GPU fans are running at full speed, but the system won’t start. I’ve tried several fixes, but the issue still remains.
GPU fans are running at full speed, but the system won’t start. I’ve tried several fixes, but the issue still remains.
Recently I started assembling a desktop for my desk. It was the Intel core i5-11400F /w Scythe Big Shuriken Acer Predator Intel ARC A770 Asrock H510M-ITX/AC 16gb goodram 3200mhz Lexar NM620 1tb Be Quiet! SFX-L 600W 80+ gold. It functioned well in Silverstone Raven RVZ-03b ARGB but I wasn’t happy about the power cable design and the overall appearance of the case. So I opted for Phanteks Evolv Shift 2 Air. After finalizing the build, it failed to boot completely; fans spun at full speed and a black screen appeared. I explored various fixes—using a known working GPU, testing the GPU on another system, clearing CMOS, checking different PCIe outputs—but nothing resolved it. I experimented with external power from another PC (850W MSI 80+ gold), plugging the A770 into this machine, and even with a different riser cable. Everything worked fine on the B450 Gigabyte board, supporting multiple GPUs (A770, A770 on B450, RTX 2060) with PCIe 4.0 and 3.0 settings. I also tried connecting the GPU to a PCIe gen set of 3.0, but it didn’t recognize it. I attempted driver updates and hardware swaps, disconnecting drives without success. At this stage, I’m unsure what’s causing the issue and feel stuck with all my components still functional. My other system specs include a Ryzen 7 1700X, stock cooler, 32GB DDR4 Spectrix D41, Gigabyte Aorus Elite B450 v2, and an MSI MPG 850W 80+ Gold.
Does it function without the riser? Yes, the A770 works fine without it.
The issue appears to lie with the PSU itself. It functions properly in my 850W setup with a riser, but struggles with a 600W unit on a bench without one. It also works with a 600W PSU in an older configuration using the Silverstone riser connector from RVZ-03B. However, connecting it with a riser seems to limit its output. When using a secondary PC as a power source for two 8-pin connections, it operates correctly with the riser. It’s unclear if my PSU is defective for lacking riser support, or if the riser isn’t providing sufficient power. I tested it with a high-power single slot card (Nvidia Quadro 2000, 62W) and it performed well. I also observed that running the GPU first in hybrid mode from two PSUs, then the main system, caused boot failures. Switching the order resolved the issue. I’ve tried several 400W PSUs from Be Quiet!, all of which functioned without riser. Other problems include powering a 600W card with a 58W CPU (G6500) that barely reached the GPU’s maximum under load, and successfully running an AMD system with a riser. Two separate cables for two 8-pin slots worked without issues.
I finally understood the problem, somewhat. It looks like the riser cable is causing power delivery issues. The 3.0 riser doesn’t provide enough power from the 4.0 slot to reach the 4.0 card. I’ve tried it with my 600w BeQuiet, 750w lianli and 850w msi cards. The riser I used from CoolerMaster is 4.0 and fits the case but doesn’t work well. In short: 4.0 slot + 3.0 riser + Arc GPU = really bad situation.