nVIDIA Graphics card problem Desperate

09/26/2011 06:08:08 AM · #1

Hi,

Recently I am getting a message on my DELL Precision 670 workstation that "the nVIDIA System sentinel is reporting that the the nVIDIA powered graphics card is not recieving sufficient power."

And when I ignore and try to plug in a couple of things into the USB ports I lose control of the mouse and keyboard.

I don't remember installing this onto my PC, did it come automatically ?

I would really appreciate some help and please treat me like a dummy and spell it out for me, step by step.

Cheers

Bene

09/26/2011 08:16:28 AM · #2

Yes, that's probably the card that was installed in the workstation. Your problem might not be anything more than a power connector problem, and simply re-seating all the power connectors (and perhaps the graphics card itself) might solve it. How old is the machine?

09/27/2011 02:19:33 AM · #3

Hi Kirbic,

Thanks for the tip out but you might have to break it down in dummy speak for me. How do I reseat the power connectors and where would I find them ?

The machine is about 4 years old.

smardaz

09/27/2011 02:44:33 AM · #4

if it is a higher end card there will be a 4 pin connector from the power supply that needs to be plugged into the card, look for that

09/27/2011 04:12:43 AM · #5

Thanks I will have a crack and see what happens, I forgot to mention that I contacted DELL and nVIDIA and they were both useless. So I am hoping the great people here at DP challenge will be able to help.

Cheers

Bene

Leica 18-56mm f/3.5-5.6 Vario Elmar-T ASPH

09/27/2011 07:45:29 AM · #6

The card definitely gets power from the PCI bus (where the card itself plugs into) but as already posted, there also may be another connector. It will have individual wires coming from it, and should have four pins. Remove/re-seat this, if present, remove the hold-down screw for the card and remove/re-seat it, see what happens. I'd tend to suspect the auxiliary power connector, the contacts on those are usually tin, not gold. The PCI bus connectors all have gold plating on the contacts.

MAK

Leica M Monochrom

09/27/2011 07:51:48 AM · #7

Get yourself a high powered PSU around 750W minimum and you will notice the difference. Power is important for high end machines.. Jaguar with a 1000cc engine... get me? needs a V12

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

09/27/2011 09:13:02 AM · #8

Originally posted by MAK:

Get yourself a high powered PSU around 750W minimum and you will notice the difference. Power is important for high end machines.. Jaguar with a 1000cc engine... get me? needs a V12

He's not going to be able to change out the PSU based on what he has already said about his tech skills. Besides which, Dells tend to use proprietary power supplies and a standard ATX model would be unlikely to work. Might be able to find some aftermarket replacement supplies for a Dell, but I've never looked for one. It does sound like a PSU issue, however.

DCNUTTER

Canon EOS-7D

Canon EF-S 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM

09/27/2011 09:28:13 AM · #9

Originally posted by Yo_Spiff:

Originally posted by MAK:
Get yourself a high powered PSU around 750W minimum and you will notice the difference. Power is important for high end machines.. Jaguar with a 1000cc engine... get me? needs a V12

He's not going to be able to change out the PSU based on what he has already said about his tech skills. Besides which, Dells tend to use proprietary power supplies and a standard ATX model would be unlikely to work. Might be able to find some aftermarket replacement supplies for a Dell, but I've never looked for one. It does sound like a PSU issue, however.

You're right that Dell tends to use their own proprietary PSU's, but I was lucky about 4 years back when a power surge killed the PSU in my Dad's Dell Dimension 2400. I was able to buy an off the shelf unit and it fit perfectly. My Dad has since passed, but the PC...while old is still kicking.

Also, Dell is known to under rate their power supply units, but I would still make sure to buy a replacement unit that allows plenty of overhead power.

Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II

09/27/2011 09:54:33 AM · #10

I would not jump to replacing the PSU unless I could verify that it's the source of the issue. The following are the possible classes of problem:
- Increased voltage drop across interconnections (contact resistance). This is especially problematic where tin surfaces are used on the contacts of connectors. Any voltage drop across the cable or interconnects will be reflected as an equivalent reduction in supply voltage at point of use.
- Increased current draw due to an electrical problem on the card. Not always an immediate cause of failure; increased current will cause a reduction in supply voltage, as well as increased voltage drops across the cabling and interconnects.
- Increased power consumption elsewhere in the system. If hardware has been added that relies on the PSU, the result may be reduced supply voltage (see increased current draw).
- An actual PSU problem.

bergiekat

Canon EOS-5D Mark IV

09/27/2011 01:12:09 PM · #11

Just a thought, but are you plugged into a surge protector? Has your surge protector been "activated", thus weakened? (Lightening stikes nearby, power surges, etc.) Just a thought, but we had similar problems only to find out that we had insufficient power going through the surge protector due to issues mentioned above.

I'll shut up now! :P Good luck!

Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED

09/27/2011 07:17:07 PM · #12

Thanks everyone,

I will post the results ASAP, I am a little nervous about what I am doing but we will see what happens. (I don't even know what it looks like or where to find it at the moment)

Dr.Confuser

Nikon D800

09/27/2011 07:39:49 PM · #13

I had a Dell Precision Workstation like yours and discovered the USB ports are under-powered. I had a 1,000 watt PS in mine and the ports were still under-powered. It's easy to get a powered USB hub, plug that into the workstation, then plug your USB devices into the hub. The powered hub relieves the power demand on the workstation. It might work and is a cheap fix.

As an aside, I bought Dell workstations for 10 or 15 years. IMHO Dell took their eye off quality around 2006 or 2007 and both the design and manufacturing quality suffered. In 2009, I got so mad at Dell I switched our entire household to Macs and we've never been happier. Maybe the Dell quality has improved but the 2008 Precision workstation was a POS.

Message edited by author 2011-09-27 19:40:40.

Zeissman

Canon EOS-500D Rebel T1i

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

09/27/2011 10:01:46 PM · #14

looking at the google results for that PSU it looks like it is a non-standard design. I was able to replace my E 510 with one off the shelf.

PSU

10/01/2011 06:04:22 PM · #15

Right,

I have opened up my DELL Precision 670 but now what.

I have no idea what I am looking for or where to find it.

I really appreciate any specific help that can be given.

Cheers

Bene