Question RX 590 / 3600 / B450 compatibility?

Jul 27, 2019
8
0
10
Hi All, I have a recent build running a new Ryzen 5 3600 on an MSI B450 carbon mobo, 16GB Ram. I was using an old GPU (ancient GT 710), it was running fine. I got a new MSI RX 590 Armor OC recently and the system won't post. No HDMI output, black screen. The VGA error led on the mobo is on. This is actually the second card, returned the first because it had the same problem, MSI tech support said it was DOA. It seems unlikely that two in a row would be DOA though, so I'm wondering if there is some compatibility issue with B450 / Ryzen 3x00?

Other info:
I have the latest mobo bios installed.
PSU has a 6+2 and 6 pin PCI connectors. I've tried each separately and together. (RX 590 has two 8 pin connectors) My old GPU didn't use the aux power, so I even checked that there was 12V at the connectors.
I tried manually setting the PIC to gen3 in the bios.
I switched between CSM/UEFI, no change.
Tried both PCI slots. My old card works fine in either.

Anything else I should try, or just give up a return it? I got a good deal on Prime Day, so replacing it with something comparable will cost more.
 
Does it seem weird to get two dead ones though?

Were both the cards brand NEW ? From where did you purchase them, list the shop name and web address, if applicable ? 2 dead cards in a row seem unlikely, but in hardware we can't say anything with surety.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Corsair VX550, 550 watts. It's older, but it has 6+2 and 6 pin PCI-E cables. I haven't used the PCI-E power cables since my old card didn't require it, but I did check for voltage at the connectors. No way to load test.
 
Thanks, Yeah, that's what I thought. On the MSI forums it sounds like there are a lot of people having issues with their B450 boards and 3X00 CPUs, so I'm suspicious of the whole setup now. It was stable with the ancient GT 710 though...?
 
Thanks for the suggestions. My old GT 710 works fine, so it's a bad card. I updated to the new bios released today hoping, but still get the VGA error. Not giving me a whole lot of confidence in MSI.