Only one PCI-E 16x 3.0 slot working on ASUS Sabbertooth Z97 Mk1

DamienEx

Honorable
Dec 9, 2013
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The second PCI-e 16x 3.0 slot on my ASUS Sabbertooth Z97 Mk1 does not seem to be functioning properly. I received a second R9 290X today and installed it right away for crossfire purposes. The R9 is getting power because the fans kick on when the system is on. I tested to make sure the R9 was working by moving it into the first PCI-e 16x slot and ran 3D mark and had no issues (oddly enough it scored higher than my last card for some reason.) So I tested all combinations of the power connectors I was using and in the working PCI-e 16x slot and the card works fine.

After this I went into the BIOS, updated it, and started looking around at the various settings. I came across the screen where I can tell the PCI-e slots to run at Gen 1, 2, or 3 speeds. The first slots told me one R9 was detected. The second slot showed empty though the card was plugged in and powered.

I would try using the PCI-e 16x 2.0 slot on the bottom of the board, but the R9 doesn't really give me much room to work with there and it would be sitting right on top of my PSU. The card already run hot enough without warm air from my PSU blowing into it.

So community I ask you, is there anything else I can test with this board and in the BIOS to get this card working right? I still have time for an RMA on the Mobo if needed, but I would rather not deal with that. Obviously that is a last resort. Are there any other settings in the BIOS that could affect this? Something I missed?

I will actively be viewing this thread so I will answer questions within minutes.



System:
-Intel i7-4790k
-ASUS Sabbertooth Z97 Mk1
-G.Skill Sniper 16GB (2x8gb) 2400mhz DDR3
-2x Sapphire R9 290X TRI-X OC
-Rosewill Lightning 1000w PSU Gold
-Corsair H100i
-Soundblaster Z
-Intel 120gb SSD
-2x 2Tb Seagate 7200 RPM 64mb Cache SATA III
-2x 1Tb WD 7200 RPM 64mb Cache SATA III
-CD/DVD Burner
-BD Player
-Hot Swap Bay
-Windows 7 Pro 64-bit
 
Well this is a little embarrassing.... apparently the thing was detected the whole time... I just ran 3DMark and my score went up 6000 points... so yeah...

I still wonder why it isn't showing up in the BIOS. Is that something that automatically happens when cards are crossfired?