So I installed a gtx 260 into my old pc and when I plugged it in and turned in the screen it was black! I forgot to install my old drivers before installed my new gpu, could that have something to do with it? Thanks.

Even if you havent installed the drivers or uninstalled the old drivers you should still see the POST screen etc. Are you sure it's fitted properly, or that the card has enough power? Actually if it's either of those the PC should bleep at you so... does the old PC have on board graphics? If so it might still be using that as the video out. So many things it could be...

Even if you havent installed the drivers or uninstalled the old drivers you should still see the POST screen etc. Are you sure it's fitted properly, or that the card has enough power? Actually if it's either of those the PC should bleep at you so... does the old PC have on board graphics? If so it might still be using that as the video out. So many things it could be...

If the screen is black from the moment you turn it on then no signal is getting to it. Even without drivers it'll show a picture. Does the monitors power light stay on green or does it switch to standby, or does it come up 'no signal' etc? Try swapping the old card back in to see if that works okay, and it'll narrow it down to the new card itself as the problem.

If the screen is black from the moment you turn it on then no signal is getting to it. Even without drivers it'll show a picture. Does the monitors power light stay on green or does it switch to standby, or does it come up 'no signal' etc? Try swapping the old card back in to see if that works okay, and it'll narrow it down to the new card itself as the problem.

If it switches to standby it's not getting a signal from that card. That means it's either not seated right on the motherboard or there's not enough power going to it - or it's broken. Obviously you've taken the other card out, right? You've not got both in there?

If it switches to standby it's not getting a signal from that card. That means it's either not seated right on the motherboard or there's not enough power going to it - or it's broken. Obviously you've taken the other card out, right? You've not got both in there?

Yeah I'd have thought so, but if the monitor is in standby then it's not getting a signal. Does the fan on the card spin up or does it just sit there? Are you sure there's no other vga or dvi outputs coming from the machine that might be active? Try putting the old card in and give that a go... sounds like the 'new' cards dead to me... but I can't really tell. Maybe the PSU of the machine can't power the card enough, but the motherboard isn't bleeping because it's recognised a video output...

Yeah I'd have thought so, but if the monitor is in standby then it's not getting a signal. Does the fan on the card spin up or does it just sit there? Are you sure there's no other vga or dvi outputs coming from the machine that might be active? Try putting the old card in and give that a go... sounds like the 'new' cards dead to me... but I can't really tell. Maybe the PSU of the machine can't power the card enough, but the motherboard isn't bleeping because it's recognised a video output...

It's been so long since I fitted a new card... I can't picture in my head how that connector is supposed to look. I'd have thought it pointless to have 6 pins with 5 connected...but somtimes you get stuff like that. Maybe it's that, and so there's not enough power going to it. Open up your PC that it came out of and check the 6 pin connector on that and see how it looks, if it worked in there and it's different then you've probably located the problem.

It's been so long since I fitted a new card... I can't picture in my head how that connector is supposed to look. I'd have thought it pointless to have 6 pins with 5 connected...but somtimes you get stuff like that. Maybe it's that, and so there's not enough power going to it. Open up your PC that it came out of and check the 6 pin connector on that and see how it looks, if it worked in there and it's different then you've probably located the problem.

Also, the fan isn't spinning on the gpu.

If the fan isn't spinning it's dead or isn't getting enough power. I reckon that psu is a bit low though I'm afraid... might be that.

If the fan isn't spinning it's dead or isn't getting enough power. I reckon that psu is a bit low though I'm afraid... might be that.

Your psu is 100w below the minimum recommended wattage, if that's a word. So that, coupled with the fan not spinning up makes me think it's power related. If it wasn't plugged in properly then sure it could be that, but the fan would spin up if it was seated properly and powered I would think. Looking like not enough power to me.

Your psu is 100w below the minimum recommended wattage, if that's a word. So that, coupled with the fan not spinning up makes me think it's power related. If it wasn't plugged in properly then sure it could be that, but the fan would spin up if it was seated properly and powered I would think. Looking like not enough power to me.

Make sure you have both PCI-E connectors plugged in, otherwise it won't be getting enough power.
400W should be enough depending on the brand of the PSU. A 400-450W Corsair PSU for example would have close to 36A on the +12v rail, which is more than enough for this card. It's not just the wattage.

As long as the gold connectors are seated within the slot and the clamp is down, if there is one, then it's seated properly. If you have any doubts, take it out and reseat it until the gold connectors are in the slot. The power cables that connect to it probably only fit one way, so if they're in they're okay. I'm wondering if it needs 2 of those 6 pin connections, and your psu only has 1... also I think your psu is underpowered by 100w. And don't worry about the help, I used to do this day in day out 4 years ago or so, so it's fine.

You might need to use a 4 pin to 6 pin adapter cable, the same 4 pin connectors that go in IDE hard drives and CD/DVD rom drives, though I still think you're on the limit with psu power. Check the box of your graphics cards, they might have one in there.

Sorry I didn't read the whole thread but make sure you actually are giving it power. It most likely needs 2 6pin PCI-E connectors. If you are, it is dead.

@SlasherMan@BrickRoad Well, i've only been using one of the 6 pin connecters! How do I get/connect another?

@NekuSakuraba said:

@SlasherMan@BrickRoad Well, i've only been using one of the 6 pin connecters! How do I get/connect another?

If your PSU doesn't have another one, you could use an a molex to PCI-E adapter. Many graphics cards ship with one of those packaged, so see if you have one around somewhere in the box. If not, you could purchase one. They're fairly cheap.
 
All this of course assuming that your PSU is indeed enough to run it. You didn't mention anything specific about it like brand or specs. But even if it ends up being underpowered for the card, it would be a better idea to actually make sure that it is instead of making assumptions. So, get a cable like the one in the picture below and see if the card works.
 

@NekuSakuraba: Well, take a look inside your case. Are there 2 spare 4 pin connectors, or are they all going to DVD/ CD/ HDD drives? This was the cable I was talking about earlier by the way, I didn't realise you were already using one.

@NekuSakuraba: Well, take a look inside your case. Are there 2 spare 4 pin connectors, or are they all going to DVD/ CD/ HDD drives? This was the cable I was talking about earlier by the way, I didn't realise you were already using one.

Also there are some wires that plug into the motherboard for the PSU, they look like the GPU connecters, what are they for? >_>

If there are 2 spare molex (4 pin) connectors hanging loose from the psu then you're good to go, if not then... you might need a new psu.

They're powering the motherboard most likely, and fans for the cpu etc.

If there are 2 spare molex (4 pin) connectors hanging loose from the psu then you're good to go, if not then... you might need a new psu.

Also there are some wires that plug into the motherboard for the PSU, they look like the GPU connecters, what are they for? >_>

Also, how many plugs should be going into the HDD?

The Cd drive will have had the 4 pin cable and an IDE cable, or sata cable coming form it, and possibly but unlikely a digital audio cable. The cd drive wont work without power. You don't need 4 though you need 2 spares, unless you're counting the 2 you're already using, then you need 4.

Sounds like you might need a new PSU that will have the connectors you need. Especially if your current PSU is from a prefab PC since those usually have just enough connectors for whatever components came with the PC and maybe one six pin if you're lucky. The 260 needs two six pins to be sufficiently powered.

Also if you do have to install a new PSU, get a friend who knows what they are doing. At the very least they can at least guide you through the process to make it much easier on you and your hardware.

Not trying to be mean or anything, I just think someone who can show you visually what to do would be much more helpful than a bunch of text. Even though these cats are being plenty helpful too!

Also I remember having this problem when I installed my GTX 260. I had to go into my BIOS and disable the integrated graphics card, and after that, I got a signal through the card. But yeah, first things first, make sure you have enough power.

@SlasherMan@BrickRoad So do they both (CD/HDD) need a connector to both the motherboard and power supply?

The HDD and CD need 1 power and 1 data cable.

@NekuSakuraba said:

Also, @wolf_blitzer85 No one I know is really into computers, and this might sound weird but I am actually enjoying getting this fixed and learning all these new connections. I've had really nice gaming computers before (and now) but I've never installed any hardware inside before.

No that sounds perfectly normal. If you're having a great time then continue on and learn! When you finally get that stupid thing booting up correctly, it will feel great!

@NekuSakuraba said:

Also, @wolf_blitzer85 No one I know is really into computers, and this might sound weird but I am actually enjoying getting this fixed and learning all these new connections. I've had really nice gaming computers before (and now) but I've never installed any hardware inside before.

No that sounds perfectly normal. If you're having a great time then continue on and learn! When you finally get that stupid thing booting up correctly, it will feel great!

@NekuSakuraba: Does it look anything like the top cable in this picture?

            
If so, that would be a SATA power cable. That's used to supply power to hard drives and optical drives from the PSU.
 
The cable below that is a SATA data cable. That what you connect to the motherboard.

@SlasherMan

@NekuSakuraba: Does it look anything like the top cable in this picture?

            
If so, that would be a SATA power cable. That's used to supply power to hard drives and optical drives from the PSU.
 
The cable below that is a SATA data cable. That what you connect to the motherboard.

Yep, it's the thing at the top of the picture! To make this a bit more simple -

My PSU has 4 molex pins (they have little connections coming from the bottom of them), one sata power cable (not like in the picture, just a standalone one from the psu).

I also have the sata power cable, but I would need 1 more molex for that, wouldn't I? So long story short, is there anyway with only 4 molex cables, using alternate cables, to use the gpu, 1 cd drive and a HDD?

If you have 1 IDE cable then you probably used that on both CD's and had the HDD on the Sata cable. I think... I'm a bit lost as to what you've got going on in there now, sounds like a real mix. I think you're using a molex to power some SATA though so...you cant use that one.

Also, i still don't get why if a 500 watt is enough for a 570 a 400 wouldnt be enough for a 260. Maybe it's a brand thing?

@SlasherMan I have one sata power cable coming from the psu as I said. The psu is a pyron which I'm guessing is a generic brand.

It's not that the 260 is a weak card though... it's still more powerful than my 9800 and that uses a PCI-E connector, and needs 500w. 400w is pretty low these days I think.

@NekuSakuraba said:

@SlasherMan I have one sata power cable coming from the psu as I said. The psu is a pyron which I'm guessing is a generic brand.

Ah, ok. It got a bit confusing there. I believe you'd still be one molex short. A molex splitter cable like the one I suggested above should solve that.
And yeah, that does sound like a generic brand (and considering I can't find much about it on Google, it probably is).

It's not that the 260 is a weak card though... it's still more powerful than my 9800 and that uses a PCI-E connector, and needs 500w. 400w is pretty low these days I think.