and puts some decent stress on your components. If that fails as well you can be pretty certain you're having a hardware issue.
Phoronix Test Suite - PTS Desktop Live
Phoronix Test Suite - PTS Desktop Live
Thanks for all the quick responses! I'm very appreciative.
Any thoughts on why the 12V voltage reading in the BIOS would be significantly different from the voltage reading conducted during the Sandra SiSoftware Burn-In Test?
The BIOS is showing 12.365V for the +12V rail,
while Sandra is showing a dynamic voltage of 2.00V to 2.81V (2.40V avg)
I have absolutely no idea. I find it peculiar that the 12V rail readings differ significantly, while the 5V, 3.3V, and 1.52V rails are in quite close agreement.
I just assumed it was a PSU problem because of the significant voltage drop. What other hardware components could be causing that? (GFX?)
I'm very appreciative.Any thoughts on why the 12V voltage reading in the BIOS would be significantly different from the voltage reading conducted during the Sandra SiSoftware Burn-In Test?
The BIOS is showing 12.365V for the +12V rail,
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
while Sandra is showing a dynamic voltage of 2.00V to 2.81V (2.40V avg)
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
I have absolutely no idea. I find it peculiar that the 12V rail readings differ significantly, while the 5V, 3.3V, and 1.52V rails are in quite close agreement.
I just assumed it was a PSU problem because of the significant voltage drop. What other hardware components could be causing that? (GFX?)
I've got 2 PCI-E PSU connectors plugged into the GPU.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
Don't worry about software readings conflicting - they never actually measure the voltage, but depend on sensor data to figure out what the voltage is approximately, and sometimes they just don't read the sensor data correctly because the chips got updated and the software didn't. If your DMM can measure the right voltage (plug it into an empty molex) just go with that, else BIOS readings are fine.
If your 12V rail was at 2V, the PC would not work. Pretty much everything runs off the 12V rial, and it can tolerate a max of 10% variation (about 10.8V minimum) before things get nasty. Below that, the computer would simply not operate at all. Official ATX spec is 5% from 12V.
Edit: Does the Windows desktop look OK to you, or does it have that nasty checkerbox pattern all over? Also, your hard drives will not show up in My Computer till you have initialised and formatted the disks. If the disks are brand new you will have to go into Disk Management and do this first
If your 12V rail was at 2V, the PC would not work. Pretty much everything runs off the 12V rial, and it can tolerate a max of 10% variation (about 10.8V minimum) before things get nasty. Below that, the computer would simply not operate at all. Official ATX spec is 5% from 12V.
Edit: Does the Windows desktop look OK to you, or does it have that nasty checkerbox pattern all over? Also, your hard drives will not show up in My Computer till you have initialised and formatted the disks. If the disks are brand new you will have to go into Disk Management and do this first
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The Windows desktop is HORRIBLE. Yes, it has that nasty checkerbox pattern all over it. It's very difficult to read anything on the screen because it disrupts text and images.
Well the screenshots you posted look perfect so yes, it is a graphics card issue.
Does the situation get worse or better when you install graphics drivers?
What does the desktop look like in Safe Mode? Press F8 before Windows boots (keep pressing it till you get black screen) then boot into Windows. If that is also suffering screen corruption it is very bad news and the card has to be returned.
Basically it can't handle anything beyond 640x480, which is why the BIOS screens look fine and everything after that is mashed up (Win 7 boots with 1024x768 screen).
Does the situation get worse or better when you install graphics drivers?
What does the desktop look like in Safe Mode? Press F8 before Windows boots (keep pressing it till you get black screen) then boot into Windows. If that is also suffering screen corruption it is very bad news and the card has to be returned.
Basically it can't handle anything beyond 640x480, which is why the BIOS screens look fine and everything after that is mashed up (Win 7 boots with 1024x768 screen).
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