Gaming system with LG 19" CRT monitor - no display

[rutwick]

Hi guys,
Please help me before I go mad! I got a high end gaming rig recently. But I compromised to use my old LG 19' CRT monitor (low cash). I connected my CPU yesterday, and when I start it up, CPU starts, even Windows starts (I can hear the startup music in my speakers), but nothing is displayed on the monitor. The monitor's light just keeps blinking. I checked my monitor with my old CPU, its working fine. Do I have to buy a new monitor? My computer buy told me to check it with an LCD monitor. Or some plug or adapter will do? Please help me guys!

Here's my new RIG:
AMD Phenom x4 955BE
Asus M4A88 TD EVO USB3 Mobo
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB
Transcend DDR3 4GB Ram
WD Caviar 500GB HDD

 

[Arris]

Do you see anything on screen at all?
I would expect at least the POST screen to display before the monitor shows nothing.

I see from the motherboard information online that it has onboard Video.
This should mean that beside the other motherboard connections there should be at least a VGA or DVI video output connection. Try connecting your monitor to this instead of the output on the back of the graphics card(or vice versa if you have mistakenly plugged the monitor into the "Onboard" video connection rather than the video card output). Was the comptuer built by yourself or was it bought pre built? I think some motherboards switch to PCI-E (graphics card connection) as the default output if a graphics card is detected, but your system might still be configured to use the onboard graphics. Worth checking that out at least.

If this doesn't help you can try hitting F8 frequently when you boot the machine. Even though you won't be able to see, this will take you into the boot option screen. You can then select "Safe Mode" which should use a resolution and frequency that just about any monitor should support. I can't remember if you have to hit the up arrow once to select safe mode, but you can check the menu out on your old computer or search online.

 

[rutwick]

Hi,
Thanks for the immediate reply!

Nope, I don't even see the POST screen, only my monitors power led keeps blinking, and if I disconnect the monitors data cable, I get the 'signal not found' message.
Yes, my motherboard has on board graphics too. There are 2 connections at the back. One is the regular VGA connection, other is DVI connection. I plugged my monitor into the blue colored connection, that is the VGA connection. The computer was built by the guy whom I bought it from. Are these 2 connections different? Cuz the computer guy told me that its fine if I plug it into the VGA conn. I did get a DVI connector with my motherboard.

Before I got the rig from the shop to my house, I had the data from my old HDD copied to the new one, and it worked then, on an LCD monitor.

Should I try with the DVI adapter? Or with an LCD monitor?
I'll try booting with safe mode today.

Thanks,
Rutwick

 

[Arris]

Looking at an image of the motherboard it has a blue VGA connection and a white DVI connection beside all the other motherboard ports. You aren't connecting it to these are you as these are only for the onboard video. It should be connected to the same types of connections found further down the back of the PC on the graphics card itself. Just want to make sure it's being plugged into the correct place

EDIT: Looking at pictures of the 5770 graphics card it doesn't look like it has VGA, so you would have to use the DVI-VGA adapter which makes me think that you might be plugging the monitor into the wrong place.

Graphics card video connections vs Motherboard video connections:

You will need to plug your adapter plug monitor into one of the black DVI connections on the video card (the ones that look the same as the white connection on the motherboard).

 

[rutwick]

Hi,

Ohh, I was connecting to the ports on the mobo, not the card !
And guess what, I still haven't noticed the graphics card DVI ports on the back of my PC (are they even there?!).
I'll try connecting to those ports today. I'm also getting a friend's LCD monitor today just to make sure whether or not my monitor is the right monitor.

Hope something works! Because the beast machine is so heavy that it takes 2 guys just to carry it from one place to other and I don't wanna carry it all the way back to computer guy!

Thanks for the all the effort my friend ! I'll try these things and post here.

GD

 

[Arris]

Hope plugging the monitor into the graphics card outputs should be all that is needed. Good luck and let us know how you get on

 

[rutwick]

Thank You ARRIS !

Hey Arris,

You're the man! :grinthumb
It worked! I plugged my monitor through the DVI to VGA converter into one of the DVI ports on the card and it worked like you said it would!

Thanks a lot man! You saved me from 3 things, buying a new monitor (I'm gonna buy a new one from my next salary), carrying the beasty machine (the huge case makes it heavy) all the way to the computer guy and most important, from losing my sleep over these 2 things!

Just a last dumb but curious question, is it perfectly right to plug the monitor in the card ports or technically it should go to the port on the mobo? Won't affect the card right? :stickout:

Thanks again my friend! :grinthumb

 

[Arris]

Just a last dumb but curious question, is it perfectly right to plug the monitor in the card ports or technically it should go to the port on the mobo? Won't affect the card right? :stickout:

Thanks again my friend! :grinthumb

As your machine has a separate graphics card installed (the Radeon HD 5770 card) the monitor should be plugged into the ports on the back of the card. If you were using the Onboard video(the Integrated ATI Radeon HD 4250 GPU) the monitor would need to be plugged into the ports on the motherboard. The 2 sets of ports are connected to two different devices.

 

[rutwick]

Thanks Arris!

Now I can game with peace!