Graphics Artifacts on initial boot

I just assembled a new PC, and I am getting artifacts as soon as we get past the MSI k8N Neo 2 platinum boot load screen. The Motherboard is an MSI K8N Neo2 Platinum, and the video card is an MSI GeForce 6800 GT. It looks like a truck has run over the onscreen text and its completely indesipherable; Im not sure wether this should be in Hardware and Overclocking or Graphics; mods, feel free to relocate this as you deem necessery

 

Update: I tried a new video card, and there is no artifacting; what could be causing the artifacting on the MSI NX6800 GT256?

 

frazzeled card?, and did you try reseating the card. or if you changes the hs on the card did you check that?

 

The video card is completely stock, and has been reseated twice. Im going to try installing the mobo drivers before I try the video card again, so the next status update will be occuring then.

 

it sounds like one of the fragment pipelines is damaged - get an RMA on the card.

 

If your artifacts are showing in the BIOS or during POST then the problem isn't the video card drivers... They aren't loaded/used until you reach thew windows boot screen (welcome to winblows).

It is either a bad card or some settings in the BIOS are pooched. If your overclocking your CPU then make sure you set the PCI bus speed @ 33MHz (or your AGP or PCIX bus speeds will be unstable). GL

 

Well, the problem is solved; a replacement video card is now in the system and it works fine; the old one was DOA (what a waste of an NV-40 GPU )