fixed [FIXED] GPU broken(?) after installing pcie Wifi card [Fan not spinning, not detected in device manager]

[Louis Pine]

Hi all,

  bad timing for a GPU to stop working, I know...

 

  I have an old R9 270x (not a hard core gamer, so, its (or was) powerful enough for my gaming demands) and since my PC didn't have an wifi interface and my ethernet connection is a bit far from the place where I have the PC (wife doesn't like wires in the floor), I bought a pcie wifi card.

 

  When I installed the card I noticed I got no signal on the monitor.. weird, so I checked if the card was not in place and found nothing wrong.

  With the tower open I noticed that no fan in the GPU was working.

 

 So I removed everything from the motherboard that was not essencial (left: CPU, memory, 1 ssd, GPU) and nothing, no signal from GPU, no GPU fan spinning, nothing...

 

 I started diagnosing the problem, at a BIOS level I can only find that the 3.3v is beneath 3V, in windows, the card is nowhere to be found (device manager).

 I checked the 8 pin (4x2) from the power supply that feeds the card is all within the "legal" 12 v range (multimeter).

 

 The only pcie device I have with me is the wifi card (that is working correctly) so I connected the card to the pcie 16x slot of the GPU and it doesn't work either (although the device manager is able to detect the card, its unable to start it).

 

 I only have one pci-e 16x slot in this motherboard and this is my only GPU I have.

 

 So, my questions: Is the low 3.3v detected by the motherboard can cause a GPU to stop working?

                               Is it possible to determine, for sure that the GPU failed and has to be replaced without having to leave home? (although I will not buy anything right now to replace it)

                               I'm able to check a lot of videos on how to diagnose the GPU, can you guys point me to one that is reliable?

                               Can I do anything else to make a better diagnostic?

                              

Thanks,
LPine                             


Here are my poor man specs
 

CPU: i5-4460 CPU @ 3.20GHz
Memory: 8 GB DDR3
Motherboard: H81M-C
Graphics Card: Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X OC 4GB GDRR5
Wi-Fi Card: Intel AX200

Power Supply: Thermaltake Berlin 630W

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by Louis Pine
Marked as fixed

[WhitetailAni]

It is either your PSU or your motherboard.

The fact that the 16x slot doesn't work with the WiFi card, though, makes me think it is the motherboard.

[Louis Pine]

I don't know how I don't get virus in my laptop

elephants
#MuricaParrotGang

Well PSU is only thing I have extra, I'm gonna try to use the original PSU (I switched the PSU because I had some interferences in my monitor a few years ago and since the PSU was from an unknown brand, I though it was the source of the problem) 

[Xander Cousins]

You said it shows in the device manager but not able to start the Wifi Card? Can you explain in detail about what exactlys happening there?

[Louis Pine]

3 minutes ago, Xander Cousins said:

You said it shows in the device manager but not able to start the Wifi Card? Can you explain in detail about what exactlys happening there?

Sure, when to test the GPUs pcie slot I installed the Wifi card in the pcie x16 slot and then I started the PC and windows.

In the network interface (bottom right in windows) I don't have any wifi card, only the motherboard ethernet card is present and then when I open the device manager, I'm able to see the card with an error, I don't remember exactly the text but something similar to "device unable to start".

 

Thanks for the question,

LPine

[Xander Cousins]

So is the wifi card designed for a Pcie X16 solt or is it for another slot among your computer? By any chance have you just knocked the GPU out of the slot slightly when installing the Wifi Card. and yes this next question is dumb. Did you plug the power back into the car (I had that card before and the wires can get in the way during installing other devices).

 

Lastly Try plugging the card back in without the Wifi card installed along side it (making sure the power is supplied to it) and see if it posts through the card? 

[Louis Pine]

5 minutes ago, Xander Cousins said:

So is the wifi card designed for a Pcie X16 solt or is it for another slot among your computer? By any chance have you just knocked the GPU out of the slot slightly when installing the Wifi Card. and yes this next question is dumb. Did you plug the power back into the car (I had that card before and the wires can get in the way during installing other devices).

 

Lastly Try plugging the card back in without the Wifi card installed along side it (making sure the power is supplied to it) and see if it posts through the card? 

Hi Xander,

  there are no dumb questions when trying to troubleshoot a problem.

  The card manual states that its able to run in a pcie 1x,4x,8x and 16x.

  I already removed the GPU and installed again, is the PCIe slot feeding enough juice to the card? I don't know, I don't have the schematics to understand if, for example, the fan is powered by the slot or by the 16 pins, don't know what parts of the card are powered by what.

  I already tried to run it without the wifi card, it seems to make no difference.

 

Thanks for help

[Xander Cousins]

1 minute ago, Louis Pine said:

Hi Xander,

  there are no dumb questions when trying to troubleshoot a problem.

  The card manual states that its able to run in a pcie 1x,4x,8x and 16x.

  I already removed the GPU and installed again, is the PCIe slot feeding enough juice to the card? I don't know, I don't have the schematics to understand if, for example, the fan is powered by the slot or by the 16 pins, don't know what parts of the card are powered by what.

  I already tried to run it without the wifi card, it seems to make no difference.

 

Thanks for help

and you did plug the 8pin Power into the card? as that tends to provide the power needed to run those cards. 

[Louis Pine]

31 minutes ago, Xander Cousins said:

and you did plug the 8pin Power into the card? as that tends to provide the power needed to run those cards. 

Hi Xander,

  yes I did, this card requires 2x6 pins (just checked, I don't know why, I though it was 2x8)

[Xander Cousins]

Just now, Louis Pine said:

Hi Xander,

  yes I did, this card requires 2x6 pins (just checked, I don't know why, I though it was 2x8)

modular powersupply? check the other end incase it got loose if it is modular 

[Louis Pine]

Hi guys, 

 

 I had an old functional PSU and I tried and the GPU started working . 

 I was working at home at 4:00 AM and since sleep was already gone I though to myself, what if the guys in the forum are right and it's just the PSU... 

 

  When I saw the fans spinning I almost shouted, but then I remembered my wife and daughters sleeping

 

Thanks for your help. 

 

BTW: I tried to use the broken PSU again, thinking that it could be just some connector that was loose or something, but with the thermaltake PSU the GPU doesn't start, the funny thing is that I bought the thermaltake because I was afraid the PSU that came with the tower was too unstable. 

 

LPine