[WTA] Sapphire 7950 Crashes Frequently

newb88

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Jul 16, 2012
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Hi,
My card, Sapphire AMD Radeon 7950 OC is 1 year old. I did not overclock it <-- It is overclocked by Sapphire.
My monitor, Samsung SA950 is also 1 years old. Lately, my pc suddenly looses the display, no picture (I am only browsing the web) ..

There is no display even though I restart the pc. the asus start page (Bios can be accessed) appears fine but once windows (7 Ultimate SP1) starts, there will be no display.
I have to switch off the power for 3~5 minutes before there is any display.

I have tried installing 12.8 Catalyst driver (also crash) and now I am currently running 12.11 beta driver. Is it my hdd failure or video card Drivers Failure (I used Driver Fusion to remove Catalyst 12.8 before installing 12.11).

Help, I really need your advice. Thank you for your time. :)
 

Spaniard United

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Nov 17, 2012
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So if you turn off the power to the computer for 3-5 minutes, then turn it back on, your video card works? For how long?

If this is the case, that would seem more like PSU failure, though I suppose it could be a driver issue. However, if you're doing clean sweeps before installing then that seems to shorten the odds.

Check your power saver settings?
 

newb88

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Jul 16, 2012
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Dear Spaniard United,
It depends. Sometimes, the monitor will turn green at the first restart. After rebooting a couple of times later, I can see the welcome sign but after that no display. Today the monitor seems fine. Yesterday I am able to play Sleeping Dogs for 12 full hours without any problems. If it is the psu, I will gladly chuck the unit through the window of the shop who sold them to me since its only 5 months old. Never buy a psu from the same guy who sold you a dusty pc casing...

Power saver settings never gave me any issue in my AMD Llano PC running a Sapphire 7770
 

newb88

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Jul 16, 2012
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My system crashes just by downloading a 1GB file via Chrome, windows media player and running excel 2007...

The mobo shows the debug code 62.

I've just noticed my gpu has been installed on the pcie x8 slot.

Will it affect the system stability if I only use the x79 rampage IV Gene pcie x8 slot and neglect the rest?

BTW, I am running Catalyst 12.11 Beta Driver. Bios version 2105.

http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?22687-Debug-code-62-no-boot/page5

[02 Jan 2013]

I think i've solved my problem.

The gpu was not properly slotted into the pci-e slot.

When I first installed my motherboard, the motherboard seems to be uneven in the casing. The casing was dusty when i bought it from the shop. The casing is a Sharkoon Scorpio 1000 ATX Tower Casing.

Then while installing my gpu, i noticed that the gpu is not aligned to the casing's back panel.. I thought it was due to the questionable quality of the casing... There was a 5mm gap between gpu and the back panel.. So I used the excess gold standoff screws ("pillars") to fill the gap.
images


In the end, i pushed the gpu onto the pci-e lane until there is a minimum amount of gap with the back panel. Now i don't even need the standoff screws..

Honestly, I did not expect that the gpu could run for 5 ~ 6 months although it was floating..

1Q: Will it reduce the lifespan of the gpu if the gpu is not properly slotted?