Is my mobo defective or my gpu?

[Punar]

Hi guys, I am ready to rip out my hair... any help you could offer would be greatly appreciated!!

I just built a system (I have built many) my problem is when i have the pci-e 3.0 card plugged into the pci-e 3.0 port, anytime i run any kind of heavy graphics it crashes and resets the drivers, and the HDMI sound cuts in and out. if i put it in any of the other slots(pcie2) it works fine. i have put this graphics card in another computer (pcie 2) and it works fine... when i put a pcie2 card in the pcie 3 slot, it works fine... i don't have access to another pcie3 board or gpu
I know that the gpu "downgrades" to pcie2 and I'm assuming that the slot would do the same, so i am guessing that one of the items is messing up when it goes into pcie3 "mode"
I have tried reinstalling drivers, windows and updating the bios in both card and board nothing helps... I don't really want to rma both devices so if anyone knows of a way i can figure out which one is defective i would be a happy camper (as much as i can after 3 RMA's on the same build )
relevant specs of the build:

Sabertooth 990fx gen3 rev 2.0
AMD FX 8350
Asus HD7770 1G GDDR5
Corsair Vengeance ddr3 (1866)
750W PSU

Attila.

 

[Johan45]

I'm a member on multiple forums and from what I've seen that Sabretooth gen3 is problematic all around. I have the Gen2 r2 and it's solid as a rock. It wouldn't surprise me if there is a problem with it. If you can try and switch it with the Gen2 R2 and you'll be much happier. You could try a new BIOS and that may fix it , what I've seen seem to be low level problems like lockups at post or no posting at all. ASUS has either made some hardware changes that don't jive or they have the BIOS itself all messed up. If it's the latter then a new bios may fix it.Theri latest release is 1802 on2013.05.28 this is for win8 x64

 

[Sasqui]

Welcome to TPU. Good you posted your system, but please fill out your specs.

Sounds like the MB. If you have access to another PC with PCIe 3.0, you could rule out the graphics card.

 

[Punar]

Thanks guys, I have updated the bios it didnt help... i am wondering if its the pcie3 thats the problem... i mean there's got to be a reason nobody else makes amd boards with pcie3 right?
like i said i dont have access to another motherboard with pcie3... the card works fine in a pcie2 board... but then again the gpu does too...
i am not sure what you mean with fill out your specs... clarify please?

Attila.

 

[Johan45]

If you look to the left of my post you'll see a heading system specs and it lists my computer. You should be able to find it under quick links edit details I think

 

[Aquinus]

i am not sure what you mean with fill out your specs... clarify please?

He means this.

anytime i run any kind of heavy graphics it crashes and resets the drivers, and the HDMI sound cuts in and out.

That really sounds like the GPU is to blame. I'm assuming that everything is running at stock. If PCI-E or the motherboard was really to blame, I think you would be seeing problems before actually putting any load on the GPU.

Does crash hard (you have to manually restart the computer,) or does it only say that "the graphics driver has recovered" from an error?

 

[Punar]

it freezes for a couple seconds then it closes the application and says the driver stopped working and so on and thanks for the link!

Yes everything is running stock... never felt the need to overclock.

 

[Johan45]

He means this.



That really sounds like the GPU is to blame. I'm assuming that everything is running at stock. If PCI-E or the motherboard was really to blame, I think you would be seeing problems before actually putting any load on the GPU.

Does crash hard (you have to manually restart the computer,) or does it only say that "the graphics driver has recovered" from an error?

It is odd though that it works in other slots. Just not the top one if I'm following what Punar is putting down.

 

[Punar]

Yes odd indeed, the card works fine in 2.0 boards. problem is i dont have access to a 3.0 board or card other then the ones i have....

 

[Johan45]

Does it work in a different slot on your board? Have you tried driversweeper after an uninstall?

 

[Punar]

yes i completely reinstalled windows several times (the most extreme i did) i think its a defect in either the motherboard or the graphics card... i'm guessing when u get whichever is defective running at pcie3 speeds it messes up... i just wonder if there's a way to figure out which one it is without a seperate pcie3 card or board

The card runs fine in a 2.0 slot
The board runs fine with a 2.0 card.

 

[TheoneandonlyMrK]

What make is your psu Op??

 

[Law-II]

Hi

*Maybe this: Enter bios/ go to advanced settings tab
ASUS Graphic Card Optimization [Auto] [*Change to disabled]
[Auto] Allows you to set ASUS GEN3 graphic card’s maximum performance.
[Disabled] Allows you to disable the function and goes back to its default setting.

Note: the vga card is not on the QVL list at this time here

atb (all the best)

Law-II

 

[Johan45]

Have you tried different drivers? These all in one driver packages don't always work on every card. Also only install the sound drivers for the board or the card not both. If you're using onboard sound don't install the HDMI sound driver in the Catalyst package. That gave me problems with a HD6850

 

[Punar]

i tried to turn ASUS Graphic Card Optimization off it caused the computer to freeze to where i had to restart it... at least with it on it resets the drivers lol

and i have the on-board sound disabled in the bios for that exact reason. and i have tried many different versions of drivers including the one that came with the card.

like i said i don't think its a setting or driver problem... i think one of them is defective i just don't want to end up with a "testing fee" if i RMA the board and it turns out to be the card...

 

[Punar]

What make is your psu Op??

It's an ultra... http://www.ultraproducts.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3276567&CatId=2533

 

[d1nky]

45a on 12v rail shouldnt cause a crash. maybe it might if a lot more is in the system.


dirty pins?!

 

[Punar]

everything is brand spanking new

 

[d1nky]

something sounds defective for sure!

sometimes theres dirty golden pins in the pcie slots that cause problems, usually with ram or pcie! could be that as it doesnt work in what i presume is the top slot!

 

[kn00tcn]

so wait, just run it in the pcie2 slot & enjoy it?

 

[Punar]

I will try to clean the slot, but... umm... soft toothbrush ok??

put it in the pcie2 slot.... why should i settle for a defective board? nevermind that... you're asking me to (for example) take a 8core CPU and use it in a motherboard that can only run 4.... would you care to explain to me why ANYONE would do that please...

 

[kn00tcn]

no, that's not what it is at all

you're not settling, especially on a single 7770

 

[Punar]

in my opinion, it is settling on a defective motherboard... i mean if i pay for something i expect it to work... it would be one thing if it was given to me or i had bought it at a very low price because of the defect... but when i pay full price for it i expect it to work as advertised. and yes the performance gain might not be much but you can't deny that there is some gain.

From PCI Express 2.0 vs 3.0 GPU Gaming Performance Review, on hardocp.com
We found that there were some differences and patterns that followed. In all of our testing we experienced a consistent performance improvement on the PCIe 3.0 system with the game of Max Payne 3 with the GeForce GTX 680 GPU. It started with the single video card performing 4% faster on the PCIe 3.0 system versus the PCIe 2.0 system. When we ran GeForce GTX 680 SLI it increased to a 6% difference in performance. When we tested GeForce GTX 3-Way SLI it increased to an 8.5% performance difference

 

[maijaron]

shit thats pain in the ass. Thats why I try not to use brand new hardware at all. I mean its cool to have but at the and you pay a lot to be beta tester for the manufacturer and wait for driver updates all day long. Instead the users buying early should get a discount

Honestly, when i saw the description i thought of a weak power supply first. DId you ever try another one? having 850 watts on the label does not mean its really 850 watt coming to the PC...

 

[Punar]

i have run a more power hungry system on this model psu b4 and it worked with no hickups... i cant imagine its the psu