Help me troubleshoot my new gaming rig / Radeon R9 280X

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Nayleen

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I'm currently battling with a hardware issue that I can't pinpoint and could use the help.
I recently changed my rig to the following setup :

CPU : i5 4690
MB : MSI Z97 G45 Gaming
RAM : 2x4Gb G.Skill PC1600
GFX : Asus R9 280X Direct CU2 / MSI R9 280X Twin Frozr
PSU : still using my "old" 630W Be Quiet! Running Windows 7

Before putting up the new rig I got hold of an Asus R9 280X which I plugged into my old computer (i5 750 / P7P55D), ran flawlessly.

I then put the i5 4690 & MSI board together, used the same memory sticks and PSU and put the Asus R9 280X in there. Kept getting constant crashes in games and artifacts on screen.
I got the Asus R9 replaced my an MSI one (they didn't have the Asus in stock anymore) and everything ran smoothly for 3 days. Then I started getting the "display driver has crashed" error...when browsing Youtube.
And then when playing games. And then when just opening a browser. Then even in the BIOS screen the framerate was extremely choppy / laggy.

Then the shit really hit the fan and I'd get a black screen on my monitor 50% of the time when powering up my computer (Windows did load, I could hear the sound of skype turning on).

I plugged my old Asus GTX 660ti in there yesterday and it's absolute smooth sailing.

I'm having a hard time believing that I got two bad GFX cards in a row and wondering if there isn't another culprit in there. While googling that issue yesterday I came across a post mentionning that the R9 required at least 41A on the 12V rail of the PSU, with mine only having 30A.
So power issue maybe ? I'd really like to identify the culprit for sure before starting to RMA everything bit by bit...

I'll be able to test the R9 in another rig next week to see if it shows the same problems.
 
Solution
EasyLover
How many Amps your PSU can provide on 12v rail. If they are less than 33 or so then you have issue with the PSU as your GPU would require 33 Amps.
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Nayleen

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I completely re-installed Windows so hard drive was clean of drivers.
CPU temperature is staying below 40°C thanks to the Evo 212 Hyper attached to it.

Tried both the current and beta catalyst drivers with the same result.

I'm desperately hoping this is indeed a PSU issue, ordered a new one last night (Corsair 750W with 62A on the 12v Rail, cause overkill is awesome).
 
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cowboydude99

cowboydude99

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What is your exact model PSU? It sounds like it is a Tier 2 PSU, which is fine, however you did call it 'old'...

I would do the following:
1. Boot to Safe Mode.
2. Remove all GPU drivers using AMD Cleanup Utility and DDU (for NVIDIA).
3. Boot to Safe Mode again.
4. Install the AMD drivers.
5. Boot to Windows and test a game or benchmark software for 20-30 minutes.

If it fails then I would then try to reinstall my OS (full format) after backing up data.

If it still fails... test another PSU... You can try a new PSU first, if you have an extra one.
 
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cowboydude99

cowboydude99

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I didn't see your last post before my last post. Good luck.
 
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Nayleen

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It's a Be Quiet! Pure Power L8 630W Bronze certified from 2012.

I've done the drivers cleaning routine but running a benchmark isn't needed : just opening a web browser will get the screen/mouse to shudder and the driver to crash, then leading to a black screen.

Full OS reinstall was on my list until I noticed that I was having the same issues when just loading up the Bios screen (which works perfectly fine with both the onboard Intel GFX or my 660Ti). Only other PSU I have is a 500W Corsair which won't cut it, so gonna have to wait for the new one to get here :)
 
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Embra

Embra

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I doubt it is your card, since you are using a totally different card and having issues.
Some times PSU just start to degrade. Your using a more powerful and power hungry GPU.
Good luck with the new PSU, I hope it sets you right.
 
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Nayleen

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Only 30. Ordered a new one with 60+ Amps on the 12v rail, hoping that fixes it !

 
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Nayleen

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So finally got a brand new PSU, went the extra mile and got a Seasonic X 750w instead of the Corsair I was initially planning on. Few more bucks but at least I'm sure I've got something solid.

Everything installed properly, booted up...and no signal. Tried again a few times, nothing. Changed PCI-e slots, made sure it was seated properly, etc. but still nothing.

Out of desperation I plugged it into my wife's rig and it booted fine. Plugged it back into my own computer and finally got my monitor to display something. Shut it down and booted it up a good 5 times in a row, signal ok everytime.

Everything seems stable so far, no crash or whatever while browsing, haven't tried games yet. Just to be sure I've installed MSI Afterburner and completely disabled the lower voltage when in 2D mode (rather have my electric bill go up a bit than face random crashes...).

I'm still very very confused as to what exactly is happening and will test playing something tonight (comp used to crash after about 30 seconds in Alien : Isolation so that should be a pretty quick test).

Ninja Edit : everything looks solid so far (tried 3 different games) so hopefully I can call this one solved.
 
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Abmario

Abmario

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That's great!.. You should know now which one is failing... you just replaced the psu then your system back to normal.. Hope everything works fine for you. Seasonic is a good choice and it is sure sufficient enough to run your system. Cheers then!

Just imo, your old psu may handle power requirements of your system and gpu cards but considering the amperage on 12v rails and the quality caps, might have struggled over time on R9-280x.. Well if ever it crash again (hope not) at least you are sure it's not the psu.. :)
 
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Nayleen

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Well the joy was short lived, it's started crashing again today, exact same symptoms :

Left the computer on this morning, no signal on monitor when I come back from work (no sleep / hibernation)
When I reboot it takes me a good 6 tries to get a signal on the monitor
When I do get Windows to load up I start getting the display driver crashes as soon as I open a web browser, quickly followed by a blue screen

I have no idea what the hell is wrong with this thing :(
I was able to play games all evening yesterday without any trouble.
 
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Nayleen

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Oct 21, 2014
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Just got a crash with my 660Ti and took 5 reboots to get a signal.

So definitely not a GPU issue I'm guessing (the constant crashes and blue screens with the R9 are still a mystery).

Faulty mobo ?

Edit : Just played 2 hours on the 660Ti, no isssue at all. I'm so confused.
 
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Nayleen

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Oct 21, 2014
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Alright turns out the mobo was indeed the culprit, replaced the faulty Z97 G45 Gaming by an Asus Maximus VII Ranger and everything is perfectly fine.

I still replaced the R9 by a GTX 970 anyway and it's freaking amazing :p
 
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