Mobo / GFX card issue?

Chazaxl

Chazaxl

Chazaxl

Associate
Joined
2 Feb 2010
Posts
228
Hi all,

Just replaced my wife's lost in transit RMA graphics card with a Club 3D 5670 from OCUK.

It was using an old Geforce 7600GT which has been working in the PCI Express Slot 1.

When I install the new card, I get nothing to the monitor. Go back to the old card, works fine.

Im running DVI between card and monitor. I dont have a spare VGA cable to check if the VGA output is working but again, the Geforce works no problem.

I then, in desperation, put the new card in the 2nd slot (lower) and move the 'blank' card to the primary slot. Much to my surprise, the machine works like that.

The board is an Abit KN 8 SLI, Nforce 4.

It does show 2 red lights - it doesnt seem happy with the way I have arranged the card and 'blank'.

I have had issues with this board before - some graphics cards just dont seem to work and after hours of fiddling - they start to work.

Any suggestions / thoughts on what might be going on?

Many thanks.
 
I don't know why it won't work in the first slot perhaps drivers, have you uninstalled the old ones? The reason it's proberly not happy in the second one it the fact you have an SLi board and your trying to put an ATi card into the second slot when in theory it should always be a nVidia card there. Try the drivers!
 
What do you mean by 'Blank' is that some kind of plastic insert in the vacant PCIe socket?

Are the two red lights on the motherboad? If so, It would be worth a google to see what error that combination of lights means for that mobo.
 
Thanks for your reply.

Sorry - the Nvidia card is completely removed. The ATI wont run in the 'default' slot - only in the 2nd slot and its not a case of windows or drivers, the monitor doesnt even come on.
 
mattyfez said:
What do you mean by 'Blank' is that some kind of plastic insert in the vacant PCIe socket?

Are the two red lights on the motherboad? If so, It would be worth a google to see what error that combination of lights means for that mobo.
Click to expand...

Ye, on the Nforce 4 there is a 'blank' that gets inserted into the unused slot if not running in SLI mode - lemme find a pic.
 
Ok, its called an Abit Shadow Card.

Hopefully the image tag will work.

13-127-225-05.jpg
 
Maybe its an nvidia SLI mobo thing, but you would think you could just leave one slot empty.

Only reason I can think of is its to fool the mobo into thinking theres two cards in there.
Why you would need to do that, I dunno, maybe its an nvidia chipset thing. but ive never had an nvidia mobo, only intel.

Have you tried it without the 'blank' in? maybe you have to disable SLI at BIOS level or something if you do that?
 
Not sure - but it has to be in if the 2nd SLI slot is not used. The manual states not to reverse them but it only works the wrong way around in this case .... odd.

The lights that are on seem to indicate SLI mode - so it seems fooled. As long as it works and the mobo keeps working - im fairly happy.
 
i know the answer to this 5*** series ati cards will not work fully with a nforce 4 chipset i had the same problem myself only thing to do is try it in slot 2 and see if it works if it does it won't be very stable.

google 5770 no post and you will see a whole host of people that have problems with 5series card and nforce chipsets
 
bigjimmyauk said:
i know the answer to this 5*** series ati cards will not work fully with a nforce 4 chipset i had the same problem myself only thing to do is try it in slot 2 and see if it works if it does it won't be very stable.

google 5770 no post and you will see a whole host of people that have problems with 5series card and nforce chipsets
Click to expand...

Damn. I thought it was maybe the mobo as it did it before with a Geforce that later failed - so thought it was the gfx card all along and 'cleared' the mobo from being the guilty party ....

What to do?
 
Tried all the 'tricks' - nothing. Will try VGA cable tomorrow if I can find one at work to remove DVI cable - seems this works for some. Now the 'old' G Force wont even work.
 
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