AMD6950 just returned from RMA, the PC stops in the boot screen..

Discussion in 'Videocards - AMD Radeon' started by autior, Apr 8, 2013.

  1. autior

    autior Guest

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    MSI 6950 2GB T. Frozr III
    Hi, some months ago (6 months... not the fastest RMA service actually) I sent my VGA (MSI 6950 2GB Twin Frozr III Oc Edition) to my reseller because I was having problem with it, and after being repaired today I just got it again, but looks like I can't boot the PC when the VGA is inside. This is what happen:
    • If I connect the monitor to the VGA, the monitor stay black without even reching the "Press F2 to setup" screen". The motherboard (Asrock Extreme 4 Gen3 Z68) show me the state b2, which is identified in the manual with: "Legacy Option ROM Initialization".
    • If I connect the monitor to the motherboard's VGA while the 6950 IS still connected, I got the same problem as before: screen stay black and state b2 on the motherboard.
    • If I connect the monitor to the motherboard's VGA while the 6950 ISN'T connected in the PCI-E, the PC runs as always did until now.
    What should I do? I double checked the two 6-pin connectors on the VGA, looks everything ok to me, now I'll try to update the BIOS..

    Any advice would be appreciated, thanks. :)
     
  2. Barry J

    Barry J Ancient Guru

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    Can you test it in another pc also in another pcie slot sounds like its faulty
     
  3. Pill Monster

    Pill Monster Banned

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    Disable Gen3 and see if that makes any difference......or try a PCI-E 2.0 slot.

    Also check for mobo BIOS update......I think your board may be to blame.

    Btw 6mths for an RMA are you serious? Don't let them get away with that it should take about 2 weeks at most,.


    EDITED
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2013
  4. 3dPlayer

    3dPlayer Banned

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    After 30 days you can ask the money back, at least in Portugal it's how it works.
     

  5. autior

    autior Guest

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    I tried to connect the VGA to the 2nd PCI-e slot, but nothing happened. And I just updated the BIOS and tried to reset the CMOS a second time, same thing.

    Unfortunately I can't test it on another PC.

    Yeah 6 months, that's incredible... The problem wasn't MSI, wich "repaired" (meh..) the VGA in 7 days, but the reseller which toke all this time to start the RMA, unbeliveble.

    Anyway I updated the BIOS, don't know about the motherboard but before sending the 6950 in RMA (because of casual freezes in various games) the VGA was running well on the first PCI-e slot, now the monitor stays black.. I'll see if I can disable the Gen3 and try again.

    The VGA was bought in 2011, have still 5 months of warranty though.
     
  6. Fox2232

    Fox2232 Guest

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    Just to let you know about RMA. 30 days starts in day Shop takes back your hardware and gives you signed paper.
    30 days later you can ask back money/new (same) product.

    And 2nd thing. While card was on RMA, Your warranty is put on hold. Means If it was there for 6 months it is prolonged by 6 months.

    And that in the end means, than 2 months after original RMA, MSI will not take card in, because they had it only for week there.
    But Reseller is responsible for repairs/refunds for remaining time since it was officially taken in by them whole time.
     
  7. autior

    autior Guest

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    Is this an EU normative? If it is, it will really come in handy, thank you for the info.

    Anyway I saw on the motherboard manual that I was using a not Gen3-compatible PCI-e slot, so it isn't the problem. I tried to use another couple of cables to connect the VGA to the PSU, nothing happened. I'll see if I can try the VGA on the desktop PC of a friend (is an old rig, so I'll have to use my PSU anyway).

    Another thing: initially, when I installed the card I forget to connect the power connectors and started the PC two times for 15sec each before seeing the disconnected power connectors on the VGA. Could this have damaged the VGA?
     
  8. Pill Monster

    Pill Monster Banned

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    No that won't hurt it.

    Which PCI-E slot are you using if not the Gen3 one? Did you switch slots at all? May as well try though it prob won't help.

    My advice is to open a ticket with Asrock, I'm pretty sure the GPU isn't the problem

    One more thing that comes to mind is clear CMOS, could you try that too?
     
    Last edited: Apr 8, 2013
  9. autior

    autior Guest

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    I was using a normal PCI-e 2.0 port, anyway I tried all of them.

    Anyway I was thinking a thing but I don't if I can explain it well with my english, follow me: can I power the VGA with a PSU and run the motherboard and the rest of the rig that is mounting the VGA with another PSU? Like, setting two PC (PC1 and PC2) one near the other, connecting the VGA to PC2 but powering it with the PSU of PC1, then starting the two PC simultaneously. In this way I can use PC2 to test the VGA, even if it have a low power PSU. Can it work?

    Because I have another PC with a poor PSU, and removing the PSU of my actual PC to mount it on the old one to test the VGA would require a BUNCH of time cause all the cables are well hidden and tied behind the backplate of the case. I'll need another bunch of time to put everything back as before, and in these days I haven't all this time to spare...
     
  10. Pill Monster

    Pill Monster Banned

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    It's prob not the PSU because it hangs at the same place all the time. I had a quick look on the net and there are tons of people with the same board and the sameproblem
     

  11. MrBucket

    MrBucket Guest

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    Back in 2010 zotac took about 2.5-3 months to rma my dual pcb gtx295 that I had bought. Eventually I got fed up and contacted them to complain and they said oh yeah, umm we weren't able to fix it umm, uh so we will send you a gtx460 to replace it since they said they were similar in performance. I said no ****ing way are you replacing my $500 GTX295 with some low end card. I demanded that they give me nothing short of a GTX480, and after posting my story on their forums for potential customers to see, and thats what they did do after that. It was a complete joke of a company and I would never buy another product from them ever again. Seriously a horrible company.
     
  12. elite69

    elite69 Master Guru

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    here in portugal you have luck i have a 260 a gtx that it was in my xfx mobo working like a craszy 24 a day and past 2 years she was under warranty it didnt make 2 years yet sorry ny bad and the guy in store instead of sending her to rma nop he stayed witht the gpu in her store 1 bloody hear doing furmarks on a gpu that i said tho the man in charge it was a temp problome the gpu in idl was 40 and in full load as 88 90 and the stupid fuc,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, sent to my adress a cd with the gpu in furmarck reaching 98 and the guy had the bals to sent the gpu only a year after to rma and gigabyte said it was my fault becouse the gpu had 3 condesatores out of the pcd i wanted my money but no gpu and no money i tried to contact gigabyte but the guy didnt give me any contact and dindnt find nothing on google also so he returned the gpu back without giving image and sound that plastic wen you conect the sound was brocken rma for me sucks sorry for my bad english sometimes
     
  13. autior

    autior Guest

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    I don't think that is the motherboard because:
    • The PCI-e slots are not faulty, I just tried an old ATI x1650 to see if I got the same problem, but the VGA just boot smoothly to Windows.
    • Before sending the VGA to RMA it was capable of running Windows (and games too) without problem (the problem were casul freezes during games, that after various tests was imputed to the VGA). Now it doesn't even boot to Windows, it's like it has become much worst than before (anyway, in the meantime nothing has changed in my PC config)

    This is a list of what I tried until now with no luck:
    • Tried to reset the CMOS (from what I know is the same thing that removing the battery).
    • Tried to update the BIOS to the latest version.
    • Tried to switch the BIOS on the VGA (is a dual BIOS card).
    • Tried either DVI connector behind the VGA.
    • Tried to connect the VGA on another PCI-e slot but nothing changed (also, I tried an old ATI x1650 on my motherboard to make sure it wasn't a PCI-e port problem, and the VGA boot to Windows with no problem).
    • Tried to change the cables that connects the VGA to the PSU.
    • Make sure that PCI-e was set as primary graphic adapter inside the BIOS.

    Some other ideas? Only thinking about sending the VGA to RMA again make me feel bad. :)

    (anyway thanks for the help until now, really appreciated)

    I'll give a try and post on the MSI forum.

    EDIT: a couple of minutes ago there was a plot twist: FINALLY I got in contact with the shop technician, I told him all the test I did and the time I waited, and he said that tomorrow a courier will come to pick up the VGA, they will test it and if faulty will give all my money back (that's a good thing, as I paid the VGA 239,00€ but now will be probably priced 140€, I think). Then this evening I'll do some other test (if I can think to any other).
     
    Last edited: Apr 9, 2013
  14. Raiga

    Raiga Maha Guru

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    Edited (removed all my suggestions, as they were already checked)
     
  15. slickric21

    slickric21 Guest

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    Asrock board hey, hmmmmmmm sounds similar to my issue.

    Ive got the z77 extreme4, worked fine for several months with my GTX 680, soon after swapping for my 7970 ive been getting similar issues - pc wont boot, just restarts and sits in an infinite boot loop unill cmos is reset.
    Then it will boot to windows, but soon it will just restart (no bsod) and do the same.

    I troubleshooted with removing all combos of my peripherals/ram to no joy
    Then I thought (I don't know why but I was desperate) that my bios was corrupt....so I attempted a reflash...... it crashed half way through and now its dead.
    Forcing blind flashes doesn't work so im waiting on a new bios chip from Holland.

    Im convinced its a problem with Asrock and AMD cards but dont have any proof yet.
    If I can get my mobo running again I'm going to borrow an nVidia card and see if prob persists.

    Good luck with your issues !!
     

  16. autior

    autior Guest

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    Thanks and good luck to you too. Anyway, yesterday the shop guy called me (FINALLY I CAN TALK TO THEM) and I explained him the problem, so he said that they should test the VGA, and if they found that is faulty they'll refund me.

    Then, just after the call, I decided to test the VGA one last time before preparing the package, and what happen: the PC starts with the card inside. I was like :bang: so I toke a glass of water tring to think what could have happened (just nothing! I changed nothing!) and after a couple of minutes I saw many artifact on the login screen.. I changed the PCI-e slot, the VGA started again and artifact appeared. I did another test with the same PCI-e and this time the PC didn't arrived to boot screen (as it did until now with the VGA connected). I find out that now sometimes the VGA give me the problem I explained to you, and some other times the artifact thing... Anyway the courier has come today to take the VGA, let's see what will happen...

    By the way I made a video (for the shop) about the problem, but the serial number of the VGA is clearly visibile. Can I post it or I'll have troubles doing so?
     
  17. eclap

    eclap Banned

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    post it, can't see why you would get trouble for that.
     
  18. Fox2232

    Fox2232 Guest

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    One of VRMs can be defective and unable to keep voltage at higher or even low current.
    As voltage drops, card may be unable to boot or starts artifacting.

    It may be cold(overheated) solder connection too. Anyway, it may or may not be possible to repair it by skilled person.
    But you paid for warranty, not for having defective card. Or having it 6 months in shop.

    Hope they refund you, because it's really bad advertisement if they don't.
     
  19. autior

    autior Guest

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    Intersting, so that could be the problem. Actually a refund or another 6950 (but a good one this time) would be the same for me, but to have this same VGA again, "repaired", I don't know... As next VGA I'll probably try another company, or switch to nvidia, and see what happen.

    Anyway, these are two video that I made to show the problems I got with the VGA:

    Video 1: the first two times I try to boot W7, the last time Ubuntu, and each time I got artifacts.

    Video 2: this is the only problem that I got until the latest tests of yesterday, when I got the artifacts too. In this video I try to boot the PC a couple of times, with no luck. Then I insert the monitor connector to the onboard VGA, but the problem persist.

    In the first video the VGA is on the second PCI-e slot, in the second video is inserted in the first slot, anyway the two problems (artifacts or PC blocked) have happened to either slot (like artifacts when the VGA was inserted in the first slot). By the way, I tried to change the VGA-DVI adapter, but the problem was still there.

    Tell me what do you think about please (and sorry for my awful camera skills).

    EDIT: I finally got a full refund, the VGA was faulty. Thanks everyone for the help and support, we can close this.
     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2013

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