- Oct 3, 2008
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So I decided to build a new gaming rig, but in a few phases at a time. I had a core2quad q6600, 4gb ddr2, AMD HD4830, etc...
The system i upgraded to so far has:
-MSI Z77A-GD65
-I5-3570k @ 4.5ghz stable 1.26v w/ Xigmatek Dark Knight 2: Runs a bit hot in prime, but under load on games it is around 69c on hottest core..will go water later.
- 8gb G.Skill ARES DDR3 1866
- Samsung 840 120GB SSD
- WD 500GB Blue: (temporary)
- Pinoeer BluRay player
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 80 Plus Gold 1300w: ...yeah overkill but I don't want to have to buy another one later because i cut myself short on power. Had a 750 corsair from previous system, but the new system found a weakness in it. Windows 7 install crashed every time. See my previous thread for details.
- Fractal Design Define XL R2: Free! Thanks to UPS! Little Epoxy later and it works like new.
Plastic front panel was busted on the bottom corner.
- MSI GTX 280: I got three off a friend for 65/each thinking i would run 3 way SLI for now. I have only paid for one making sure i can use the other two. This is where my problems start.
I am very excited about the build, so far it is much better then I expected I could get. I'm on a budget, and thanks to ebay/amazon, and hours of research, I've been able to get great deals. Real world prices place this current build at about 1000$ with a single video card comparable to that 280. So far I only have about 685$ in it(one video card so far). There is risk in used, but worth it when its prices place you in a level of performance otherwise not within reach. New video cards and eyefinity/vision surround planned when new cards come out his fall. So...sorry to ramble.
The problem I have is SLI not working. I have tried each card out and they work. They were working when my friend pulled them out of his system the day i got them. This could be the board since it was purchased as used, but MSI has confirmed they will repair it under warranty even without the original receipt if it is messed up. I connected the cards in slot 1/5, and used a bridge. The second one gets power, however, it never shows up in windows. I have tried all the driver solutions, cleared out with driver sweep, and re-installed a dozen times. There is no PCIe options besides turning on PCIe3.0, which is not enabled.
I've never setup SLI before, but from what I read the second card should be seen in windows at first boot. On the MSI GPU compatibility list for this board it has all variants of the 200 series except the original 260/280. Is it possible this is a compatibility issue? I have re-installed windows on that WD drive just to test that idea out, and still no go on two cards in windows. I would rather this be a compatibility issue rather then board issue because I don't want to pull it apart AGAIN.
I since learned you can't do 3 way SLI without 3 Pcie 3.0 cards on this board, because the last slot is controlled by the cpu. It's PCIe 3 only, so 3 way with these cards are out unless i'm missing something.
Anybody experience anything similar to this?
Thanks for help.
The system i upgraded to so far has:
-MSI Z77A-GD65
-I5-3570k @ 4.5ghz stable 1.26v w/ Xigmatek Dark Knight 2: Runs a bit hot in prime, but under load on games it is around 69c on hottest core..will go water later.
- 8gb G.Skill ARES DDR3 1866
- Samsung 840 120GB SSD
- WD 500GB Blue: (temporary)
- Pinoeer BluRay player
- Cooler Master Silent Pro Hybrid 80 Plus Gold 1300w: ...yeah overkill but I don't want to have to buy another one later because i cut myself short on power. Had a 750 corsair from previous system, but the new system found a weakness in it. Windows 7 install crashed every time. See my previous thread for details.
- Fractal Design Define XL R2: Free! Thanks to UPS! Little Epoxy later and it works like new.
Plastic front panel was busted on the bottom corner.- MSI GTX 280: I got three off a friend for 65/each thinking i would run 3 way SLI for now. I have only paid for one making sure i can use the other two. This is where my problems start.
I am very excited about the build, so far it is much better then I expected I could get. I'm on a budget, and thanks to ebay/amazon, and hours of research, I've been able to get great deals. Real world prices place this current build at about 1000$ with a single video card comparable to that 280. So far I only have about 685$ in it(one video card so far). There is risk in used, but worth it when its prices place you in a level of performance otherwise not within reach. New video cards and eyefinity/vision surround planned when new cards come out his fall. So...sorry to ramble.
The problem I have is SLI not working. I have tried each card out and they work. They were working when my friend pulled them out of his system the day i got them. This could be the board since it was purchased as used, but MSI has confirmed they will repair it under warranty even without the original receipt if it is messed up. I connected the cards in slot 1/5, and used a bridge. The second one gets power, however, it never shows up in windows. I have tried all the driver solutions, cleared out with driver sweep, and re-installed a dozen times. There is no PCIe options besides turning on PCIe3.0, which is not enabled.
I've never setup SLI before, but from what I read the second card should be seen in windows at first boot. On the MSI GPU compatibility list for this board it has all variants of the 200 series except the original 260/280. Is it possible this is a compatibility issue? I have re-installed windows on that WD drive just to test that idea out, and still no go on two cards in windows. I would rather this be a compatibility issue rather then board issue because I don't want to pull it apart AGAIN.
I since learned you can't do 3 way SLI without 3 Pcie 3.0 cards on this board, because the last slot is controlled by the cpu. It's PCIe 3 only, so 3 way with these cards are out unless i'm missing something.
Anybody experience anything similar to this?
Thanks for help.
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