Will EVGA GEFORCE GT740SC (nvidia chipset) GPU run on a Pavilion P7-1297cb

[CDH2016]

Bought new GPU to upgrade onboard AMI GPU.  New GPU works fine in ancient Dell XP desktop and old GPU from Dell works on HP PCIe slot.  Both are plug-n-play easy, but new Nvidia GPU locks up HP desktop during boot.  I have tried:

Upgraded to 500W power supply

disabled ATI graphic driver (device manager)

uninstalled ATI graphics driver

3rd party DDU driver uninstall tool

safe mode and admin logins to delete old drivers

uninstall of all ATI tools from control panel

system ALWAYS hangs right after hp splash screen comes up during boot if the EVGA GPU is installed.

Proved new GPU works in other machine.  Proved HP PCIe slot works with other GPU, the pair don't get along.

No BIOS option to disable onboard GPU.

Internet chatter says HP BIOS is very limited in support of aftermarket and particularly recent edition GPUs.  Is there any hope or do I return this GPU?

[CDH2016]

No opinions on what is going on in a day...let me ask the question another way.  What are the limitations on GPU upgrades for my HP Pavilion P7-1297c?  Only older GPU's?  Limited memory?  Raedon chipsets only?  Very strange that an ancient ATI GPU works and a modern NVidia fails so miserably.

[DavidSMP]

Hi @CDH2016,

Thanks for taking an interest in the HP Support Forums! You have certainly done your share of research and have done a great job! I understand that you are having issues installing the new graphics card on your HP computer. As you have established the functionality of both graphic cards on different computers and also the functionality of the HP PCI express slot with copious troubleshooting, it looks like there may be a conflict with the graphics card and the HP unit.

I have also looked up the product specifications of the machine and it says integrated graphics card gets disabled by default if an external graphics card is installed.

Video graphics

Integrated Graphics

*Integrated video is not available if a graphics card is installed.

• Supports PCI Express x16 graphics cards.
• Either integrated graphics or the PCI Express x16 slot are usable at one time; they are not usable concurrently.
• DVI and VGA ports (Can be used at the same time).

I think that’s why there may be no option to disable the onboard graphics card in the bios. You have done extensive research and tremendous troubleshooting to establish this.

Link for product specifications:

http://hp.care/2cbHLrr

I also found a related forum thread for a similar issue. Please visit this thread:

http://hp.care/2cBgPhD

It explains that the bios version may not support the graphics card. You have also installed the correct power supply unit.

I hope this helps and please keep me informed. Take care and have a blessed weekend.

[CDH2016]

Thanks for the help.  The next obvious question is how the heck I can filter the abundant options for video cards to see if they will work with my system.  I see that BIOS version is critical, but simply saying "HP Pavilion with BIOS 7.07" is not goign to mean anything to a GPU manufacturer.  I have not found utilities from manufacturers to 'check for compatibility' either.  If I am down to 'try it and see' should I stick to ATI/AMD Raedon GPU's as they would be more similar to the onboard unit and mor likely to properly disable/enable as required?  Most the the available 'success stories' on the forms are for 1GB cards or cards not readily available any longer, and I need a 2GB minimum.

Thanks again for the help.

[CDH2016]

double post

[DavidSMP · Accepted solution]

Hi @CDH2016,

Thanks for Replying. ATI Radeon Cards seem to be an obvious choice. I understand about the bios.Please contact a technician locally to find out the correct compatible card. There are a whopping number of cards in the market and it is not possible to dabble with all of them. You've been awesome and incredibly thorough in your troubleshooting. Hats off to you.

Hope this answers your question.Please keep me informed. Please mark this post as “Accepted  Solution” if it helps. Kudos would also be appreciated for my efforts by clicking the “Thumbs Up” button,

[CDH2016]

More data:  Nvidia Quadro K600 1GB also fails in exactly the same fashion.  A off brand (Pegatron) ATI/AMD chipset 1GB card works fine, plug any play.  I got my office IT guy to dig a couple out of idle/spare desktops for testing purposes.  I guess I'll gamble on a newer Radeon.

Thanks for the help!  I haven't been this deep in computers since I was building them to pay for college...and that was almost 20 years ago.

[DavidSMP]

Hi @CDH2016,

Awesome that you have figured out what the situation is. Good luck to you and please take care. Please reach out anytime and We will gladly assist you. Thanks again and have a blessed day.

[CDH2016]

A Gigabyte brand Radeon R7 360 card will not even try to boot.  Black screen forever.

This is outrageous.  These cards work in an ancient Dell (well over 8 years old, Win XP when it wasn't even new) but a 3 year old HP will not support them.  The lack of upgrade-ability virtually insures I will not consider HP next time I'm in the market for a PC.  I appreciate the assistance here, but the HP design team gets a big fat FAIL on this one.

Time to replace the motherboard and remove the HP logo from the case...the case will be the only original part after this.