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ASRock H97M (mATX) with Powercolor R9 270X 2GB graphics card problem
Hi all
Just wondering if anyone has come across issues between a ASRock H97M (mATX, although I suppose any of the form factors of the H97M boards would be the same) and a Powercolor R9 270X 2GB?
In shortly, build a budget gaming pc for a friend (well, her son more accurately hehe) with the following components:
- Case: Fractal Design ARC Mini R2
- PSU: Coolermaster GM-Series 650W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze Power Supply
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4460 3.20GHz Socket 1150 6MB L3 Cache
- Motherboard: ASRock H97M mATX
- RAM: Crucial 16GB kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V Ballistix Sport
- GFX: PowerColor R9 270X TurboDuo OC 2GB GDDR5
- SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
- HDD: WD 1TB Blue Desktop Drive 3.5" SATA-III 7200RPM 64MB
- Keyb/Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse Set
When turning the PC on, you don't get any sort of display. Plugging into the onboard graphics of the motherboard also doesn't do anything when this card is plugged in.
Have gone through all manner of different things, in combination with unfortunately not helpful suggestions the tech support of the retailer, but the issues persist alas.
Along with the display from the mobo working when the card isn't plugged in, if I try my own Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 Ghz Edition from my own PC [very similar cards spec and power consumption wise], it works fine.
It also works fine with a old, rubbish Nvidia Geforce 8000 GS based card too.
As I've put it to the retailer, here's a list of most of the things I've tried:
- ensured the graphics card was in the correct PCIe x16 slot
- reseated the graphics card - no change
- cleared the CMOS as per the motherboard manual's instructions (PSU
unplugged, etc) - no change
- replugged the PCIe 6 pin power plugs (2x 6pin) from feed from the PSU -
no change
- used the other PCIe 6 pin power plugs (2x 6pin) feed from the PSU - no
change
- used one PCIe 6 pin power plug from each of the two feeds from the PSU -
no change
- checked the connections of the other parts of the machine i.e. 8pin plug
going into the motherboard, along with the 24pin power connector that goes
into the motherboard and all seems fine and connected firmly
- put a Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 Ghz Edition GDDR5 2GB PCIe graphics card
into the machine [that also needs 2x6pin] and that came on fine
- put a old Nvidia GeForce 8xxx GS PCIe graphics card into the machine
[doesn't use any power plugs] and that turned on fine also
- without the card in, I updated the motherboard BIOS to the latest in case
there was a problem there - but no change
- i did put the 270X card in a different machine which oddly worked fine
Havent been able to try a different power supply in this built machine, as
whilst i have a different manufacturer spare power supply, i dont
unfortunately have enough PCIe 6 pin modular power leads in order to power
it [only have a 1x 6 pin cable - it doesnt have 2x 6pin connectors on it
unfortunately].
Also uncabling my own PC's power supply wouldn't really work as its not the standard ATX size [its a Antec 1kw PSU that I got as a special Antec bundle with my case, a Antec Twelve Hundred v1 some years ago now] so wouldn't even be able to fit in in the mATX case etc. Given the 270x worked fine in my machine with this PSU, don't think its a problem there.
The CM PSU in this new machine seems pretty decent, and unless we've been insanely unluck that both the PCIe power leads are somehow damaged, I don't think a problem there - after all, my 7870 needing the same 2x6pin PCIe power plugs, I doubt there's a problem there.
Have checked various BIOS settings, in conjunction with the Tech suggestions from the retailer, but they all seem to be in place already. Was asked to check that:
- Disable secure boot [checked and already disabled]
- CSM in the BIOS from Auto to Enabled and then PCIe setting to Legacy [checked and the equivalent settings were already set like this]
I noticed the mention of the Video Card OpROM on a different page so disabled that too, and whilst I thought that might have been it as it came on again following the card switch over to the 270X card again, it then hasn't worked the few times I've tried to fire it up since then.
With the 7870 in there, everything was great:
- installed windows 8.1
- got all the drivers installed
- updated windows fully
- installed some games [indie games rather than AAA titles] and tried them all out and no errors
All worked nicely without any problems at all [always came back on again] and was nice to see that it booted from off to the desktop in about 5-10 seconds as you'd expect with this setup.
Used HWMonitor to check over the various voltages and temperatures and they all looked to be normal. Cooler than my own PC with its custom HSF, rather than this build with the stock HSF.
Also, now that there's an OS on it, you can see by the drive activity LED on the case that the machine is clearly continuing fine, and loads up windows etc. Pushing the case's power button proceeds to shut the machine down after 5 or so seconds too (not sleep mode, but shutdown rather).
Cant quite think of anything else, short of trying to get the retailer to take the card back - or failing that, using the 7870 in this new machine permanently and i'll put the 270X in my machine and give her a bit of money back ofc :)
Found a few references online to similar things when using a powercolor R9 2xx cards in a ASRock mobo but of course, that could be anything. For reference, here's the links I've found:
I suppose incompatibilities are possible, even now, but I'm just looking to see if anyone would agree with that conclusion really.
If they will take it back, or I can do some other arrangement, then its case of what graphics card to get instead. Not sure whether to get another 270X card, a more specific one for the micro atx case perhaps such as this:
which had a nice review at:
Review: MSI R9 270X Gaming 2G ITX - Graphics - HEXUS.net - Page 12
or whether to go with an Nvidia card (believe its a bit more powerful than the 270x although a bit more expensive) and get this:
For a bit of completeness, the powercolor card is this one:
PowerColor R9 270X TurboDuo OC 2GB GDDR5 DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics card - Ebuyer
The motherboard is:
ASRock H97M Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 7.1 CH HD Audio Micro ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer
and the PSU is:
Coolermaster GM-Series 650W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze Power Supply - Ebuyer
If anyone has any ideas over the next 24 hrs, i'll be happy to hear them [as by then, I will likely have to choose a different option somehow :(].
Thanks for reading :)
Just wondering if anyone has come across issues between a ASRock H97M (mATX, although I suppose any of the form factors of the H97M boards would be the same) and a Powercolor R9 270X 2GB?
In shortly, build a budget gaming pc for a friend (well, her son more accurately hehe) with the following components:
- Case: Fractal Design ARC Mini R2
- PSU: Coolermaster GM-Series 650W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze Power Supply
- CPU: Intel Core i5 4460 3.20GHz Socket 1150 6MB L3 Cache
- Motherboard: ASRock H97M mATX
- RAM: Crucial 16GB kit (8GBx2) DDR3 1600 MT/s (PC3-12800) CL9 @1.5V Ballistix Sport
- GFX: PowerColor R9 270X TurboDuo OC 2GB GDDR5
- SSD: Crucial MX100 256GB
- HDD: WD 1TB Blue Desktop Drive 3.5" SATA-III 7200RPM 64MB
- Keyb/Mouse: Cooler Master CM Storm Devastator Keyboard and Mouse Set
When turning the PC on, you don't get any sort of display. Plugging into the onboard graphics of the motherboard also doesn't do anything when this card is plugged in.
Have gone through all manner of different things, in combination with unfortunately not helpful suggestions the tech support of the retailer, but the issues persist alas.
Along with the display from the mobo working when the card isn't plugged in, if I try my own Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 Ghz Edition from my own PC [very similar cards spec and power consumption wise], it works fine.
It also works fine with a old, rubbish Nvidia Geforce 8000 GS based card too.
As I've put it to the retailer, here's a list of most of the things I've tried:
- ensured the graphics card was in the correct PCIe x16 slot
- reseated the graphics card - no change
- cleared the CMOS as per the motherboard manual's instructions (PSU
unplugged, etc) - no change
- replugged the PCIe 6 pin power plugs (2x 6pin) from feed from the PSU -
no change
- used the other PCIe 6 pin power plugs (2x 6pin) feed from the PSU - no
change
- used one PCIe 6 pin power plug from each of the two feeds from the PSU -
no change
- checked the connections of the other parts of the machine i.e. 8pin plug
going into the motherboard, along with the 24pin power connector that goes
into the motherboard and all seems fine and connected firmly
- put a Sapphire Radeon HD 7870 Ghz Edition GDDR5 2GB PCIe graphics card
into the machine [that also needs 2x6pin] and that came on fine
- put a old Nvidia GeForce 8xxx GS PCIe graphics card into the machine
[doesn't use any power plugs] and that turned on fine also
- without the card in, I updated the motherboard BIOS to the latest in case
there was a problem there - but no change
- i did put the 270X card in a different machine which oddly worked fine
Havent been able to try a different power supply in this built machine, as
whilst i have a different manufacturer spare power supply, i dont
unfortunately have enough PCIe 6 pin modular power leads in order to power
it [only have a 1x 6 pin cable - it doesnt have 2x 6pin connectors on it
unfortunately].
Also uncabling my own PC's power supply wouldn't really work as its not the standard ATX size [its a Antec 1kw PSU that I got as a special Antec bundle with my case, a Antec Twelve Hundred v1 some years ago now] so wouldn't even be able to fit in in the mATX case etc. Given the 270x worked fine in my machine with this PSU, don't think its a problem there.
The CM PSU in this new machine seems pretty decent, and unless we've been insanely unluck that both the PCIe power leads are somehow damaged, I don't think a problem there - after all, my 7870 needing the same 2x6pin PCIe power plugs, I doubt there's a problem there.
Have checked various BIOS settings, in conjunction with the Tech suggestions from the retailer, but they all seem to be in place already. Was asked to check that:
- Disable secure boot [checked and already disabled]
- CSM in the BIOS from Auto to Enabled and then PCIe setting to Legacy [checked and the equivalent settings were already set like this]
I noticed the mention of the Video Card OpROM on a different page so disabled that too, and whilst I thought that might have been it as it came on again following the card switch over to the 270X card again, it then hasn't worked the few times I've tried to fire it up since then.
With the 7870 in there, everything was great:
- installed windows 8.1
- got all the drivers installed
- updated windows fully
- installed some games [indie games rather than AAA titles] and tried them all out and no errors
All worked nicely without any problems at all [always came back on again] and was nice to see that it booted from off to the desktop in about 5-10 seconds as you'd expect with this setup.
Used HWMonitor to check over the various voltages and temperatures and they all looked to be normal. Cooler than my own PC with its custom HSF, rather than this build with the stock HSF.
Also, now that there's an OS on it, you can see by the drive activity LED on the case that the machine is clearly continuing fine, and loads up windows etc. Pushing the case's power button proceeds to shut the machine down after 5 or so seconds too (not sleep mode, but shutdown rather).
Cant quite think of anything else, short of trying to get the retailer to take the card back - or failing that, using the 7870 in this new machine permanently and i'll put the 270X in my machine and give her a bit of money back ofc :)
Found a few references online to similar things when using a powercolor R9 2xx cards in a ASRock mobo but of course, that could be anything. For reference, here's the links I've found:
I suppose incompatibilities are possible, even now, but I'm just looking to see if anyone would agree with that conclusion really.
If they will take it back, or I can do some other arrangement, then its case of what graphics card to get instead. Not sure whether to get another 270X card, a more specific one for the micro atx case perhaps such as this:
which had a nice review at:
Review: MSI R9 270X Gaming 2G ITX - Graphics - HEXUS.net - Page 12
or whether to go with an Nvidia card (believe its a bit more powerful than the 270x although a bit more expensive) and get this:
For a bit of completeness, the powercolor card is this one:
PowerColor R9 270X TurboDuo OC 2GB GDDR5 DVI HDMI DisplayPort PCI-E Graphics card - Ebuyer
The motherboard is:
ASRock H97M Socket 1150 VGA DVI HDMI 7.1 CH HD Audio Micro ATX Motherboard - Ebuyer
and the PSU is:
Coolermaster GM-Series 650W Semi Modular 80+ Bronze Power Supply - Ebuyer
If anyone has any ideas over the next 24 hrs, i'll be happy to hear them [as by then, I will likely have to choose a different option somehow :(].
Thanks for reading :)