Where to start...
 
 
I can NOT for the life of me get this card working properly. I am having issue after issue after issue. First off, figuring out how to get it to simply TURN ON was a task unto itself. There was absolutely NO documentation in the package that said you had to use a 2x3 (6 Pin) PCI-E connection in each of the connectors, with one being an 8 pin and the other a 6 pin. I figured you would have to, but being that it had no documentation on it and there was NO Google results on this issue, I opted against putting both PCI-E connectors (6 pin) in the connectors, for fear of possibly powering it on wrong and doing god knows what to the $270 card.
 
After I took my PC over to my friend's house who is an Electrician, we got it working, by putting the connectors in there. Now usually I'd feel dumb after such a thing, but with NO results on Google, in-fact I actually did an Image Search on the HD2900 series cards to see what people did, is when we finally got it working. But, this victory was very, very short lived...
 
Now come the driver issues! Whew whoo!! Not only did the drivers not fix ANYTHING whatsoever, they made my CPU Usage go from a normal 10% idle to a god-like high of 95%... >.> I had to uninstall over EIGHT programs to troubleshoot the problem. 3DMark06 refuses to run, ATiTool doesn't run at all, FRAPS gives me endless errors. My computer went form being fairly decent with the 7900GS in it previously to being a complete piece of crap that moves no faster than a snail. I am HORRIBLY regretting this purchase. This is, mark my words folks, the LAST ATI product I will EVER own. Thanks to software!
 
I uninstalled, reinstalled, and tried to trouble shoot at least 5 times now. I'm at a loss here. I have gotten so many errors and weird glitches in graphics so far it's quite possibly impossible to really comprehend just how frustrating this whole ordeal has been. Catalyst Control Center is by far the worst form of software I've ever used. It offers no help files at all, it actually seems to case the issues to become even more inflamed than when i had the horrible thing uninstalled...not once, but twice.
 
So here's where this all amounts to folks. HOW DO I FIX THIS GOD AWFUL POS CARD!! I'll be one dam*ed human being if I let my hard earned $270 go to waste all over really, really shi**y software and support/documentation.  

Have you used driver cleaner to get rid of your old drivers completely? Whats your rig? Is your psu enuff? Help yourself by letting us know about your rig.

For future reference Tom's Hardware Forumz has a "More Information" selection under a person's Avatar/Name. Once you hover over that it will say "View His/Her con figuration". You can do that to see people's hardware and what not if they've filled it out, which almost everyone does. So it saves having to ask the question of what hardware people have...
 
But anywho, I have a 600W PSU, which clearly can power the card and run the card, so it's not a PSU issue. I have an AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+, but that doesn't really mean anything. A 160GB SATAII drive, i guess it reads and writes well. ABIT AT8 32X motherboard. And than the HD2900 Pro.  
 
As for uninstalling the drivers properly...yes. I have done that. I've done almost everything I could possibly think of. Still, problem after problem after problem. It's almost to the point of returning it. By far the WORST purchase I've ever made.

You need to be a little more gracious. jaydeejohn was only trying to help you out.
 
Seeing as you are getting so many problems, you have 2 clear options - re-install Windows or RMA the card.  
 
Either your system is a mess, or the card is.

Are you saying you're not using the 6 pin AND 8 pin connectors to power the card?

You didn't answer the poster's question that you chewed out.  He asked what your PSU was, not the power capacity.  In these situations, power capacity is not near as important as the current supplied on the 12V rails.  It is also very important to know what type of PSU it is, i.e. what manufacturer as some manufacturers are known for making shotty PSUs that supply unstable power which can bring systems to a screeching halt.
 
I checked your configuration, nowhere do you mention your PSU.  Now, for the 2nd time, what is your PSU?

yup definitely sounds like power issue or card is hosed somehow.  In regards to the drivers, I have only owned one ATI card and that was an X800XL, good card, hideous drivers, loads like 5 or 6 items on taskmanager list and trys to run catalyst bullshit on your taskbar.  Nvidia has gotten a little worse about that but not nearly as bad.

I know its a little late:

From an online 2900XT manual.  You didnt mention what brand of card you had but I found that info here:
http://download.hightech.com.hk/ma [...] 328-20.pdf

Trust me    - most people do NOT use that feature.

Sometimes it is better to humble yourself and enlist the help of a friend who knows what they are doing before attempting an upgrade that is a little over your head.

If it's worth anything, with one exception I had the same problem. The card was gibbled right from the box. I bought a new power supply, and hard drive, installed WXP fresh and  all recomended drivers, spent hours reading through forums etc,etc,etc.  The replacement card they sent me lasted about 8 months and failed. They would not replace the replacement. I never was able to get the card to work with the HD TV. I ripped the card  out and jammed it under a door. I dropped in my old ati 2900 and no problems with it at all including finding the tv. I now run x1950 pro 512 in xfire. I will NEVER EVER buy anything evga or nvidia again.

This thread is about an ATI card, why would you shy away from nVidia if you had problems with an ATI card?

I believe he had similar issues with an eVGA nvidia card is what he was trying to say...

did the OP remember to uninstall the nvidia drivers first?

He said he did.  His card may be DOA.  I think he should try an exchange before writing the whole thing off.

Um, because the GPU is using 95% of the CPU you claim that the card is DOA? This has nothing to do with the hardware but the software, after all you can see the desktop on your monitor, right?
Also, it's said all over the web that you need 2x6 PCIe cables to power this card and a 6pin and 8pin connector only if you plan on overclocking the card.
James

I have a HD2900Pro 1GB and installed it and installed Vista fresh and have no such problems. In fact my CPU sometimes idles at 0%.
 
Now you might want to check out your mobo settings and make sure that the PCIe is set up right as that may cause problems if the frequency is too high or too low.
 
Also make sure it is in the PCIe 16x slot correctly. Check the total AMPs comming out of your 12v rails of your PSU. Just because it is 600w doesn't mean that the 12v rails are powerful enough.
 
And what OS and version drivers were you using? I have 7.9 and Vista and it installed flawlesly and trust me once you get this card working, it will give you a lot of power.
 
And last but not least, if all else fails just RMA it for a new one and be very careful. You have to remember that electronic components like these hate static and being knocked around.
 
P.S. Rabidpeanut, No offense but don't be such a "bloody prick". The guy is frustrated and yea he needs to calm down but you don't need to respond the same way. Also don't start trash talking the US Navy as they obviously have more brass than you to serve their country proudly. Other than that have a great day.

 
No offence taken I'm sure  

Wow, I don't know where to begin in this thread.  Pricks here, navy there, old ATI 2900, reformat whenever you install new hardware??????