[SOLVED] GTX 670 no boot & post after install

chizuo

Reputable
Jul 1, 2019
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4,510
Hi everyone,

I installed a Windforce Gigabyte GTX 670 card and the system just turns on and off in an endless loop. No post, no ability to enter BIOS with the card installed or boot to Windows 10.

Specs:
CPU: i5-10400
Motherboard: Msi bazooka b460m (Does not have the latest BIOS update installed, currently set to CSM not UEFI)
RAM: 2133MHz 16GB G Skill Ripjaws
PSU: Corsair tx 850W
SSD: samsung evo m.2 nvme
Coolermaster Hyper 212 heatsink+fan
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
What I have tried:
  • System does boot fine with no card. Integrated graphics are working well.
  • System boots fine and runs well with a GTX 750ti GPU installed (which requires no PCIe power plug from the PSU)
  • System boots fine and runs well with a NVIDIA Quadro K2200 GPU (also requires no PCIe power plug)
  • System does not post or boot with a GTX 1660 Super (I suspect this card does not work, though have not tried it in a different system yet) the fans spin at a higher speed and no display. Also a DisplayPort port sparked initally.
  • Swapped out the Corsair TX850W Power Supply for a Thermaltake SmartSeries 600W PSU in the event the PCIe plugs were faulty. No change at all.

This rules out (to the best of my knowledge):
  • Faulty RAM
  • Faulty Motherboard
  • Faulty CPU
  • Faulty PCIe express lane on MB
  • Faulty PSU

My fears:
- GTX 670 & 1660 Super are faulty

Any ideas are welcome!
 
Solution
If two cards work, which are distinctly from different generations and series, and in fact, entirely different TYPES of cards altogether, while two others do not, and you've tried different power supplies to rule out the possibility of a bad PEG connector, then it can really only be that there is a problem with the cards themselves. However, it might be worth making sure that you've set the primary display adapter to PCI/PEG in the BIOS, AFTER installing the card and doing a hard reset of the BIOS as outlined down below.

In truth though, if the system boots fine with the 750 ti installed, then it should not require any specific or unusual procedure in order to work with the GTX 670. The fact that that card is so old says it's not...
If two cards work, which are distinctly from different generations and series, and in fact, entirely different TYPES of cards altogether, while two others do not, and you've tried different power supplies to rule out the possibility of a bad PEG connector, then it can really only be that there is a problem with the cards themselves. However, it might be worth making sure that you've set the primary display adapter to PCI/PEG in the BIOS, AFTER installing the card and doing a hard reset of the BIOS as outlined down below.

In truth though, if the system boots fine with the 750 ti installed, then it should not require any specific or unusual procedure in order to work with the GTX 670. The fact that that card is so old says it's not surprising it doesn't work, and if you've had sparks from the 1660, I think that's a pretty good indicator of a problem as well.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.
 
Solution

chizuo

Reputable
Jul 1, 2019
21
0
4,510
If two cards work, which are distinctly from different generations and series, and in fact, entirely different TYPES of cards altogether, while two others do not, and you've tried different power supplies to rule out the possibility of a bad PEG connector, then it can really only be that there is a problem with the cards themselves. However, it might be worth making sure that you've set the primary display adapter to PCI/PEG in the BIOS, AFTER installing the card and doing a hard reset of the BIOS as outlined down below.

In truth though, if the system boots fine with the 750 ti installed, then it should not require any specific or unusual procedure in order to work with the GTX 670. The fact that that card is so old says it's not surprising it doesn't work, and if you've had sparks from the 1660, I think that's a pretty good indicator of a problem as well.

BIOS Hard Reset procedure

Power off the unit, switch the PSU off and unplug the PSU cord from either the wall or the power supply.

Remove the motherboard CMOS battery for about three to five minutes. In some cases it may be necessary to remove the graphics card to access the CMOS battery.

During that five minutes while the CMOS battery is out of the motherboard, press the power button on the case, continuously, for 15-30 seconds, in order to deplete any residual charge that might be present in the CMOS circuit. After the five minutes is up, reinstall the CMOS battery making sure to insert it with the correct side up just as it came out.

If you had to remove the graphics card you can now reinstall it, but remember to reconnect your power cables if there were any attached to it as well as your display cable.

Now, plug the power supply cable back in, switch the PSU back on and power up the system. It should display the POST screen and the options to enter CMOS/BIOS setup. Enter the bios setup program and reconfigure the boot settings for either the Windows boot manager or for legacy systems, the drive your OS is installed on if necessary.

Save settings and exit. If the system will POST and boot then you can move forward from there including going back into the bios and configuring any other custom settings you may need to configure such as Memory XMP, A-XMP or D.O.C.P profile settings, custom fan profile settings or other specific settings you may have previously had configured that were wiped out by resetting the CMOS.

In some cases it may be necessary when you go into the BIOS after a reset, to load the Optimal default or Default values and then save settings, to actually get the hardware tables to reset in the boot manager.

It is probably also worth mentioning that for anything that might require an attempt to DO a hard reset in the first place, IF the problem is related to a lack of video signal, it is a GOOD IDEA to try a different type of display as many systems will not work properly for some reason with displayport configurations. It is worth trying HDMI if you are having no display or lack of visual ability to enter the BIOS, or no signal messages.

Trying a different monitor as well, if possible, is also a good idea if there is a lack of display. It happens.

Thanks, I will try the Hard Reset and different monitor with HDMI and report back later today. I am thinking the cards are faulty, but I am always open to different troubleshooting ideas before throwing in the towel.