7950: Sometimes no display in windows, sometimes no display at all from starting up.(Black screen)

55Range · Feb 5, 2014

Hey guys.
Well i have a 7950 Boost, recently, I started having weird issues, when starting the pc, no display at all (can hear windows sounds though). This happens with various drivers, even the latest 14.1 Beta driver. Up to now, had one BSOD.
I have uninstalled, used amd uninstall utility even used 'Display Driver Uninstaller' in safe mode, but the problem persists. I can start up the pc most of the time with display, by then it can just lose display (black screen again), When i power off, and start pc back, it can give me black screen, Until some mins away with numerous start/shutdown.
I still have warranty on the 7950, but want to be sure its the culprit here. The thing that no display at all since power on is really weird :/

lonewolf7 · Feb 5, 2014

Try the GPU on another system, see how it works there ! and try another GPU to your system just to isolate the problem.

You can also check the RAM : http://www.memtest.org/

BTW what is the make/model of PSU ?

55Range · Feb 5, 2014

The Psu is a Gigabyte 720 Superb
&
I5 2500 Stock
Gigabyte mobo P67A D3 B3
8 GB DDR3 (Kingston)
Powercolor 7950 Boost

Also worth mentioning, Hw monitor and AMD catalyst recognise my 7950 as a R9 200 Series ! :/
Yes I will run memtest today, any idea how long i should run it ?
As for GPU to test, i still have my gtx 460, but problem is rather intermittent, i mean now pc is working fine.

lonewolf7 · Feb 5, 2014

Try GPU-Z for better understanding.

Your PSU is not a trusted unit, so it could be the problem also.

About RAM : try atleast for couple of hours and for 5-6 passes.

If the problem appears again try GTX 460, it was a good GPU earlier, one of the fastest in its time.

55Range · Feb 5, 2014

The Gigabyte 720 superb is not a trusted unit ?

More details plz.
Even Gpu z records it as a R9 200 series. (This is only with the latest 14.1 driver)
Hopefully I will test the ram with memtest tomorrow.
Btw, the fact that it does not give any display at all since start up itself, means that it is hardware related right ? What weird is that sometimes it just whilst using windows just lose display and not everytime says" Driver has stopped working and recovered".

lonewolf7 · Feb 5, 2014

1. You will not find any quality reviews from any reputable sites, like Hardocp, Hardware Secrets and Jonnyguru for your PSU. And look at this link you will understand what I meant :

http://www.eggxpert.com/forums/thread/323050.aspx

Radeon HD 7950 - requires 25 Ampere on +12V rail and a decent 500W PSU minimum.

2. Don't worry about the name/series of your GPU, sometimes GPU-Z shows things like this, and I heard R9 series is rebranded 7xxx series, so that could be the issue of confusion.

3. Try 7950 on another machine as I said earlier to isolate the problem. And if your MB has UEFI BIOS then disable it and enable the Legacy mode, see if that helps. Else you may need to update the MB BIOS.

55Range · Feb 5, 2014

Well,for psu. ( But well i get what you mean)
http://www.gigabyte.com/products/product-page.aspx?pid=2793#kf
On specs, it is enough to power the 7950 right ?

I don't have another machine, but i guess I will run the gtx 460 for a few days (although the problem might not happen, really intermittent problem

) I will check bios and enable legacy if its on uefi.
I still have warranty on the 7950 if am sure its the card ( RMA takes a lot of time, am from Mauritius )
Any other suggestion/s ?
Thxs for the replies, keep em coming.

lonewolf7 · Feb 5, 2014

Well your PSU meets the requirement for the GPU no doubt about that. But for this type of PSU's there is no guarantee on electronics, especially on Capacitors, which may be rated for 30-40C, and can break above that temperature, and with mixed caps Chinese and Taiwanese. That's why I said the unit is not a trusted one. It could break under load or it could damage the valuable parts of yours.

GTX 460 will run flawlessly in your system, and you will remain in dark forever. Test the 7950 to make sure its not faulty, try in different machines from friends/family/work whoever you can manage. Else how would you be sure of fault and how would you RMA it. Good luck.

55Range · Feb 6, 2014

Well, i have had a crash today again ( whilst simply browsing using mozilla)
Therefore, it really does not seem psu related, i mean no load involved right ?
As a measure of precaution, i have now started using my old gtx 460.
Any more suggestions ?
Should i stress test the system now, with the gtx 460 ?

lonewolf7 · Feb 6, 2014

Stress test doesn't really pin point the issue always, best way is to game for couple of hours, that should identify the problem properly. But you can stress test for peace of your mind.

Its hard to tell without seeing physically on what's actually causing the problem it could be the GPU or it could be the PSU, if you have a spare PSU or can borrow it from someone then test with that to make sure the culprit. You are the best person to judge it physically.

You can try a format of OS and clean install it, sometimes it can do wonders. Good luck.

55Range · Feb 6, 2014

Thxs.
Up to now all fine with the 460, with mozilla use and deliberately shutting off/ on (like each 3-4 hours), to see if it boots w/o display.
Will update with news soon.

lonewolf7 · Feb 6, 2014

Ok. I am all ears.

55Range · Feb 8, 2014

Hey there.
Well 2 days already i have used the GTX 460. Normal desktop use, browsing etc, but also gaming (BF4) No issue at all. No black screen at boot nothing, all perfect.

Now i managed to get hold of another pc, with a Corsair psu CX500M (500 watts). Nearly new windows, but had an nvidia driver present(used DDU in safe mode). Inserted the 7950, ran unigine Heaven for an hour approx, on extreme with benchmarks. well hadn't had any issue too. I am planning to use it for a longer time, and btw, do you know any other gpu stress testing software that i could use?

I don't know what could be the issue here >.<
I will continue to use the gtx 460 for at least a week, and use the other system for stress test some few times also.
Any suggestions welcome

lonewolf7 · Feb 8, 2014

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/Benchmarks/FurMark.shtml

As I said earlier, to isolate the issue, game on it. Benchmark/Stress tests will not tell you anything.

And don't rely on CX series for PSU's its not a trusted unit, so it could break under load (while gaming), and you would blame your GPU for that, which may not be the actual case. So try a decent PSU and test your 7950 with games to isolate the problem.

55Range · Feb 8, 2014

Tried Furmark, it gets throttled down. Its the case for most new GPUs.
Ahh, the Corsair CX500M is not good enough ?

lonewolf7 · Feb 8, 2014

So you are saying, while doing Stress test the GPU throttled, did it crashed or what ? And its not the case with new GPU's to answer your question. So it could be the GPU is faulty or the PSU cant cope with it, but unlikely, the PSU technically can handle the GPU, it has 42 Ampere on +12V rail with 500W.

And yes CX500 is not a good/decent unit, its just a budget unit with TIER 3 Brand.

I think its time to RMA the GPU, but before doing that, test the GPU somewhere else or as many systems as you can to be fully sure. Good luck.

55Range · Feb 8, 2014

Well, as to what i seen and reseached, many gpus throttle down on furmark. mine is like 100 then 64 %. No crash. Just a throttle made on artificial load.

I dont really have more systems to check, but issues like black screen on windows, driver crash, black screen at startup and windows sound working normally in background, really seems the gpu has gone bad. only like 10 months of use. O.O
There is the place that i bought the card from, they asked to bring my whole system, but i will let them test the 7950 only first (hopefully they find an issue with the card, well i guess)

lonewolf7 · Feb 9, 2014

Yes all CPU's and GPU's throttle at some point specially when they reach their ultimate temp, its to save the components from bursting. What I meant it may not be the case with your GPU. Sorry for not making my point clear to you.

If the GPU throttle's then its a good idea to take it to a service centre while you don't have any other system to test. A good working GPU wont throttle while doing stress test. Good luck.

7950: Sometimes no display in windows, sometimes no display at all from starting up.(Black screen)

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