2 Graphics Cards not working in Span of a Few Months

[rmunoz1994]

CPU: Intel i7 3930k
PSU: Corsair GS600
GPU: gtx 970 (2 years old), gtx 1080ti asus rog OC
Motherboard: Sabertooth x79

Back in December I tried turning on computer with my 3 monitor setup which includes a Wacom Cintiq 22 HD. None of the monitors got a signal. I tried different monitors, different cables, and got no different result. I wound up swapping graphics card with an older computer that had a gtx 660ti. All 3 monitors worked with this older graphics card. I tried using my current gtx 970 in the other computer, and I still got no signal on the monitor. Occasionally, if I had one monitor with a dvi connection connected, I would see the bootup screen on that monitor, and then I would lose my display, or it would let me log into my account at low resolution (800x600, normally 1920x1080) but then after a couple of minutes completely lose display again. None of the hdmi cables ever provided an image.

I decided I wanted to upgrade anyway, so I invested in a 1080 ti. I installed that in early March and everything was working no problem. Here we are a month later, and as I connected my Wacom Cintiq 22HD with a dvi cable to the graphics card, all of my monitors went black again. Now I am having all the same symptoms with this expensive new card that I had with my 970. I want to know if there is a fix to this and how I can prevent this from ever happening again. My setup with the 970 worked for nearly two years. I took my computer (Thermaltake Level 10 GT chasis) off the carpet and put it on a desk after the first card failed in the case that it could have possibly been static, but that seems unlikely as this has happened a second time with the exact same symptoms.

Update: My dad brought in my defective gtx 970 to his office to have someone he knows look at it. He only tried a displayport cable which I didn't have and it wound up working perfectly. We tried to replicate it at home with the one monitor I have with a displayport port. It works 100% perfectly on my 4k monitor with the displayport cable at full resolution. We tested this on all 3 displayport ports on the 970 and all of them worked. However, if you try that same monitor using the hdmi connection it is the same problem of no signal. So it seems that for some reason my HDMI and DVI ports are affected by no signals, but not the displayport ports. I will be testing this on the 1080ti soon as well.

 

[jr9]

Multiple device failures or malfunctions are often caused by failing power supplies. If you don't have a spare PSU I'd have a shop or service center test both your cards (to make sure they are OK) and PSU.

What is the model name for the PSU?

 

[rmunoz1994]

Multiple device failures or malfunctions are often caused by failing power supplies. If you don't have a spare PSU I'd have a shop or service center test both your cards (to make sure they are OK) and PSU.

What is the model name for the PSU?

Thank you for the reply. I have a Corsair GS600 PSU. The weird thing is that nothing else has malfunctioned, only graphics cards. I got a new power supply in case that was the problem, but I'm scared that if I get a new graphics card that the same issue will occur.

I've already tested my cards on another computer and they have the same issue.

 

[jr9]

- When you start the other machine with either card you simply get no signal at all? The display is powered on with a light but it says "No signal" no matter what cable or GPU port or display you use?

- If the other machine is of similar age try updating its BIOS to the latest version. Older machines sometimes have issues detecting newer cards. I'd also make sure this 2nd machine has an adequate PSU (least a 600W PSU is recommended for 1080 Ti and 500W for GTX 970). It may seem basic but also make sure the cards are seated properly (try reseating 3 or 4 times if you cant get anything or different slots) and they have the their PCIe connectors plugged in.

Hopefully both cards aren't damaged. Can't say if it's safe to install another one until you know if they are actually functioning or not. If the GTX 1080 Ti isn't working and you can't determine why you may have warranty options if the card is only a couple months old.

 

[rmunoz1994]

- When you start the other machine with either card you simply get no signal at all? The display is powered on with a light but it says "No signal" no matter what cable or GPU port or display you use?

- If the other machine is of similar age try updating its BIOS to the latest version. Older machines sometimes have issues detecting newer cards. I'd also make sure this 2nd machine has an adequate PSU (least a 600W PSU is recommended for 1080 Ti and 500W for GTX 970). It may seem basic but also make sure the cards are seated properly (try reseating 3 or 4 times if you cant get anything or different slots) and they have the their PCIe connectors plugged in.

Hopefully both cards aren't damaged. Can't say if it's safe to install another one until you know if they are actually functioning or not. If the GTX 1080 Ti isn't working and you can't determine why you may have warranty options if the card is only a couple months old.

When I start the other machine I get no signal at all with the display powered on.

I have an update on this problem. My dad brought in my defective gtx 970 to his office to have someone he knows look at it. He only tried a display port cable which I didn't have and it wound up working perfectly. We tried to replicate it at home with the one monitor I have with a displayport cable. It works 100% perfectly on my 4k monitor with the displayport cable. We tested this on all 3 displayport ports on the 970 and all of them worked. However, if you try that same monitor using the hdmi connection it is the same problem of no signal. So it seems that for some reason my HDMI and DVI ports are affected by no signals, but not the displayport ports. I will be testing this on the 1080ti soon as well.

 

[jr9]

That's good to hear. If DP works on the both cards but the display refuses to work with HDMI then possibly the issue is the display not being able to support pushing your frequency+resolution through HDMI. Are you running at 144Hz on that 4K display?