A little help for a moron please?

Zeeflyboy

Zeeflyboy

Zeeflyboy

Soldato
Joined
21 Jan 2016
Posts
2,915
Hey guys,

I've just been building myself a new system but i'm having problems... hoping you experienced guys can help me out.

So the basics are:

Asus Sabertooth Z170 mk1
Skylake i7 6700k
Corsair vengeance 3200 ddr4
2 x EVGA hydrocopper 980ti
intel 730 series SSD

So my problem....

Well first things first - anyone have this board? The manual states the power indicator led is green but mine is most definitely amber.

I went to boot up for the first time and the rig powers up, the d5 pump spins up, fans come on and the gfx cards light up.

Things go a little weird here - initially both cards light up, but the SLI bridge stays dark. Then after a few seconds the top 980ti goes dark and the SLI bridge lights up, then a short while after that the SLI bridge goes dark and the top 980ti lights back up and there the system stays forever more with both GFX cards lit up and the SLI bridge dark.

I don't get any video, but there is a signal (the screen says 640x480 as it resizes and no longer displays the no input sign). I don't get any beeps but I think at this point it is stuck before posting.

I carefully bumped the GFX cards out of the slots and disconnected the power to them, and then the PC boots up and works fine. I managed to install windows, and everything seems hunky-dory.... The odd thing is that the Q-LEDS are all lit up amber, which is supposed to mean that they failed in post according to the manual.

I then tried re-inserting the 980 Ti's and clearing the RTC by shorting CLRTC for 10 seconds. Unfortunately back to the same old problem of nothing happening beyond my strange little issue with the GFX and SLI bridge playing lights on/off.

Any suggestions as to where I have gone wrong here?

Build log is here if you want to see the system in more detail:

https://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18714459
 
I appreciate you have put a lot of effort into this build including much work on the power cables.

My first thought here, is that it is a power supply problem, and maybe not fully inserted cable connectors, either end,..... or a pin whose connector insertion locks haven't worked, causing a pin to de-insert from its connector as you connected the cable.

( I am taking it for granted you checked for correct connector wiring configuration after all your wiring mods, )
 
Well when I installed windows with the GFX cards out I also installed AI suite 3 and ran ez-update. It said there were no updates available which I assume means I'm up to date.
 
Trying said:
I appreciate you have put a lot of effort into this build including much work on the power cables.

My first thought here, is that it is a power supply problem, and maybe not fully inserted cable connectors, either end,..... or a pin whose connector insertion locks haven't worked, causing a pin to de-insert from its connector as you connected the cable.

( I am taking it for granted you checked for correct connector wiring configuration after all your wiring mods, )
Click to expand...


Thanks,

I've actually tried the stock cables as well as the modded ones now and it's the same result whichever cables I use.

I have run a tester on the modded cables and there's continuity between all pins and all 12v are on the bottom of the connector, all gnd on top, with the exception that the +2 are both ground... so all that checks out I believe. Certainly it matches the stock cables in that regard anyway. I was actually very careful when sleeving the cablemod connectors only doing 1 pin at a time so as not to mess up the order, but even so I've checked it and it should be ok according to the pinouts I've found.

I do have a PSU tester coming tomorrow which I suppose will give a more definitive word on what power is actually reaching where.
 
Last edited:
Just read your latest build log post, and realise you are using the original oem psu cables.

Suggest you double check all required power cables to motherboard and gpu's are fitted and fully inserted at psu and motherboard/gpu ends.
 
Definitely are, I've even tried different ports :(

I emailed EVGA to see if they had any input, they very quickly got back to me and the first question was what rating my power supply was... I'm now waiting for a further reply. I think the only way I'm truly going to rule out the PSU/connections is to get the psu tester plugged in when it arrives tomorrow.

I'm hoping someone with the sabertooth might be able to chime in and tell me what their QLEDs do because mine don't seem to bear much relation to the manual.
 
ThaReaperGuy said:
Try with just 1 graphics card connected, are all the PCI-E slots of the motherboard working?
Click to expand...

How can I check if the PCI-E slots are working?

Just doing one card is tricky - I'll have to do a full drain of the system and put temporary tubing in. I can shunt both cards out the slots fine, but can't do just one due to the water cooling bridge between them.
 
Have you tried using just 1 of the GPUs?

(disconnect the 2nd completely from the PCI-E slot and power supply)
 
ThaReaperGuy said:
Sorry didn't get chance to check the build log.

Was everything working OK on air before water cooling it all?
Click to expand...

Now worries :)

brand new build, it's never been on air - the cards are hydrocoppers from evga so come with water-cooling blocks attached, no way to run them on air.

vince99 said:
There are multiple bios updates for that board, suggest you do that before breaking the loop. Assuming win10 64bit

https://www.asus.com/Motherboards/SABERTOOTH-Z170-MARK-1/HelpDesk_Download/
Click to expand...

Cheers I'll see if I can achieve anything with updates.

Sparx said:
Have you tried using just 1 of the GPUs?

(disconnect the 2nd completely from the PCI-E slot and power supply)
Click to expand...

As above, I can't disconnect just one GPU without fully draining the loop and fitting temporary tubing... I can manage to disconnect both but there isn't enough play on the bridging piece between the two cards to allow one out and one in. I guess it may come to that but it's more of a last resort kind of thing.
 
Just had a thought, I may be able to get one card at a time by shunting both out and then just getting one back in while the other misses the slot.

Is there any issue in using the card in slot 2 for testing? obviously I'm not going to be able to get the second card into the first slot without draining.
 
Right, little update.

Managed to wangle the cards a bit and with just the top card connected, it does the same lights on, lights off, lights on thing again and there is no change in behaviour of the PC.

With the top card unplugged and the bottom card plugged in, that now does the lights on, lights off, lights on which it doesn't do when both cards are plugged in. Normally the bottom card has remained lit at all times.

But still no dice - nothing else happens with just the second card plugged in either.

Just about to check the bios version now
 
Have you thought of configuring the cpu graphics as primary display in bios, so you can boot with graphics even with gpu's installed.

Might allow you to boot into and view the bios with gpu's installed, such as you can check health, ie voltages etc with gpu;s installed and drawing power
 
Bios is 1101 dated 10/01/2015

when I click on update it tells me there is no need to update, but I see there are newer versions available to download. I'm just about to do that now eith 1602 and i'll report back any change.
 
Trying said:
Have you thought of configuring the cpu graphics as primary display in bios, so you can boot with graphics even with gpu's installed.

Might allow you to boot into and view the bios with gpu's installed, such as you can check health, ie voltages etc with gpu;s installed and drawing power
Click to expand...

not a bad idea, i'll see if it takes that. I've already tried specifying PCI-E but not the other way around.
 
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