XFX say I might have a faulty card due to blue start up screens, but how do I find out for sure?

[Dave Thompson]

HI,

I literally cannot find anyone else with this issue, but I'm not even sure it's an issue. I have an XFX r9 280x I got from ebay a few weeks ago, and while I was contacting XFX regarding replacement fans, I asked them about the blue start-up screens I sometimes get. They replied asking me to try in other computer (which I can't do without paying someone), and if it remains, then it means I have a faulty card. They did not give anymore information than that.

Sometimes, and usually after a display driver install, or windows update, or perhaps removing a usb device before turning on, my mobo logo appears with a blue background which continues through the windows startup screen. Once the welcome screen appears, it's fine. Likewise, using a boot-time program (like Acronis for example), the first screen I get is ugly, then the program loads, and the screen is normal. I really don't like to hear I might have a faulty card, as I will remain paranoid with every texture/shadow pop/flicker I will see in the future, and I know it's quite normal for graphics engines not to be perfect.

So my question is: Is there a way to test the card properly (apart from stress tests) and see if this card's occasional blue screens (not BSOD) are causing bad performance? I paid £95 for it, and really don't want to buy another card if this one is actually behaving normally otherwise.

Can I really be the only one that has talked about this issue on the internet? Seems odd to me.

Thanks alot!

 

[SkyNetRising]

So my question is: Is there a way to test the card properly (apart from stress tests) and see if this card's occasional blue screens (not BSOD) are causing bad performance?

Either stress tests or game tests. If those are ok, then card is ok also.

You may reflash BIOS of the card to original manufacturer BIOS, if it has been modified.

 

[Dave Thompson]

So my question is: Is there a way to test the card properly (apart from stress tests) and see if this card's occasional blue screens (not BSOD) are causing bad performance?

Either stress tests or game tests. If those are ok, then card is ok also.

You may reflash BIOS of the card to original manufacturer BIOS, if it has been modified.

Thanks for the answer, but I have done the vbios. Are these cards supposed to have 2 bioses? What do you make of the blue screen startups? Ever heard of that before? I would love to know why it happens, as the "expert" at XFX technical support didn't appear to know anything about it.

 

[SkyNetRising]

What do you make of the blue screen startups?

Could be a bad flash of gpu BIOS.

 

[Dave Thompson]

I have flashed the bios several times. I replied to XFX asking what the issue might cause to performance, and he simply ignored the question. He just said it's a known issue with these cards, and I should return it to the ebay seller. Totally unhelpful. If the issue of the occasional blue start-up screens has no affect on the performance of the card, then there's no reason to get rid of it. The ebay seller would ask me that, and all I would be able to say is that "I don't like it", although I wouldn't even be able to say it's an actual problem. I thought XFX customer services was awesome, but in my case, it would be easier to get blood from a stone.

I'm in the UK, so a phone call is something I wouldn't try quickly, but I am tempted.

 

[hang-the-9]

I don't know about that specific model, but my son has a the same series card (280X), and it does not have issues with the screen turning any color.

Normally any funny colors like that point to something not right. Did you test the card on different connection types? Maybe it's the cable or output you are using.

 

[Dave Thompson]

Normally any funny colors like that point to something not right.

Yeah, it does seem odd, and I just wish I could find out what's going on. Do games seems to work OK? Yeah, I can't really fault it. Sometimes (very rarely) the colour is a *bright* washed out blue, but as usual, once the welcome screen appears, all back to normal. Last night I had to restart many times playing around with drivers, and I had normal startup screens at least 10 times in a row.

I don't why XFX don't want to give me more details, perhaps because I bought second hand, but I am at least a potential customer, so I feel unsatisfied with their response. If it's a known issue, then they should be able to tell me the cause and what the symptoms are. I thought these cards were supposed to have a "dual bios" or something, but I only see one. It sounds like a bios issue, but it's been flashed and the card runs fine.

My quest for the truth continues!