Collection of unusual problems, no fresh solutions for fixing. (GPU + MB)
Collection of unusual problems, no fresh solutions for fixing. (GPU + MB)
Current specs
MB: MSI PRO B650M-B
CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X
CPU Cooler: (aftermarket, will edit if relevant)
GPU: GTX 1080*
RAM: 2x 16gb Team Group UD5-6000
PSU: Cooler Master MWE Gold 650W V2 (model # MPE-6501-AFAAG-EU)
All parts (except for storage drives) were bought brand new roughly 4 months ago.
*The GPU is placeholder, the intended GPU is a Radeon 6750XT
Current issues
Below will be edited as the CURRENT problems change.
Slow boot times (over 15 seconds pre-POST), diagnostic lights for CPU and DRAM light up during boot, dim when POST completes and motherboard splash appears. No signal while diagnostic lights are on.
Intended GPU hasn't been installed, won't be installed before slow boot times have been resolved. See history for reasoning.
Common troubleshooting steps for diagnostic lights have been performed with no changes. See history for full list.
Current working solution
Below will be edited as the CURRENT working solution changes.
Replaced Radeon 6750XT with GTX 1080.
Have replaced faulty Radeon 6750XT with new one that's been untested as of now.
History
Below will be edited to reflect what issues previously arose, what troubleshooting steps have been taken, and how the system reacted.
This will be long-winded and unspecific at first, as the troubleshooting period took place nearly a month ago. Below is a rough recollection from memory how the issues presented and what I did in attempts to resolve them. I'll embolden the important parts.
I had built this pc roughly 3 months before the first issue arose with 0 problems. The first problem presented when I wanted to
update my graphic drivers
for a new game I was planning to play. Not out of necessity, rather out of habit. The update itself went fine, I didn't restart immediately because I didn't feel a need to, as the game and my pc were stable. I shut off the pc normally as I do every night, and
turned it on the next morning with 'no signal'
. Luckily,
integrated graphics worked fine
. (If I remember correctly, it would show the motherboard logo as normal, but show 'no signal' afterwards)
My first instinct was to
roll back the graphics driver
, but that
didn't work
. Neither the previous version that it was running on before I updated, nor any other version. I used
DDU
to rinse the PC of any other driver versions,
no change
. I
updated the CPU and chipset drivers and updated the bios
to rule out a version incompatibility,
no change
. I also tried
changing bios settings
, nothing worked. The card was properly recognized by Windows device manager and any hardware detection software I was using, so at this point I wanted to rule out any software issue. I
didn't try updating the GPU bios
because I still had an active warranty for the card, and would rather return it than risk bricking it that way.
Since I'd ruled out software issues, I started looking at hardware. I
reseated the GPU
and made sure it didn't have weird scratches at contact points. I went through most of the pinned "No Signal" checklist, including
replugging every cable
,
checking the motherboard's screws
,
rebooting with a single RAM stick
(each and in different sockets),
reinstalling CPU
and
re-applying cooling paste
and
resetting CMOS
.
None of these made a difference
. At this point, someone else told me my GTX 1080 would be compatible with this system, and I should try using that.
I replaced the GPU with the GTX 1080
, and
it booted
, even with the wrong drivers installed. (I cannot remember what the diagnostic lights or boot times were at this point.)
I put the Radeon 6750XT back in
to do some final software checks before giving up, and only now noticed a
'device not working properly' error in Windows Device manager
.
I flashed Linux
to see if this was a Windows issue, but
Linux had the same errant behaviour
. At this point,
I claimed the warranty on the Radeon 6750XT
and kept the GTX 1080 installed.
My warranty claim got accepted, and they sent me back another Radeon 6750XT. I'm certain
this was a different card
because I had some small damage on my original card that I couldn't see on this one, but I suspect they
didn't send me a brand new one
, since it didn't come in original packaging. I'll also add that I don't know when exactly my
slow boot issues
arose, but I'm certain I was struggling with them when I had to install my replacement card. When I installed the new card,
it had the exact same issues as the old one
. This would point at a part incompatibility issue, but that seems unlikely as the card worked fine for three months. I asked a friend if they could
try the new card I had in their PC
to confirm the problems were with the card, and they could confirm
the card would cause their diagnostic lights to flash as well
, and they didn't want to complete the boot cycle as they were afraid the card could break something in their system. Instead of troubleshooting further,
I instantly returned the card
again.
This time, instead of the retailer giving me a new card immediately, they forwarded the card to the factory to let them handle the warranty claim which could take a couple of weeks. I also left the country for the holidays. All this means that the last time I got to sit down and troubleshoot with my PC was roughly a month ago.
I received another replacement card in the original packaging, but I'm anxious to install it.
The troubleshooting process with the previous 2 cards indicates that
the problems relate to the cards themselves
, but the diagnostic lights and slow boot times make me suspect
there might be an underlying issue with the rest of the PC
. Basically,
there's a small chance that my pc is bricking the Radeon 6750XT somehow, so I refuse to install it as long as the diagnostic lights turn on during boots
. Besides, the longer boot times make troubleshooting and reinstalling drivers a nightmare.
11/08 13:35 - Posting new thread. After I post this, I'll try booting the PC with single RAM sticks and see what happens.
11/08 16:35 - Ran 10-min stress test with FurMark and Prime95 to check errant behaviour, temps rose and system thermal throttled as expected. Idle and normal load temps are normal.
this is a large factor, especially when troubleshooting these types of problems.
the specific make & model + the overall time the unit has been in use are definitely relevant here.
also include the range of temperatures you're seeing while idle & while being stressed.
Updated the specifications to reflect the correct PSU, it's 650W instead of 700.
Overall temperature readings show no unusual patterns.
The PC has been idle or lightly used (LoL, YouTube, Discord voice calls) with the R5 7600X running below 50°C and the GTX 1080 below 40°C.
After about 10 minutes of running FurMark and Prime95, the GTX 1080 throttled at around 83°C and stayed near 85°C, while the R5 7600X briefly reached 90°C but didn’t last long enough to trigger thermal throttling according to HWiNFO.
These temperatures don’t appear high under normal usage, though I haven’t checked today. I might run a benchmark to monitor them, but they seem to stay around 60–70°C.
if you struggle with temperature during these stress tests, it’s clear the system cooling needs improvement. unless you have backup hardware to test each part, or someone you trust who can provide it, the most practical choice might be letting a local shop inspect the whole setup for you.
It's a mini-ATX case with air cooling on a spot with poor airflow during a hot day. I'm surprised it wouldn't slow down at full load for ten minutes. Probably won't throttle much even with normal use, so I don't worry about overheating. If nothing else works, I might take it to a shop. I added the PSU model number to the original post.
Sorry, I understand it's a bit unclear, but you're correct.
From the audio, it seems the booting is possible even without a display. There appears to be something preventing the OS from using the GPU. However, since the booting problem occurred around the same time, I want to exclude any factors that might have impacted the GPU before installing the new card.