BAD PSU or Video Card?


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I have a system that used to be top of the line and I'm doing a refresh on it due to some issues I've had.

Before I refreshed the system, I was having a problem. While running, and at odd times, my fans would cycle down some and my PC would almost appear to go into sleep mode. However, sleep mode was disabled. When my PC would do this, I was unable to wake it up, It seemed to be an issue with the video card and displays, but I guess it could also be overloading the power supply.

The parts in this issue are:
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold - 1200W Power Supply 
ASUS EAH6950 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
GIGABYTE GA-EX58-UD5 LGA 1366 Intel X58 ATX Intel Motherboard
NEC E231W-BK 23" Monitors x 3 using DisplayPort connection

The new build contains the following:
ASUS P9X79 PRO LGA 2011 Intel X79 Motherboard
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold - 1200W Power Supply 
ASUS EAH6950 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5
NEC E231W-BK 23" Monitors x 3 using DisplayPort connection
Also tried LG 27" monitor with single DVI connection

I have also tried a BFG Tech GeForce GTX 285 1GB 512-bit GDDR3 card in the new build and can't get anything to show. This is both with the NEC monitor via DisplayPort and the LG 27" via DVI.

This is bizarre. On boot-up in the new build, I can't get anything to display with either video card. I should at least get the BIOS post screen, but I can't get anything.

So what is the issue? Is the power supply cable connection to the video card bad and the PSU replaced? 

Any ideas?

Thanks!
 
 
 
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Would lean more towards a PSU issue than video since you tried another card.  Could also be system memory as I have seen memory cause this issue as well.  Would pickup a new PSU (can always return in) and see if that works.  If not, then start looking at memory.

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You're definitely not overloading the power supply.  You'd even be fine on a PSU half that capacity.  It could be dying, so you could go into the BIOS and see what the voltages (3.3V and 12V rails) are at. If any of them are far off, then you likely have a bad PSU.

 

As another option, is the BIOS up-to-date?

 

It also could be a RAM issue, so you could run Memtest86 to test that out. 

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You're definitely not overloading the power supply.  You'd even be fine on a PSU half that capacity.  It could be dying, so you could go into the BIOS and see what the voltages (3.3V and 12V rails) are at. If any of them are far off, then you likely have a bad PSU.

 

As another option, is the BIOS up-to-date?

 

It also could be a RAM issue, so you could run Memtest86 to test that out. 

 

I dont think he can get any display on the system...

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I dont think he can get any display on the system...

Oops, I missed that part. :pinch: 

 

It could still be a RAM problem.  Try booting with a single stick and see if anything posts. 

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It could still be a RAM problem.  Try booting with a single stick and see if anything posts. 

 

What I posted as well.  Or still could be a PSU issue as I have seen systems power up (can hear the system power up, fans spin) but display nothing because of the PSU.

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Yep...can't even get the bios up.  I can try some other ram to see if that's the issue.  If it's the motherboard, that's an RMA issue.  Guess I have to go into troubleshooting mode.

 

If I get a new PSU, what wattage would I need? 

 

Here are my complete specs:

 

Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo Boost) LGA 2011 130W

Corsair H80i CPU Cooler

ASUS P9X79 PRO LGA 2011 Intel X79 Motherboard
Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold - 1200W Power Supply 
ASUS EAH6950 Radeon HD 6950 2GB 256-bit GDDR5

CORSAIR Vengeance 32GB (4 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 

Cooler Master HAF X Case

OCZ RevoDrive 3 series RVD3-FHPX4-240G PCI-E 240GB PCI-Express 2.0 x4

SAMSUNG Spinpoint F1 HD103UJ 1TB 7200 RPM 32MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s x 2

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What I posted as well.  Or still could be a PSU issue as I have seen systems power up (can hear the system power up, fans spin) but display nothing because of the PSU.

 

Good deal...will try the RAM separately or even my old RAM.  When I start the PC the fans spin, the cooler comes on and the mobo is lit...just nothing displayed.  Makes me think RAM or PSU.  Really hoping it's not the mobo.

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Revodrive is awesome machinery (so to speak), but can also be rather picky and cause issues. While it should work fine with P9X79 PRO, try removing it and update to the latest BIOS.

Same goes with memory, indeed - it's enough that one stick is bad and it, unfortunately, happens with Corsair more often these days.

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Good deal...will try the RAM separately or even my old RAM.  When I start the PC the fans spin, the cooler comes on and the mobo is lit...just nothing displayed.  Makes me think RAM or PSU.  Really hoping it's not the mobo.

 

Would lean more towards the PSU tho since the only thing the same from the old/new system is the video and PSU.  You tried a different video card so you can rule that out.

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If I get a new PSU, what wattage would I need? 

600W would probably be plenty for those specs.  Maybe go up to 750W if you ever plan on getting another 6950 for Crossfire.

 

Just make sure you get one that's a quality brand and 80+ rated.

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Revodrive is awesome machinery (so to speak), but can also be rather picky and cause issues. While it should work fine with P9X79 PRO, try removing it and update to the latest BIOS.

Same goes with memory, indeed - it's enough that one stick is bad and it, unfortunately, happens with Corsair more often these days.

 

Good advice as well.  I feel like I have a place to start now.  The vid card is in the PCI-E x16 spot and the Revo is in the other PCI-E x16 slot at the bottom of the motherboard.

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 The vid card is in the PCI-E x16 spot and the Revo is in the other PCI-E x16 slot at the bottom of the motherboard.

 

Their are four of them so top blue slot?

 

Their is at the bottom of the board a LED display whats it showing?

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