small question on monitor

I'm not too sure if this could go in viruses or not but this seems like the best place.

For starters ill advise that i recently changed video cards due to a failure in the previous card causing it to over heat. The new video card is the radeon hd 4850.

As far as the question, ive had the video card for a week now and all has been good but early this morning i got up and sat down at the computer (i left the pc on over night, usually leave the pc on every night unless i feel it needs a reboot.) The screen was completly black like it was off so i hit some keys etc nothing happens, so i turned the monitor off and back on, screen lit up for ~30 seconds and went black again. After that i rebooted the pc and the screen went black yet again after ~30 seconds after the pc was completly started up. Changed out the video card to an older one, and the same thing happened. At this point i beleive the monitor is dying but im not too sure? Is there a virus going on or should i try and find another monitor to verify that it is my current monitor failing or?

My thanks in advance
NoRuff

 

Hi my monitor died on me a couple of weeks ago. A way to check it is to unplug the PC cable from the monitor and see if you can get the menu on screen. If theres no menu then it must be a poorly monitor.

 

Huh? A little hard when you just unplugged the cable, no? Or are you talking about the monitor's OSD menu? If so, that should work whether plugged in or not - but will not tell if the monitor is able to switch resolutions.

I agree the first thing to do is try another monitor. But you also need to be aware that graphics cards are very power hungry, and with 956 million transistors (225 million more than the Intel Core i7 CPUs!!!!!) you just added one that eats more than most cards and CPUs. With that in mind, did you ensure that PSU has enough horsepower? Use the eXtreme PSU Calculator Lite to determine your power supply unit (PSU) requirements. Plug in all the hardware you think you might have in 2 or 3 years (extra drives, bigger or 2nd video card, more RAM, etc.). Be sure to read and heed the notes at the bottom of the page. I recommend setting Capacitor Aging to 30%, and if you participate in distributive computing projects (e.g. BOINC or Folding@Home), I recommend setting TDP to 100%. Research your video card and pay particular attention to the power supply requirements for your card listed on your video card maker's website. If not listed, check a comparable card (same graphics engine and RAM) from a different maker. The key specifications, in order of importance are:

1. Current (amperage or amps) on the +12V rail,
2. Efficiency,
3. Total wattage.

Then look for power supply brands listed under the "Good" column of PC Mechanic's PSU Reference List. Ensure the supplied amperage on the +12V rails of your chosen PSU meets the requirements of your video card. Don't try to save a few dollars by getting a cheap supply. Digital electronics, including CPUs, RAM, and today's advanced graphics cards, need clean, stable power. A good, well chosen supply will provide years of service and upgrade wiggle room. I strongly recommend you pick a supply with an efficiency rating equal to, or greater than 80%. Look for the 80 Plus - EnergyStar Compliant label. And don't forget to budget for a good UPS with AVR (automatic voltage regulation).