xw4300 for Christmas [ Edited ]

[thomasb574]

***Previously Posted on Hardward Board***

-I recently purchased an xw4300 (workstation) with an nvidia 9600GT (PCI Express x16) video card to go with it. I was planning a low cost gaming machine for my (two) sons Christmas gift. The xw4300 gave me the "red" code light (located on the front of the box) and "beeps" after the install and power-up (won't even start to boot). Sent the card back and received new one. The replacement did the same thing. The 9600GT which I returned was tested and is working

Though the Quadro 1400 video card (which it came with) works fine, I don't think it will enjoy high res game graphics. Any suggestions? The HP is from Geeks.com and is "refurbished". The spec's say it has a 460w power supply, but I don't think I'm qualified to test it. The tag on the side of power supply reads 460w. I'm stumped.

(XP Pro installed, but I never get to that point)

Please help,

Tom-

Message Edited by thomasb574 on 11-18-2009 05:32 PM

Message Edited by thomasb574 on 11-18-2009 05:33 PM

[old_geekster]

Thomas, here is a guide to 'LED and Beep Codes' for your workstation.  It may give you some insight to the problem that the video card is causing with the system.

Here are the 'Troubleshooting Guides' for different problems.  With these documents, you can solve most any problem that should arise.

Last, here are the 'Support' pages for the computer.

Once you have had a chance to review all of this information, let us know if you have further questions.

I checked the video card at Newegg.  It says that it requires a minimum of 400W of power.  The PSU in the workstation should be sufficient, if it truly is 460W.  HP usually installs high quality PSU's in its business workstations.  Manufacturers of video cards have a tendency to overrate the power requirements of the products.  They do this to protect themselves against those enthusiasts who add numerous components to their computers.

[thomasb574]

-Thank you for the quick response. I did read the "beep" guide, but still came to no conclusions. 
This wasn't my first video card installation, so I figured it couldn't be something I had overlooked. Besides, I called the guys at geeks.com and discussed the card and it's requirements. We agreed that it didn't need an external power hook-up. PCI 16 should do it. Besides, the tech guy couldn't find that in the specs, and the card didn't ship with a pigtail. 
If you haven't guessed, I found out differently. The 9600GT needs a six-prong hooked up to the back. (The tech guy wondered what that was for).
I discoverd the need for external power thru the nvidia forums. It's not mentioned anywhere on the website. The xw4300 had an unoccupied plug tucked up under the DVD.
Problem Solved! (Using iPhone to post reply/can't find kudos button/I would hit it a couple times if I could) Thanks again. Tom-  

[CCronaldo]

I checked the video card at Newegg. It says that it requires a minimum of 400W of power. The PSU in the workstation should be sufficient, if it truly is 460W. HP usually installs high quality PSU's in its business workstations. Manufacturers of video cards have a tendency to overrate the power requirements of the products. They do this to protect themselves against those enthusiasts who add numerous components to their computers

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