No video through discreet GPU with ASUS motherboard

[shagdrum]

I’ve been having this issue for a while now. My PC will boot up through the BIOS screen (press Del for Bios…) and the POST test but, when running with a dedicated GPU, I will get no video when Windows is supposed to come up. If I remove the dedicated GPU and force it to run through the iGPU, things will work fine, but the dedicated GPU route is a no go. I cannot recall anything that preceded this that might have caused it (a driver update, or something).

After wiping/reinstalling the OS (Windows 8.1, and Windows 7 separately) to no effect, I suspected it was a GPU issue. Since the GPU was under warranty, I got it RMA’d. The issue persisted with the new card. I borrowed a friend’s card (an ATI card) and had the same issue. This time I thought it to be a motherboard issue (also under warranty). I called Asus and got the MoBo RMA’d. No change. If I force the bios to push the video through the PCIE slot, it still gets me the same thing (initial bios screen, maybe the Windows logo, then nothing), but, when pushed through the NVIDIA card, the resolution of the bios screen (and the UEFI interface) is MUCH lower (as in, not all of the interface is visible on the screen).

At this point I am at a loss. I have tried numerous drivers for the video card, updating the bios. Going to older bios. Tested the power supply and tried different power supplies. Tested the memory and tried different memory. Hooked up different monitors as well. I really can’t think of anything else it might be. Below is my set up.
Motherboard: Asus P8Z77-V
CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K Ivy Bridge
GPU: Nvidia 660 TI
RAM: Corsair Vengeance 16GB
Storage: Samsung 512GB 830 series SSD

Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Tradesman1]

Did you go into BIOS and change primary video output to PEG (PCI-E)

 

[shagdrum]

I currently have it set to PCIE and have tried every valid option (PCIE, iGPU, AUTO) with the same result; no video once windows loads.

 

[Vahe Bro A]

i really think your GPU is faulty. Are you sure it's not the cable tho? like take out the GPU and test to see if it boots from the motherboard.

 

[shagdrum]

The GPU works fine in other computers, however, other GPU's do not work in my PC. I have tried different DVI cables as well. Without the GPU, when running on the iGPU, the system boots fine.

 

[Tradesman1]

Cabled to the GPU, Power to the GPU? do you have the card in the primary PCI-E slot? have you tried the other PCi-E slot?

 

[shagdrum]

Tried other pci-e slots. Double checked power supply to the mobo (and insured video connections in back) as well as tried other power supplies (though my current power supply tests out fine).

 

[Tradesman1]

Sounding like a definite mobo problem

 

[Vahe Bro A]

yah i say you have problems with your PCI slots.

 

[shagdrum]

So, the new RMA'd MoBo I got from ASUS last week is bad as well (and in the same way) as the previous one? That is a pretty big coincidence (though I am not saying it is wrong). Any way to test that before going to ASUS and trying to get another board?

 

[shagdrum]

Since the ivy bridge processor incorporates the traditional "northbridge" fuctions (including the memory control hub) into the processor, could the processor be causing the problem? It is about the only piece of hardware I have not tried to substitute in the troubleshooting process here.

 

[Tradesman1]

Have you benched it to eliminate possibility of a short? Have a guide here:

http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/faq/id-1753671/bench-troubleshooting.html

 

[shagdrum]

Outside of individually installing each stick of ram, that is the process we went through when installing the new MoBo this weekend (a friend of mine works as a PC tech for a local school district and has a dedicated workspace in his basement). I had tested the RAM earlier and had no problems with it, and we had tried different RAM in the old MoBo with no change in condition.

 

[Tradesman1]

May have missed it did you try a different PSU?

 

[shagdrum]

Yes, tested my current PSU (tested fine) and tried a different PSU.

 

[Vahe Bro A]

If you take out the graphics card, and use only CPU/ram, and hook up the monitor onto the motherboard and if the PC starts up fine that way then there is ether a problem with the PCI slots or the graphics card or the Cable you are using.

Now you have used the same cable when installing the GPU on your Friends machine? that i really want to know. IF you used the same Cable on your Friends machine and it worked fine. then there is something ether really wrong with the Bio's or the PCI slots.

If i where you i would go download a old version of bios from another computer and put that file into a flash drive and update the bios from flash drive. here is a video in how you can do it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfJKZKWHFZc

 

[shagdrum]

I get video when when hooked up as you describe. I have tried two motherboards in the machine as well has 3 video cards. Each video card works with other systems just fine, but none work on my system, with either motherboard. I have tried different DVI cables (as well as different monitors) on both my PC and my friend's machine, and different power supplies as well.

I have tried older bios but I can try again.

 

[shagdrum]

The ONLY piece of hardware that has not been swapped out in this entire process is the Intel 3770K processor. Is a problem with the GMCH on the processor not likely in this case?

 

[Vahe Bro A]

The ONLY piece of hardware that has not been swapped out in this entire process is the Intel 3770K processor. Is a problem with the GMCH on the processor not likely in this case?

If you can see Video when the monitor is hooked up to the motherboard then that's not the case. Now I'm about 90% sure that it is your PCI express slots. If i where you i would call back asus and tell them about the situation and tell them you had the motherboard RMA'ed but when you got the board back the same problem still existed. Tell them that there is something Wrong with your PCI slots and how it's not reading the graphics card.

 

[shagdrum]

I should clarify, I can see video when the monitor is hooked up the the keyboard, AND the GPU setting in bios is set iGPU. This is all when the NVIDIA card is physically installed. When I remove the video card then, obviously, I can get video when the bios setting is set to iGPU or AUTO. Not sure if that makes any difference in the diagnosis, but I thought it was an important distinction to note.

 

[Vahe Bro A]

o so when you hook up the monitor to the GPU you can actually get into the bios? if that is the case then it's a bios thing.