Need some PC tech support - New GPU

[monkeylizard]

I have the following hardware:

Gigabyte P35-DS3L with 1 x PCIEx16
Intel Core2 Q6600 CPU
4GB RAM
Enermax 535w (model EG565P-VE)
Windows 10
HannsG HW223D monitor

I have a Radeon HD5800 1GB GPU that I want to upgrade (Star Wars Battlefront says I need 2GB minumum). I'm hoping to get away with just upgrading the GPU as my CPU and RAM are rarely taxed above 40-50%. If I can get the newGPU working, I'll also max mt RAM from 4GB to 8GB.

I picked up a Gigabyte Radeon R9 380 4GB. When powering on, I get through the BIOS, then I get the Windows 10 circle of dots as Windows starts, then the monitor signal drops off, monitor reports "No Signal" then goes to sleep but the PC is still running. Then I hear the Windows startup chime so I know Windows finishes loading.

I was thinking it would be a driver issue (and it may be), but with no screen I obviously can't install any drivers.

I removed the R9 and put back the 5800. I was able to boot successfully. I installed the latest AMD Catalyst Control Center (Driver Packaging Version 15.201.1151-150821a-188665E | AMD Catalyst Control Center Version 2015.0821.2209.38003), then swapped the cards again. Same sleepy monitor result with the R9, but the 5800 works fine. From everything I'm able to find online 15.201.1151 is the newest AMD GPU driver and it's made for a plethora of cards including the HD 5800 and the R9 380.

I have a new SSD drive so I removed my original HD and installed a fresh copy of Windows 7 on that new SSD. It will boot up successfully with either the 5800 or the R9, but Win7 sees them both as "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter" in Device Manager. This makes me think it's not a power supply issue as the R9 works just fine as long as I leave it this way.

I installed Catalyst on that Win7 install (which installed the AMD 15.201.1151 display adapter driver) and now I get the same results as before. Sleepy monitor but windows boots (I hear the Windows chime, and monitor goes to sleep) with the R9, no problems with the 5800. The 5800 though shows in Device Manager as "Standard VGA Graphics Adapter" even though I have the Catalyst software installed.

Ultimately I'd like to be using the SSD as my boot drive, so I formatted the SSD again and did another fresh install of Win7, followed by the free Win10 upgrade. Both were successfully completed with the R9 380 installed but without updating the drivers. Win10 worked all through the setup and for a few minutes after it completed. Long enough for me to open Device Manager and see that the Graphics Adapter was something like "Generic Graphics Adapter" or whatever Win10 calls its generic driver.

Then the monitor went to sleep (No Signal) and I heard a Windows tone, which I think may have been the Device Disconnected tone. If I reboot, I get the Starting Windows screen with the circling dots, then the monitor goes to sleep and I hear the Windows startup chimes. I swapped the GPUs again and booted succesfully. Windows Device Manager sees the Display Adapter as an AMD Radeon HD 5800 with the 15.201.1151 driver so Win10 evidently auto-detected the R9 380 and automatically installed that driver. That would explain why Win10 worked for a few minutes on its first boot after the upgrade. It worked as long as the Generic driver was in place, but once Win10 installed the 15.201.1151 driver, it caused the R9 to stop sending a signal to the monitor.

 

I'm kind of at a loss here. I know I'll have a bottleneck using a PCIe 3.0 GPU in a PCIe 1.0 slot, but it should still work, and it does as long as the driver isn't updated from the generic windows driver.

 

Any ideas?

 

I've posted this over on Tom's Hardware, but no response there yet. Thought I'd try you guys too.

Edited November 28, 2015 by monkeylizard

[Jonnin]

This sort of behavior makes me wonder if you have enough power for your new card?   Some of the cards get external power from the supply directly,  but if the supply isn't up to it...  soon as it switches modes and begins to suck more power, it can't?  

 

That is the only hardware issue I can think of.

 

If its the driver, ya got me there... try the last 2 or 3 and one of them should work.

[monkeylizard]

Yeah, power was something I thought about, but I do have distinct PCIe connectors on my PSU, so I'm not siphoning power off of a regular 12v rail with adapters. This R9 380 only takes one of the PCIe power plugs. Oddly enough the older HD 5800 took both of them. Go figure.

[Sam1]

Not sure on the exact issue, but your power supply is right on the verge of maxing out.

 

You live near Nashville by chance?  I've got some extra 1000w modular PSUs, you can have one but only if you actually plan on using it and not hocking it.

[monkeylizard]

Found the problem.....The R9 380 defaults the resolution much higher than my monitor can handle. I ran an HDMI cable from the PC to my TV and it works fine.

I have lowered the resolution and connected the monitor back up, but same issue.

 

No worries...a perfect excuse to go get a bigger/better monitor.

[ironsniper1]

Hook up both the tv and the monitor at the same time, making the tv primary then adjust the resolution on the monitor and then go into the settings and make it primary and then disconnect the tv and that should fix your issue


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