Video or chipset trouble (scrambled desktop)

[Bryan G]

I'm working on a Gateway 835GM. The trouble is the onboard video is all messed up, it's hard to explain, scrambled is the best way. So I put a PCIe 16X card in and everything was perfect for about a week, then the computer stopped booting. You'd hit the power switch and nothing except the fans would work (when you boot the CPU fan goes full speed untill the BIOS slows it down and it wasn't even getting that far). When I took out the PCIe card it would boot with no problems, except the video is scrambled. Returned that card and got a different one but same deal, won't boot.

Now I have a old, very old, PCI card and it works.

My question:
Does the PCI Express and onboard video use a different area of the motherboard/chipset than a PCI slot?

I want to just get a PCI card but don't want to have the same trouble, I feel there is a chipset problem and it only affects the onboard video and PCI express but won't affect the PCI slots, but I'm no expert and need opinions, please.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

It's probably because your PSU can't handle the extra load with the PCI-E x16 card. Try a PSU rated for a higher power output in the PC. Not sure what the deal is with the fuzzy graphics though.

The PCI-E and PCI buses are separate, but they both pass through the MCH or "Northbridge". From what I can see the 835GM uses a Pentium D 820, and I assume you're probably running a chipset somewhere between an Intel 945PL and a 975X.

Here is a pretty rough idea as to how your chipset is likely laid out (yes I am that bored, typed it out, but, naturally, I'm too stupid to get it to post it the way I formatted it):

 

[Bryan G]

It's probably because your PSU can't handle the extra load with the PCI-E x16 card. Try a PSU rated for a higher power output in the PC. Not sure what the deal is with the fuzzy graphics though.

The PCI-E and PCI buses are separate, but they both pass through the MCH or "Northbridge". From what I can see the 835GM uses a Pentium D 820, and I assume you're probably running a chipset somewhere between an Intel 945PL and a 975X.

Here is a pretty rough idea as to how your chipset is likely laid out (yes I am that bored, typed it out, but, naturally, I'm too stupid to get it to post it the way I formatted it):

Thank you for that, it helps. I'm having him buy a PCI card and that should clear things up, he don't game so he don't need a high end card.

Stupid Gateway, in the specs it gives details on everything until you get to the power supply, then it just says
Power device type: Power supply. how stupid, of course it's a power supply fricken *****s. I've been building my own PC's since my first one puked, a Compaq with P 128 back in 1997. In fixing friends computers I've notice that Gateway is the worst, then Dell or is it the other way around, it's hard to tell, they both suck so bad.

The onboard graphics aren't blurred, there misplaced, parts of the display are scrambled to different areas of the screen. I can't explain is so I made a photo shop image that kinda shows it. You can see how it looks, as you try and move the mouse around it just gets worse and worse and within a few minutes you can't see anything.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

I see, and you've tried updating the VPU and chipset drivers?

 

[Bryan G]

I see, and you've tried updating the VPU and chipset drivers?

I never thought of that, but I just checked and he has the latest drivers, at least from Gateway, they haven't updated the drivers since this was made. I think you were right with the PCIe card not letting the computer boot because of the PSU. The more I thought about it that would make sense but we're not replacing that if we don't need to, hopefully the PCI card we're getting will get enough power and we'll be all set. He don't want to stick anymore money into this.

 

[Matthew DeCarlo]

The PCI VPU should be more than fine power-wise I'd think.

Yeah, more often than not the drivers on the proprietor's website are out of date. You'd have to get them directly from the manufacturers of your hardware, or a site hosting the drivers that came from the manufacturers of your hardware.