New GTX 950 Freezes on Windows boot

[ishootpentax]

CPU Intel Core i7-4770 3.4GHz Quad-Core Processor

CPU Cooler ARCTIC Freezer i11 74.0 CFM CPU Cooler -running 28C at idle

Motherboard ASRock H97M PRO4 Micro ATX LGA1150 Motherboard

Memory A-Data XPG V1.0 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory

Storage Samsung 850 EVO-Series 250GB 2.5" Solid State Drive

Storage Western Digital Caviar Blue 1TB 3.5" 7200RPM Internal Hard Drive

Video Card MSI GeForce GTX 950 2GD5 OC 2GB Video Card

Case Corsair Air 240 MicroATX Mid Tower Case

Power Supply Corsair CSM 450W 80+ Gold Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply

Operating System Microsoft Windows 10 Pro (64-bit)

Wireless Network Adapter TP-Link TL-WDN4800 802.11a/b/g/n PCI-Express x1 Wi-Fi Adapter

 

Describe your problem:

 

First time PC builder. Everything went together easily, Windows installed from USB without a hitch and things were going good until I updated the graphics card drivers with the driver CD. It asked for a reboot, so I did and it failed to boot back. It will now boot to the initial Windows logo, freeze the spinning dots, wait about 10 seconds, then shut off the monitor and I lose USB power. When graphics card is removed and using onboard graphics with HDMI out, everything boots fine and works great. Fan spins on the GPU. I've tried several of the display peripherals. Sometimes, it will boot into UEFI, but not let me continue into Windows. Do I have a bad GPU already? I've been very careful in handling it.

 

List anything you've done in attempt to diagnose or fix the problem:

 

Fresh Windows install. Attempted to update drivers manually. It simply will not boot when the GPU is plugged in. 

 

I used Display Driver Uninstall to uninstall all Nvidia drivers and installed the latest drivers for my GPU and OS. Card worked fine until I rebooted. Same deal.

 

I'm using the correct PCI-E slot (there's only one) and was using Displayport cable to my monitor, but also tried the HDMI out. I've disabled Integrated Graphics and installed the latest drivers from GeForce to no avail. I have the latest BIOS version installed.

I'm trying to get this thing up and running and so far, this is my only holdup. Your advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

 

[manikyath]

the corsair CSM isnt a very good series, but off the top of my head it should work just fine...

 

you have plugged in your gpu power connector right?

[ishootpentax]

Yes, I have. I've verified that it's connected correctly at both ends, and that the card is properly seated in the PCI-E slot. If I boot into UEFI, the card is recognized and it is stable, it's only when booting into Windows that problems occur.

[ishootpentax]

Okay, I brought my multimeter home from work today (Fluke 115) and tested my PCI-E cable. I have 12.02V on all three power pins and ground on all the common grounds. I also backprobed the connector hooked up to the installed GPU to make sure to eliminate voltage drops in the cable or PSU as a possibility, but I still had the 12.02V powered up. Same antics.

[ishootpentax]

Okay, I got my hands on a loaner video card, a Powercolor AX6770. It has a higher TDP than the GTX 950. It works fine in the build, hence, my PSU and MOBO are okay. My next step is to try the GTX 950 in someone else's PC and go from there. 

[jcastro_805]

If the 6770 works but not the 950 then it is most likely a problem with the 950. You will probably either need to return it or send it in for RMA

[ishootpentax]

I've loaned the GTX 950 to a friend and he's been using it with no problems for several days on a computer running Windows 7, so it's got to be a driver problem, I guess.