Problem with hardware failure – System won't boot when graphics card needs power is installed
Problem with hardware failure – System won't boot when graphics card needs power is installed
Hi everyone --
Working on a PREVIOUSLY WORKING gaming system here, and trying to figure out whether or not I'm doing something wrong, or have additional damage to system.
First, the specs
Specs:
Motherboard: ASUSTeK COMPUTER INC. PRIME A320M-K
AMD Radeon™ R7 360 Series [Display adapter]
Processor: 3.10 gigahertz AMD Ryzen 3 1200 Quad-Core
Memory: 8GB DDR4 DRAM
600 watt Ultra ULT-V600DR power supply (has died)
A couple of SSD drives for OS and Steam game storage.
No multimedia - no extreme soundcards, just onboard audio.
This is NOT a new build -- this system ran fine for a number of years.
The Problem:
The system blew the power supply, possibly from the GPU going down. Very dusty system, now cleaned out.
I suspect something overheated.
Now for the details and steps so far:
I obtained a Corsair 750 watt power supply, and hooked it up to the EXISTING hardware -- the motherboard,
existing Radeon R9 390 GPU, etc.
Nothing but an orange LED glow from around the board - No boot, power switch wouldn't even start the CPU fan, etc.
No BIOS splash, etc
Removed the Radeon R9, swapped for a NON-powered Radeon 5450 non-powered low-end video card.
The power switch worked, CPU fan started, SINGLE BEEP, and got to BIOS.
The system will also boot an Ubuntu Live USB and provide normal HDMI video to a display.
The system will NOT boot with no video card-- does not switch to it's local onboard video. That might require a jumper setting or CMOS reset, etc.
Memory and CPU tests appear to pass on MemTest86.
Here's where it gets weird
On the NEW power supply, with a known good Nvidia MSI GTX 1060 card...
Same problem - no fans start, no boot. I have the EVGA 6+2 power cable connected.
The GTX1060 only requires one connector, the R9 required 6+2 and another 6.
I'm trying to figure out if this means something ELSE is blown on the MB, such that it will use "simple" video cards like that old 5450,
but cannot use video cards with a full GPU and PCI-E/EVGA power?
Thanks, Tim
CPU (Ryzen 3 1200) lacks an integrated GPU.
Motherboard video outputs won't function with this CPU.
Modular PSU cables aren't compatible across various PSU models.
Using a Corsair PSU model means you can't use any EVGA PSU cable.
You must use modular cables designed for your specific PSU model.
Improper modular PSU cables may damage connected hardware.
CPU (Ryzen 3 1200) lacks an integrated GPU.
Motherboard video outputs won't function with this CPU.
Modular PSU cables aren't compatible across various PSU models.
Using a Corsair PSU model means you can't use any EVGA PSU cable.
You must use modular cables designed for your specific PSU model.
Improper modular PSU cables may damage connected hardware.
Thanks for that information! The modular cables came along with a borrowed Corsair power supply from a friend —
This marks my initial encounter with a modular power supply.
Useful to know there isn’t a universal standard for these cables. Thanks, PC community...
I’ll look into matching the cables to the power supply ports for a video card.
There were some labeled PCI-E and others marked EVGA-3. The owner of the supply mentioned I could use either, though it seems he might be mistaken... I’ll need to test which modular cables fit the Corsair power supply — and I hope I didn’t damage his supply or the GPU.
It looks like most components managed to survive, even the Radeon R9 390 which seemed damaged. Changing to a non-modular supply resolved the issue, and everything is now functioning properly.
Ordering a new Corsair supply is on my list.
Thanks for your help!
By the way — for anyone revisiting this later — this post gives a solid overview of the power supply connectors' history. It isn't complete today, but it contains a wealth of details.
https://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnec...ctors.html