Upgrading video card

[Josquius]

I see nothing. No output being detected at all

[Grey Fox]

That's just weird.

You need to rule out that you have a bad card. Try it in an another computer.

[Norgy]

Well. I would check the monitor for what port it displays from. Try and change primary VGA in BIOS in case of having multiple options there, and set it to PCI Express.

Also, is the card seated right? It needs to be fully snapped into the slot.
Do you have the PCI_E connectors connected from the PSU?

Try DVI, HDMI and even digiport. Something's bound to just be set wrong enough for you not to get an image.

Is the card from a different chip maker than your previous one? If so, uninstall all third-party software.

[Josquius]

I don't have another computer to be able to test it with.

I will have a look in bios and see if anything is there though I hope it won't mess up things with my current card, I will need to turn off my computer and swap them.
Unless.... Would it be feasible to have them both in at once just to set up my new one then pull out the old? Or does that only work with cards of the same model?

My old one is amd, new one nvidia. What so do you mean by third party software exactly?  Surely not wipe my computer?

[Grey Fox]

You have another one, the one you use at work.

[Josquius]

You have another one, the one you use at work.

It's a laptop alas.
(Do any work places give people desktops these days?)

[Grey Fox]

Damn, ask the IT guys?

Mine still give desktop. Laptops are pretty rare. They are huge security risk + we are in the PCI board making business.

[Norgy]

I don't have another computer to be able to test it with.

I will have a look in bios and see if anything is there though I hope it won't mess up things with my current card, I will need to turn off my computer and swap them.
Unless.... Would it be feasible to have them both in at once just to set up my new one then pull out the old? Or does that only work with cards of the same model?

My old one is amd, new one nvidia. What so do you mean by third party software exactly?  Surely not wipe my computer?

For Christ's sake, no, don't put them both in at the same time! And don't just turn the computer off, remove the power chord for the time being when installing new hardware.

No, I suggest uninstalling the drivers. And do download the latest nVidia ones for the card you have bought, together with the GeForce Experience package.

[Josquius]

I've discovered a bios update for my graphics card that will run under windows, saves some fuss.  Hope it has some effect.

Will try completely uninstalling my drivers for this graphics card too- why would this be messing things up?

If all else fails I guess I will have to try assembling my computer on my desk, just to make absolutely 100% sure the card has fit right- it is a bit big but it fits.

[Josquius]

Fuck fuckity fuck fuck fuck.
I updated my mb bios and uninstalled my current card's drivers but it didn't work. Computer looks powered up, all the fans are going and lights are on, but no start up beeps, hd isn't spinning, etc...
I've tried everything but assembling it on my desk- I'm pretty sure I had it in the slot right so don't think this would help much. Will only try as a last resort

The only two possibilities remaining:

1: The card is a dud (oh please let it be so). I'm going to contact where I got it.

2: It is incompatible with my mb.... In which case oh shit. I just wanted to update my graphics card, not get an entire new computer.

[Grey Fox]

That doesn't happen nowadays, incompatible motherboard.

What's your motherboard?

[Josquius]

ASRock M3A770DE.
Thats good if so...

I wonder, what are these two slots on top of the card (one with the cap still on, one with it removed)?

[Grey Fox]

SLI connector

[viper37]

I told you to buy an AMD card, did you listen to me?  No? 



Seriously, the board is PCI-E 2.0 16x, so it's compatible with any video card that is PCI-E 16x, wich means any new card you buy today.  The card itself is PCI-E 3.0, but it's supposed to work in a 2.0 slot (and a 2.0 card would work in a 3.0 slot too).

However, your board does not support SLI (Nvidia), only Crossfire (AMD), wich means you can not add a second card.

Now, here's a guide on how to upgrade your card, maybe it will help:
http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/how-to/pc-upgrades/3470162/how-upgrade-your-graphics-card/

Also a video detailling the installation of a 970 GTX:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rVDY-ICNebQ

I'm ruling out MB and VC compatibility, PCI-E 2.0 boards and PCI-E 3.0 cards are compatible (and vice-versa).
If it works with the old card, then it's not a problem with the board or the bios.

Make sure it is correctly installed, make sure you plugged the right cables and make sure your PSU has sufficient power for all your devices:
http://www.extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

[Josquius]

Well, I took it back to the shop and got a replacement. I feared the worst but it worked straight away. Seems I was just unlucky with the last one being a dud.