Issues with Asus P9X79 experiencing "No VGA Detected" and Oculus Rift showing black displays are becoming more common.
Issues with Asus P9X79 experiencing "No VGA Detected" and Oculus Rift showing black displays are becoming more common.
Hi,
I own a machine I've been using exclusively for Oculus Rift gaming since mid-2018, just a few hours each day. It hasn't had any problems until recently. A few months ago, when I turned it on, it emitted a post beep, followed by a long beep and three short ones, then another beep. After pressing the power button, it shut off, came back on normally, and worked without issues afterward. It remained stable until a couple of weeks later, then again after a few days and more often.
I checked the beeps and confirmed there was no VGA signal. I removed the GPU card, cleaned the contact with a tissue and a drop of isopropyl alcohol. The next day I repeated the process, and it worked similarly with the memory sticks. It stayed functional for a while before recurring the issues.
Recently, while playing Flight Sim in VR (my preferred game since April of this year), the Rift display went black. I closed the Oculus app, reopened it, and it worked for ten minutes before going black again. I stopped playing.
Here are my PC specifications:
- Asus P9X79
- Intel Core i7-4930K 3.40GHz
- 16GB HyperX DDR3 RAM
- 1TB HDD
- MSI Gaming X 1070
- Fractal Define R5 (front panel removed for better airflow)
- Cooler Master 212 Hyper Evo
- Windows 10 Pro
The motherboard has two PCI-E slots, so I swapped the card to the other one. It sometimes beeps, occasionally just powers on, and more often it gives a beep now. There’s no built-in video, but I had a Quadro K600 included, so I tried that too—sometimes it boots fine, sometimes not. This suggests either the motherboard is faulty or the power supply might be the issue.
I don’t have much budget left for repairs. The original PC cost around £360, and the GPU was £400. I feel like Flight Sim is pushing its limits. Online advice suggested using 100% GPU power, which matches my setup. I kept monitoring temperatures, and they never exceeded 72°C (161°F) in summer, mostly staying around 70°C. Other VR games require much less GPU power—around 80%, with some being significantly lower, like Minecraft (about 25%).
Any suggestions would be appreciated. I’ve never experienced a PC failure before, especially in the last thirty years of gaming. With everything being so expensive lately due to COVID, I’m a bit anxious.
Edit: Usually, PCs use a DVI to HDMI connection for TV output, and the HDMI is dedicated to the Oculus. I’ve tried using a known good HDMI cable for the display to test the DVI adapter, but I also had a boot error in that setup.
It's a Corsair CX600M from the tower when I purchased the PC on eBay in 2018. It might be original. Could a bad power supply cause these issues? A fresh PSU could definitely resolve it!
The C600(M) series isn't performing well, making it a good time to replace the PSU. Examining the faultcode suggests a potential memory issue, possibly linked to the motherboard. Increasing the RAM voltage might help, but if the new PSU doesn't resolve it, consider adjusting the voltage for the memory controller. Also check if XMP is enabled on the motherboard, as it could affect the current 1.35V speed. Trying 1.4V might be a better option.
I downloaded the manual for my motherboard and it says that 1 long and 3 short is "No VGA detected". I feel confident that this is the issue as there is also an LED on the board with VGA_LED next to it, on the times when it does the error beeps this remains on, when it goes in fine this goes off.
I checked the information there,
Computer POST and beep codes,
AMI Codes.
Anyway, let’s hope the new PSU resolves structural issues, otherwise consider another look.
Could a malfunctioning power supply unit cause this issue? A few years ago I replaced a PSU on a device that was showing blue screens and freezing, and it resolved the problem. It's been a long time since I remember the details, but I thought it might help. This seems reasonable if the PSU is supplying unstable voltage.
My current machine hasn't experienced any crashes or blue screens during play. I'm uncertain, but I'm hoping it will be resolved. I'm missing my VR experience and I'm not very confident about the outcome.
Occasionally a "failing" appears as minor issues, but sometimes it can be severe and cause shutdowns if the protections are effective. If the CX600M has been in the system for a while since purchase, it’s likely around 5 years old. Upgrading would still be a wise choice, particularly considering the power demands of its components.
Unfortunately, the new power supply didn't resolve the issue. I still heard the no vga detected beeps and the LED lights. I also observed that when it worked initially, it just turned on, but after a few seconds of silence, the power supply clicked again. I think there might be a short circuit on the motherboard. It seems like it could be the next part to replace. I'm checking out some used ones on eBay for this model, but I'm not very confident about it.