The Asus Mobo fails to load with GTX 285.
The Asus Mobo fails to load with GTX 285.
I've encountered a peculiar problem while setting up my retro gaming rig. My Asus P5Q-EM DO-ATX board consistently won't accept the nVidia GeForce GTX 285. It functions fine with another newer Asus board, the M5A97 R2.0, and even with the HD 5450 onboard. The BIOS is up-to-date (version 1301, beta), and CMOS clearing didn’t help. When I power it on, all fans spin up—including the GPU blower—and the LED lights up green. The CPU fan reaches full speed instantly and stays there without slowing. There are no beeps or error codes, but the power button LED stays off, and after a couple seconds of activity the system freezes with no video output. My hardware includes a Core 2 Quad Q9650 @ 3Ghz, Deepcool GAMMAXX 400 with a 120mm fan, Thermaltake Smart 80+ Gold 600w PSU, and an EVGA GeForce GTX 285 1GB.
I've experienced a comparable problem where a p5q failed to show up with a GTS 250, even though it's a newer model (the GTS 250 is essentially a re-release of the 9800GT). That setup wouldn't work on my Giga EP45 either, but it functions properly with a 9500GT. However, on X48 and X58 boards, the GTS 250 displays correctly. It seems like the GPU might not initialize properly. I can only add a placeholder GPU to get basic functionality, though this didn't help when using a riser—it required an extra X16 slot. These older boards can boot without a GPU (headless mode), but they still show as GPU not detected or initialized. My advice is to consider reselling the GPU for a model that avoids this issue. Also, if you're interested in overclocking, the Gigabyte G31M is a solid starting point, with the best boards being the EP45 U3R or similar. Asus is decent but not outstanding except for their X38 and X48 models.
I don't have access to specific details about GPUs from that era, but you might explore forums or archives related to the board's development for recommendations.