GPU suddenly not being picked up in PCIe slot.

[HXNTER]

Hi all,

THE SHORT:

• GPU (GTX 970) stopped working mid-game, and I assumed it was the card that had decided to give up after all these years.
• Decided to test the GPU before buying a new one, but it turns out the card is fine in my brother's PC.
• Tried my brother's GPU (RX 480) in my PC and that too, would not work.
• Believed then that it may be the slot on the board that is the issue.
• Decided to try a different method of power from the PSU just in case.
• Changed from the proprietary 6+2 PCIe power cable to a molex to 8-pin adapter, and this actually worked and all seemed fine.
• Decided that it was probably just a faulty modular cable from the PSU, but then the same thing happened with the RX 480 not 10 minutes later.

ADDITONAL INFO:

• BIOS updated this morning
• RX 480 LEDs light up but fans don't spin (even without PSU power supplied directly)
• I was able to get the RX 480 to work a second time, by just removing it and plugging it back in, but ended with the same result after a few minutes.
• Rest of PC works perfectly fine with on-board graphics.
• Relatively new upgrade done to CPU, RAM and MoBo, (around Feb) but there was no issue for a couple of months of use.
• Even in the old setup, the GPU would do random 2 - 3 second black screens while under load.

CURRENTLY:
I am using my PC exactly the way I usually would outside of gaming, like graphic design and video editing. It is only the described issue that is the problem. I don't know whether this is a motherboard or PSU issue, and I need to resolve the issue before I can go ahead and buy a new GPU, or it'll just keep happening.

SPECS:

• Intel i7 12700K
• ASUS ROG Strix Z690-F Gaming WiFi Motherboard
• Adata 16GB DDR5-5200 XPG Lancer
• Galax GTX 970 / Sapphire RX 480 currently installed for testing
• Corsair 850W RM Series Modular Power Supply (CP-9020056-EU) [This model is from 2014, I believe and is also the oldest component in my setup]
• SAMSUNG 850 EVO 500GB

I've never had an in-betweener problem like this. In my experience motherboards and PSUs either work or they don't. Though, I don't know if those are necessarily the issue. Just makes the most sense to me personally. I hope someone can make more sense of this based on the information I've given.

Thanks in advance for any possible suggestions or solutions. 🙏

 

[dainluke]

Fucking Alder Lake smh...

Just kidding; in all seriousness though, it is unlikely the BIOS update has any relevance because this happened before the upgrade as well. I once had PCIe power issues and that flat-out shut the system off (not a short). Let's just say I may or may not have loosely plugged in my GPU cables by accident.

If this was uncore or I/O signal related, then again, you'd either suffer a WHEA BSOD, some sort of other hardware BSOD, or theoretically your Z690 setup should reboot and re-train memory (you'd see the PC reboot by itself and the CPU/DRAM/VGA/Boot LEDs would cycle).

Platform change didn't fix it and both cards are functional in your brother's rig. When you say the card would stop being detected, I assume you mean you lose display, but the PC doesn't shut off. Do you see any of the debug LEDs on besides green when this happens? I altered my comment because I re-read the initial post and it seems like a power issue. The PC does totally shut off right?

 

[Gurshick]

Try your brothers PSU in your PC if possible to rule it out. With all this load shedding k@k PSUs are bound to go.

 

[HXNTER]

Fucking Alder Lake smh...

Just kidding; in all seriousness though, it is unlikely the BIOS update has any relevance because this happened before the upgrade as well. I once had PCIe power issues and that flat-out shut the system off (not a short). Let's just say I may or may not have loosely plugged in my GPU cables by accident.

If this was uncore or I/O signal related, then again, you'd either suffer a WHEA BSOD, some sort of other hardware BSOD, or theoretically your Z690 setup should reboot and re-train memory (you'd see the PC reboot by itself and the CPU/DRAM/VGA/Boot LEDs would cycle).

Platform change didn't fix it and both cards are functional in your brother's rig. When you say the card would stop being detected, I assume you mean you lose display, but the PC doesn't shut off. Do you see any of the debug LEDs on besides green when this happens? I altered my comment because I re-read the initial post and it seems like a power issue. The PC does totally shut off right?

Hey, thanks for the reply.

Well, I went ahead and tried checking the display with different cables etc just in case, but it has the same issue, I'm afraid. I imagine though, if this were the issue then the on-board graphics would've also given problems, since I'm using the same method of connection?

"When you say the card would stop being detected, I assume you mean you lose display, but the PC doesn't shut off."
- This is exactly right. Also, then the card will just remain undetected. What I mean by that is, when it worked on those two occasions, the card (480 in this case) would show up in device manager. Then when the screen goes black, I have to restart and I also have to change to on-board graphics, because now the card just doesn't exist anymore according to device manager, and all that shows up is "Intel 770 Graphics."

"Do you see any of the debug LEDs on besides green when this happens?"
- I'd have to recreate the scenario of it working for a few minutes to check. I've tried just that but this card does not want to know anything.

So basically the card by pure chance worked for a few minutes on two occasions. After it switches itself off -- or whatever is actually happening -- it is not detected at all and then I have to restart and proceed with on-board graphics.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[HXNTER]

Try your brothers PSU in your PC if possible to rule it out. With all this load shedding k@k PSUs are bound to go.

I wish I could because that would make it clear as to the exact issue, but I double-checked this afternoon and my brother's PSU is pretty small and basic, and my board alone requires 2x 8-pins to power, unfortunately.

 

[dainluke]

Hey, thanks for the reply.

Well, I went ahead and tried checking the display with different cables etc just in case, but it has the same issue, I'm afraid. I imagine though, if this were the issue then the on-board graphics would've also given problems, since I'm using the same method of connection?

"When you say the card would stop being detected, I assume you mean you lose display, but the PC doesn't shut off."
- This is exactly right. Also, then the card will just remain undetected. What I mean by that is, when it worked on those two occasions, the card (480 in this case) would show up in device manager. Then when the screen goes black, I have to restart and I also have to change to on-board graphics, because now the card just doesn't exist anymore according to device manager, and all that shows up is "Intel 770 Graphics."

"Do you see any of the debug LEDs on besides green when this happens?"
- I'd have to recreate the scenario of it working for a few minutes to check. I've tried just that but this card does not want to know anything.

So basically the card by pure chance worked for a few minutes on two occasions. After it switches itself off -- or whatever is actually happening -- it is not detected at all and then I have to restart and proceed with on-board graphics.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That's the strangest thing ever man. The fact that sometimes it lights up and the fans don't turn on but the PC is booted... I literally have no idea I'm afraid. Surely PSU though? Like by this point just by shear process of elimination right?

 

[ThatGuyJD]

I wish I could because that would make it clear as to the exact issue, but I double-checked this afternoon and my brother's PSU is pretty small and basic, and my board alone requires 2x 8-pins to power, unfortunately.

No it really doesn't. The only boards I'd say really need the 2*8 pin EPS is the HEDT and bigger systems. Hell there were some older HEDT stuff that only had the 1*8 pin EPS. You don't need to use his PSU forever, just test using his to see if the problem persists, if it doesn't definitely a PSU problem. But even already more than likely a PSU issue.

 

[HXNTER]

No it really doesn't. The olny boards I'd say really need the 2*8 pin EPS is the HEDT and bigger systems. Hell there were some older HEDT stuff that only had the 1*8 pin EPS. You don't need to use his PSU forever, just test using his to see if the problem persists, if it doesn't definitely a PSU problem. But even already more than likely a PSU issue.

Oh? I didn't know. I usually fill whatever slots the hardware comes with as I've always just assumed that was the power requirement. Like how I learned the two slots for power on my GTX 970 definitely weren't a suggestion years ago when I had to test my system. Without both plugs plugged in, it wouldn't even humour me.

Anyway, I appreciate the info and I will try and have a look tonight and then report back with any findings.

 

[ThatGuyJD]

Oh? I didn't know. I usually fill whatever slots the hardware comes with as I've always just assumed that was the power requirement. Like how I learned the two slots for power on my GTX 970 definitely weren't a suggestion years ago when I had to test my system. Without both plugs plugged in, it wouldn't even humour me.

Anyway, I appreciate the info and I will try and have a look tonight and then report back with any findings.

Oh for PCIe/Graphics cards, you want to run as many cables as possible but for the CPU/Motherboard it is not needed.
Assumed that you meant Motherboard when you said board here.

and my board alone requires 2x 8-pins to power, unfortunately.

I still plug all my cables in but not really needed really. More for if you're running big OCs.

 

[HXNTER]

Oh for PCIe/Graphics cards, you want to run as many cables as possible but for the CPU/Motherboard it is not needed.
Assumed that you meant Motherboard when you said board here.

Oh, you were correct in your assumption. I was talking about the motherboard. Or, more specifically, the CPU power on the board. I was just referencing the GTX 970 on a separate occasion as not using all the plugs in that instance hadn't worked and had given me the idea that no component would work without all the suggested power being pulgged in, i.e. the Z690 board with its two slots.

This is valuable information though about the difference with PCIe/Grapahics and Mboard/CPU, and I appreciate it. It'll help me conduct better tests in future as well, so thank you.

I will hopefully be able to test my brother's PSU tonight, but at this point I am also basically convinced that it is probably my PSU, based on what you guys have said here, as well as a user on Tom's Hardware breaking it down for me, which made it seem even more clear considering the scenario.

They said:

Windows may be capturing some error codes, warnings, or even informational events related to the GPU(s) stopping.

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer.

Reliability History is much easier to navigate and understand so begin there. Plus it presents a time line format that can be very revealing.

Increasing numbers of errors and varying errors are an indication of a problem PSU.

An 8 year old PSU is very likely nearing or even beyond its' designed in EOL (End of LIfe) and is starting to falter and fail.

Remember PSUs provide three different voltages (3, 5, and 12) to various system components. A failure with any one voltage can result in any number of problems.

Overall thought being that the PSU may be at a point where it is simply unable to keep up with peak wattage demands. The necessary wattage and/or ramping up to that wattage.

Try swapping in a known working PSU that meets the wattage requirements of your build.

Be sure to use the modular cables that come with that PSU.

 

[Harbinger2000]

Not sure if this helps, but i recall seeing a video from Jayz2cents on youtube not long ago where something similar happed to one of their machines. Perhaps their fix could help you as well? Good luck

 

[BearZA]

It seems like it could be a PSU issue since it works for a while and then has the issue, perhaps certain components in the PSU are overheating or something? Anyhow, trying with a different PSU first would be what I would recommend first too.

 

[HXNTER]

You don't need to use his PSU forever, just test using his to see if the problem persists, if it doesn't definitely a PSU problem. But even already more than likely a PSU issue.

So, I went ahead and tried it, and his PSU powered my system, but the same issue persists. So, now I'm as confused as I could possibly be.

I also found a few people with the same issue with the Z690-F (my board) and the Z690-E, but those people didn't have any solutions to their problem, or rather they didn't post whether they had found a solution or not. The only exception is one guy that said he used his PCIe3 slot instead of PCIe5 slot, which firstly I don't want to have to do, since there shouldn't be anything wrong with a board this new, and secondly my PCIe3 slot is right at the bottom of my board and a graphics card won't fit there for two reasons, 1; my board is against the PSU shroud of my case, and even without the shroud there wouldn't be enough space, and 2; the PCIe3 slot is also in line with my front panel header so the cables for my front panel are in the way.

I really don't know what the issue is now, but it seems like this being some kind of issue with my board could be considered as others have had the same issue with the same or similar ASUS board.

I even did a fresh install of Windows just to cover all bases and hoped that maaaaybe this would be a weird software issue, because I saw another person having issues with his board (not the same issue, but also graphics related), and he attributed his issue to .NET Framework updates done by Windows that he had worked around with a format and reinstall... buuut that didn't work either.

I don't know what to think. Any ideas?

 

[HXNTER]

Not sure if this helps, but i recall seeing a video from Jayz2cents on youtube not long ago where something similar happed to one of their machines. Perhaps their fix could help you as well? Good luck

Hey, thanks for the suggestion. I'll have to see if I can find the specific video, and hopefully it's not too cryptic, but I appreciate the help!

 

[ThatGuyJD]

I know my Z690 Tuf wouldn't display my GPU so switched the Slot bandwidth from 5.0 to 3.0 in the bios as my GPU is pretty old so not a problem but still use it in the top slot.

 

[HXNTER]

I know my Z690 Tuf wouldn't display my GPU so switched the Slot bandwidth from 5.0 to 3.0 in the bios as my GPU is pretty old so not a problem but still use it in the top slot.

Hmmm... Interesting. When this all started, I did change it to 4, but haven't tried 3, so I'll see if that works. Though, it'd be weird if that worked, 'cause the system was running perfectly fine for about 3 months with the 970 in that slot at 5.0. I'll try anything at this point, though.

 

[ThatGuyJD]

Hmmm... Interesting. When this all started, I did change it to 4, but haven't tried 3, so I'll see if that works. Though, it'd be weird if that worked, 'cause the system was running perfectly fine for about 3 months with the 970 in that slot at 5.0. I'll try anything at this point, though.

Oof no, I couldn't tell you then. Does your PSU in his PC with your card result in the same behavior?

 

[BearZA]

I know my Z690 Tuf wouldn't display my GPU so switched the Slot bandwidth from 5.0 to 3.0 in the bios as my GPU is pretty old so not a problem but still use it in the top slot.

So DDR5 and PCIe 5.0? Mmmmm, brand new tech, giving issues...
Swop the slot you are using to gen 3, and disable the iGPU entirely.
Something is not playing nice with the lanes I think...
Also, yes it's a new board, but with new technologies coming to the consumer market, it's often best to treat it like a new EA release and buy it a year or two later when the bugs have been sorted out. Obviously check new BIOS releases(check changelogs before you upgrade)

 

[ThatGuyJD]

So DDR5 and PCIe 5.0? Mmmmm, brand new tech, giving issues...
Swop the slot you are using to gen 3, and disable the iGPU entirely.
Something is not playing nice with the lanes I think...
Also, yes it's a new board, but with new technologies coming to the consumer market, it's often best to treat it like a new EA release and buy it a year or two later when the bugs have been sorted out. Obviously check new BIOS releases(check changelogs before you upgrade)

Eh, that was also on the release bios and just never went back to try and again. Had an even older GPU that did post into bios but the newer one wouldn't display. Am also running an KF so no iGPU at all.
Yip bought into it knowing there would be issues with it, such is life when testing out brand new platforms, such as my ring wouldn't OC properly in the beginning but an Bios update fixed that.