Monitor switches off randomly

[shank]

Hi guys. Would appreciate some help with this problem I've been having. First off, I'm using Windows 7 Professional 64-bit, AMD Athlon II X4 620 2.6Ghz, a 2-year old Powercolor Ati Radeon HD4870, an 8-year old Philips 107T CRT monitor, 4GB RAM, 600W power supply. I'm using a VGA-DVI adaptor to connect the monitor to the 4870 DVI port. Now, what's been happening is that sometimes my monitor would go off randomly. Can't reproduce the problem if I try.

Another problem which I'm not sure if it's related is that sometimes when I boot up the computer, 8 beeps are heard, and nothing displays on the monitor. I'm able to get it to display by switching off and on the system, sometimes a few times. I just re-installed Windows, got the latest updates for the graphics drivers, and I thought everything would be fine. But my monitor froze when I was surfing, and when I reset the system, the problem happened again.

Could someone kindly suggest whether it's a power supply problem, or is my card failing? Thanks in advance.

 

[koolkat77]

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[Petey7]

I just downoaded the manual for your motherboard (you can do the same with the link I provided at the bottom of this post), and 8 beeps during the BIOS POST indicates a video memory error, meaning that the problem seems to be the video card. You can remove and reinsert the video card (reseating it) to see if that solves the issue, but the card may need replacing. I'm sorry if that is the case.

H61MHB :: Motherboard :: BIOSTAR

 

[shank]

No I haven't been able to, as I don't have another one at hand to test, and I can't seem to reproduce the problem. I was thinking it could be the monitor as well, but if the system has 8 beeps at bootup, in my motherboard manual it says it's a graphics adapter problem. Would a faulty monitor cause that as well?

Edit: @Petey7 Hey mate thanks but it's another system, which use a Biostar motherboard as well, the TA 790 GX A3+, and yeah the manual states the reason. So it's most likeky the card eh

 

[Petey7]

I do not believe a failing monitor could cause the BIOS POST to fail. My bet is the video card.

 

[koolkat77]

Would a faulty monitor cause that as well?

i may be wrong. go with Petey7's post

 

[shank]

Thanks for the really fast reply guys! Looks like its most likely the card. I'm guessing it could be because of heat or something, the fan is always quite noisy. Maybe I should take this chance to upgrade my monitor as well lol. Any suggestions for a video card, a mid-range one. I don't need to play Crysis 2 or BF3 at high.

 

[Petey7]

I'm usually not the best when it comes to recommending video cards. What I suggest is going to Newegg and shopping around. You know exactly what you want better than we do. If you have any more questions don't hesitate to ask.

Newegg.com - Video Cards, Desktop Video Cards