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AMD RX480 incompatibility with mainboard?

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P

pettersson

Member
I have a rather old mainboard with a i7 2600k and 32GB Ram. Currently I am using a AMD 7970.
After installing a new RX480, the computer won't boot anymore, I don't get a video signal on any of the 3 DP / 1 HDMI ports, even the BIOS won't show, but no beeping error codes. The GPU fan starts spinning however. Putting my 7970 back in, everything works.
So do I just have a faulty RX480, or does anyone know of incompatiblities with certain mainboards? I've read about the fact that the RX480 uses too much power of PCIe, but that shouldn't keep the PC from starting?

regards
pettersson
 
N

Nachtmaer

Member
Are you running it in legacy mode? I think the reason why it seems to work but not displaying anything is because it requires to boot in UEFI mode.

I don't think there's an easy work around to this besides switching the boot mode to UEFI and reinstalling Windows.

Edit: an outdated BIOS version might also be the cause as people mentioned.
 
P

phaonaut

Member
Rudimental said:
You might need to update your BIOS. Just be sure you know what you're doing if you do.
Click to expand...

This, I had to update my bios for my board to recognize my 380. Also running 2500k, same timeframe as your board.

Edit: Also the upgrade was totally worth it, 5 years of updates and features added to the bios.
 
P

pettersson

Member
BIOS update seams reasonable, I will check if there is one available (DELL XPS)

@selecting input source: yes, I did check that :D

Thanks for the Heads-up on the BIOS
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
My old Dell Studio 540 recognized my GTX 960 even with the latest BIOS from August 2009, lol
Go to support.dell.com to check for the bios
 
P

pettersson

Member
Updated to the latest BIOS available for my board, but meh. Still the same.
I will send it back for a replacement and see if it is a faulty GPU.
 
S

SMattera

Member
Does the 480 draw more power than the 7970? Power supply might not have the juice for it.

Also, I would uninstall all the drivers/software related to the 7970 before installing the 480.

EDIT: Quick Google search suggests that it might use 50%-100% more power than the 7970?

I think it's highly likely that you need a new power supply.
 
P

pettersson

Member
RX480 should draw way less power than the 7970 (which was above 300W). It doesn't even show the BIOS screen, so drivers are out of the question for now.
 
E

Engell

Member
Could be your motherboard shutting down from the above spec powerdraw on the pcie slot. But could also just be defective.
Try to test it out in anotver computer if u have the chance


Yes i know they fixed it with the driver, but if you never get to the driver point then it can be a real issue.
 
P

pettersson

Member
Mh, I thought the PCIe problem is only an issue under heavy load. :/ maybe its best to get a refund and get a 1060 instead. But I would like to stay with AMD :(
 
B

Bony Manifesto

Member
pettersson said:
It is a DELL XPS 8300 from 2011, board is DELL H67 with bios A06
Click to expand...

Hmm, I don't know then. There's the possibility that AMD might have dropped support for legacy BIOSs in their new cards, but I don't think they have. If you can't test it on another computer, RMA the card and see if the replacement has the same problem.
 
N

Nachtmaer

Member
pettersson said:
Mh, I thought the PCIe problem is only an issue under heavy load. :/ maybe its best to get a refund and get a 1060 instead. But I would like to stay with AMD :(
Click to expand...

Did you check in which mode you're booting? I really think that's the problem.

When I got my 290 it did exactly the same thing and I totally forgot that I don't use UEFI boot. Luckily mine (all I think) come with a dual BIOS switch: one for legacy mode and one for UEFI. I think I've read before that the 480 only supports UEFI boot and after googling around a bit, it seems you're not the first to run into this issue.
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Is this the reference RX 480?
Maybe an AIB variant like the Nitro+ might work since it won't overdraw on the PCIe slot.
 
T

Trigg

Banned
DonMigs85 said:
Is this the reference RX 480?
Maybe an AIB variant like the Nitro+ might work since it won't overdraw on the PCIe slot.
Click to expand...

Been fixed in drivers, there is no over draw now.

Engell said:
Yes i know they fixed it with the driver, but if you never get to the driver point then it can be a real issue.
Click to expand...

And it doesn't matter, because his card is basically idle and not drawing much power at all. The pcie draw is not his issue.
 
P

pettersson

Member
Sorry for the late response, different time zone here.
I have now identified the problem: the gpu only works with UEFI enabled boards. You can't switch the card to legacy boot, and I can't switch to UEFI with my board (at least I could not find an option in the BIOS menu).

So, it looks like I have to return the RX480, and look for one with legacy bios support.

Thanks for your help guys ! :)


pettersson
 
N

Nachtmaer

Member
pettersson said:
Sorry for the late response, different time zone here.
I have now identified the problem: the gpu only works with UEFI enabled boards. You can't switch the card to legacy boot, and I can't switch to UEFI with my board (at least I could not find an option in the BIOS menu).

So, it looks like I have to return the RX480, and look for one with legacy bios support.

Thanks for your help guys ! :)


pettersson
Click to expand...

Which motherboard do you actually have? I think ever since Sandy Bridge most started to come with a UEFI option. As I mentioned before, if it does, you're going to have to reinstall Windows with it enabled.

Then again, an RMA might be less of a hassle anyway. It looks like the Sapphire Nitro+ does come with a dual BIOS switch, but I'm not sure yet if it includes a legacy one or if it's just for different clock speeds.

Third picture: http://imgur.com/k912ajv
 
M

Mohasus

Member
pettersson said:
I can't switch to UEFI with my board (at least I could not find an option in the BIOS menu).
Click to expand...

Because that's not how it works.

You'll need to reinstall windows in UEFI mode as others have said. When choosing your boot device, it should show as

USB Device
UEFI: USB Device

Select the UEFI one.
 
S

Sulik2

Member
If you can't get to the BIOS it means the board isn't even POSTing. Basically its not starting up. That will happen if ram isn't seated correctly, power supply or power draw is messed up, or if a component plugged into the board is bad. Chances are your new video card is DOA and messing up POST. Pull the card, put in your old video card and see what happens. If it powers up fine the new card is bad.
 
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pettersson

Member
Mohasus said:
Because that's not how it works.

You'll need to reinstall windows in UEFI mode as others have said. When choosing your boot device, it should show as

USB Device
UEFI: USB Device

Select the UEFI one.
Click to expand...

Nope, even after the BIOS update there is no sign of enabling UEFI whatsoever.

I just sent the card back. The Nitro+ seems to be an option. But this time I will check for UEFI requirements before actually buying :D
 
NeOak

NeOak

Member
Sulik2 said:
If you can't get to the BIOS it means the board isn't even POSTing. Basically its not starting up. That will happen if ram isn't seated correctly, power supply or power draw is messed up, or if a component plugged into the board is bad. Chances are your new video card is DOA and messing up POST. Pull the card, put in your old video card and see what happens. If it powers up fine the new card is bad.
Click to expand...
lol

Was it too hard to read OP's update?
 
DonMigs85

DonMigs85

Member
Hmm, wonder if this is limited to modern AMD cards. My GTX 960 had no trouble with my ancient Studio 540, which is definitely only legacy BIOS from 2009.
 
P

pestul

Member
I hope this doesn't become common going forward with Nvidia cards. I just upgraded my 2009 Asus P6T Se board with a Xeon CPU and didn't consider this might effect my future GPU purchasing. I crossflashed the bios to the WS Pro version but still no UEFI on this board.
 
P

pettersson

Member
So, after checking the specs of the Sapphire RX480 again, it really says it requires a UEFI Bios. We'll see wether this is becoming common now for new Hardware. Don't like this trend.

Edit: I just talked to a guy from ASUS Support (asked about their RX480 cards) and after asking an engineer, he told me that RX480 is only given out by AMD with UEFI Support. So all cards running on a legacy BIOS need to have a new VBIOS implemented by the card manufacturer, without being based on AMD BIOS. Asus does not do this, so even without stating this in their specs, the ASUS RX480 G1 card should not run on non-UEFI boards as well.

So I have to specifically look for a non-UEFI RX480 card. Or switch to NVIDIA, but maybe they have the same problem. Or buy a new mainboard, and reinstall everything :/
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
pettersson said:
So, after checking the specs of the Sapphire RX480 again, it really says it requires a UEFI Bios. We'll see wether this is becoming common now for new Hardware. Don't like this trend.

Edit: I just talked to a guy from ASUS Support (asked about their RX480 cards) and after asking an engineer, he told me that RX480 is only given out by AMD with UEFI Support. So all cards running on a legacy BIOS need to have a new VBIOS implemented by the card manufacturer, without being based on AMD BIOS. Asus does not do this, so even without stating this in their specs, the ASUS RX480 G1 card should not run on non-UEFI boards as well.

So I have to specifically look for a non-UEFI RX480 card. Or switch to NVIDIA, but maybe they have the same problem. Or buy a new mainboard, and reinstall everything :/
Click to expand...

FWIW I've switched motherboard's twice without having to reinstall anything without any issue whatsoever.
 
E

Easy_D

never left the stone age
pettersson said:
I assumed when switching from non-UEFI to UEFI one has at least to reinstall Windows. If not, the better for me :)
Click to expand...

Oh, that I don't know, to be honest. I've reinstalled Windows many times, just not at the point of switching mobo. Yeah that might be worth to look up beforehand. Sorry if I gave you false hope.
 
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