Unable to find my Bios

[Craig83]

Hi there and hello everybody. Its my first time on here so please forgive me if I'm in the wrong area or if I'm not including enough information.

 

In the last few weeks i discovered LTT on youtube as i was doing research into my first PC build. Ive had systems built to my spec and ive done ram and GPU upgrades and my fair share of windows reinstalls but id never built my own and put on the os from scratch.

So a week ago i completed my first build and i tried to pitch it right in the sweet spot price to performance.

 

CIT Goblin green internals and black externals USB 3.0 ATX case          £28

ASRock Pro3 2.0 Moterboard                                                                    £60

AMD FX8370 CPU                                                                                     £158

XFX R9 390 GPU                                                                                       £258

Vengance DDR3 2400 2x 8GB                                                                  £75

750w 80+ PSU                                                                                           £40

DVD RW drive sata                                                                                    Recycled

PNY XLR8 240GB SSD                                                                             £55

 

Build went well. took around 4 hours over 2 nights as parts arrived. Here are the honest prices I paid for the parts. In Sterling, obviously.

I think for what ive paid that I really have done well and it was all down to doing research and shopping around for the right item at the right price.

Windows 10 pro installed from flash drive

All runs well.

 

My display is a Sony TV 32" and its 1080I not 1080p

It has the blue VGA and HDMI ports on the back. No DVI.

On my old computer I used a DVI to HDMI cable to go from the APU onboard DVI to the TV HDMI and I had no issues ever. But if I was doing anything in the BIOS id have to use the VGA from onboard to the VGA on my TV. The DVI to HDMI never showed the BIOS.

 

With the set up I have there is now no onboard graphics and the only outputs are on the R9 390.

It has a DP connection a HDMI connection and 2x DVI connections.

My old DVI to HDMI cable works fine in both plugs on the GPU and if I use a standard HDMI to HDMI cable it all works fine also but I have a couple of issues that id like some help with.

 

Firstly I seem to have an issue with the GPU not outputting correctly when loading into games. It sometimes loads and the sound comes on but its like its displaying it on another output to the one my display is plugged into. This is simply fixed by unplugging the DVI or HDMI from the GPU and reinserting it. It then picks up the display and its fine.

The other problem I have with the display connections is getting in to access my BIOS.

I have tried the 2 DVI plugs and the HDMI to try to enter the BIOS but I cant get in. my thinking is that I must be plugged into the number 1 or native display connection on the card to access it and that by process of elimination it must be Display Port. When I power on I get the white text on black message re F2 or DEL for setup etc etc but when I hit the button I just get a blank screen. the board is entering the BIOS, I just cant see it. Ive tried the unplug and plug in of the HDMI cable and DVI in both slots but no signal.

Its very annoying when I have things I need to set up to get the best out of my new build.

For instance my DDR3 is 2400 corsair but its only running 1333 and needs to be turned up. I have no fan management. etc.

 

I'm thinking I should get a DP to HDMI cable and see if I'm right. Or am I missing something obvious and need to set something up differently?

[Craig83]

forgot to add this morning I used an asrock app that updated my MOBO BIOS from 1.8 to 2.4 and all my drivers for everything have been downloaded and installed so I'm 100% upto date with everything. The new BIOS flash didn't make any difference still same problem with no display of BIOS

[Craig83]

my build photo log

[Craig83]

anybody? somebody? i see alot of newer posts getting lots of replys, yet i have none

[Craig83]

anyone have any ideas or had a similar issue they have worked out?

[Craig83]

still nobody have any advice or remedy for this issue? As a note i have ordered the cable i think i need DP to HDMI so i can use the DP on the GPU to see if it is as i think the native or number1 output on the GPU

[Craig83]

ok to update i got a display port to hdmi cable and tried it to find i still had no bios on my screen when i fire up my PC. I then came across a similar thread and someone from ASUS had answered that their BIOS only worked on a 1024 native display.

Anyway i borrowed my mums monitor and a DVI cable and got straight in with no issues.

So ive ordered a dvi to vga adaptor so i can use my tv's pc input VGA for any BIOS needs.

 

I now have a new issue which id like some help with.

When i go into the BIOS i see my ram running at DDR3 1333 and the sticks i bought are rated at DDR3 2400

So i clicked the XMP profile, save and exit thinking im all sorted. My computer then beeped differently to normal and gave me the blue screen with the smiley face.

I had to turn off the XMP profile for it to work.

My ram is listed as DDR3 2400 11-13-13-31 @ 1.65v

Its running 1333 @ 1.5v

I realise my board is only rated to 1866 and says 2100+ (oc) in the specs so i presumed it would set its self up as fast as it could by default not as low as it could by default.

I think i need the settings data for the same vengeance pro 2x8gb sticks but in either 2133 or 1866 and manually input the data into the BIOS or can I set it up using cpuz or overdrive or something like that?

[0x1e]

I now have a new issue which id like some help with.

When i go into the BIOS i see my ram running at DDR3 1333 and the sticks i bought are rated at DDR3 2400

So i clicked the XMP profile, save and exit thinking im all sorted. My computer then beeped differently to normal and gave me the blue screen with the smiley face.

I had to turn off the XMP profile for it to work.

My ram is listed as DDR3 2400 11-13-13-31 @ 1.65v

Its running 1333 @ 1.5v

I realise my board is only rated to 1866 and says 2100+ (oc) in the specs so i presumed it would set its self up as fast as it could by default not as low as it could by default.

I think i need the settings data for the same vengeance pro 2x8gb sticks but in either 2133 or 1866 and manually input the data into the BIOS or can I set it up using cpuz or overdrive or something like that?

 

Just because the RAM can handle 2400Mhz does not mean the CPU or motherboard can.

You will need to set your ram at 1333Mhz 11-13-13-31 @ 1.65V then slowly up the speed to 1600, 1866, 2133, then 2400 and see when you blue screen.

You should be able to get 1866. Maybe 2133.

After you have reached your limit (lets say 1866) you have three choices. Leave it as is and be done with it, under volt the ram to save power, tighten the timings to squeeze more performance. However tightening timings can be time consuming, it's your choice.

 

Also DDR3 always defaults to 1333Mhz. DDR4 will always default to 2133Mhz. Doesn't matter what your ram is rated for.

[Craig83]

thanks for the advice. ill give it a try. so i set my timing as per the RAM and then start upping the speed.

The default is 9-9-9-24 but id still like to get the info for the 1866 and the 2133 of the same model ram so i can try that also.

[Craig83]

just to add I was under the impression that the timings directly related to the speed so to go 1866 id need the timings, same for 2133 and 1600 if you get my meaning

[0x1e]

just to add I was under the impression that the timings directly related to the speed so to go 1866 id need the timings, same for 2133 and 1600 if you get my meaning

No. The timings can be what ever you want. Go too loose and you'll lose responsiveness, go too tight and you'll BSOD or won't even post.

You should always stay with the timings that your ram is rated for. Messing with the timings without knowing what you're doing can cause a lot of headaches, and sometimes the problems could hide for days which makes it worse.

 

Edit : Your current timings are 9-9-9-24 because that's the default timings for 1333Mhz.

[Craig83]

yeah. i have finally sorted this so thanks for your help.

Because i didnt know what all the timings meant or where to put each figure i had exactly i ended up firstly loading up the xmp profile which set all the data for me. i then manually selected 1866 speed and changed the xmp option back to auto.

This saved the timings etc from the xmp profile but lowered the speed to within my boards capabilities.

I then saved and exited.

Once tested and seemingly running great at 1866 i bumped the speed... and just the speed to 2133 and all is well its stable and I'm happy