290X Driver Problem

[radioactivetux]

Hello all!

6 months ago I set up my computer; here are the specs.

i7 4770k, Corsair H105
AsRock z97 Extreme 6 Motherboard
Corsair Vengeance Pro 8GB 1600MHz RAM
Fractal Arc Midi R2 Windowed (Replaced all fans with corsair af140/sp120 on rad)
Corsair RM650 PSU
Windows 7 64Bit

A month or so after I installed everything and had been gaming, my computer crashed for some reason and I was forced to hold down the power button to turn off the computer and hard-reset it.
When I booted back up my computer wouldn't output an image, so I went through the troubleshooting process. Realised it was a driver error which must have been corrupted with the hard-reset.
Another month down the line it did the same thing for no reason, just a black screen. I have reinstalled and removed the drivers about 10times, changed the BIOS value for default output device from onboard to pci-e, used multiple cables/cable types; i'm truely stumped.

So for the past couple of months i've been gaming on Intel HD Graphics as i've been bogged under with work. I thought it would be a good idea to ask you guys for some help!

Thanks in advance,

Oliver Legg / Radioactivetux

 

[NeverBackDown]

Did you at any point try to reinstall windows? If you do that and reformat the drive it will get rid of any software errors. So if it keeps happening its a hardware problem and can be GPU/Ram/PSU as the most likely faulty part.

 

[MacLeod]

I tend to think its the video card really. Since it works for a long time then locks up. Almost sounds like an unstable overclock so maybe the GPU itself is a little faulty. Maybe when the boost kicks in, the GPU isnt stable at that clock speed. Maybe tinker around with the voltage and add a little and see if that helps. Could even lower the clock speed and see if that helps. PSU would be my 2nd suspect but it doesnt sound like it. Usually when the PSU craps the bed, the computer shuts down completely and doesnt freeze.

 

[radioactivetux]

Thanks to all for your input.


I had this card working for an entire month playing games maxed out so I don't think it's to do with power/oc. I have a Sapphire Vapor-X 290x. This is something weird that happened:


I reinstalled Windows 7 64Bit and everything worked beautifully after a cmos reset. I installed all of my updates and installed borderlands in steam. The second I clicked run and it said "installing directx" everything packed up and it refused to output from the GPU after that. Even when i'm using my onboard intel igpu it crashes to the point of no return.
Any ideas?


With thanks

 

[NeverBackDown]

which driver did you install for the gpu?

 

[radioactivetux]

I was installing the latest AMD official drivers (Omega 14.12). But it wont let me install the drivers as I am getting no output from my GPU, so I have to use onboard. How can I force their install?

 

[NeverBackDown]

It's probably defective then. Because even when you plug in HDMI(for example) to the GPU, what windows does is install a generic driver which will allow output for that device. What you then do is install the drivers and windows removes the generic driver and AMDs driver becomes active. I don't think you can force the install. If no signal is coming out of the GPU the driver won't recognize it and you will get an error.

Have you tried using different outputs on the 290x? DVI? Displayport? It's possible you could get a connection out of those. If you did get an output then you know that the HDMI controller is dead and won't work.

Also when you do plug it in.. do you just get a black screen? This was a bigger issue when it originally released, but has since then slowly trickled away. Its a hardware problem with the memory i believe having an issue on the reference pcb.. if memory serves me correctly.
If this is the case the only way to resolve it is to RMA the card. It was a very big issue with reference cards/reference pcbs from AMD.

 

[BigDaddyKong]

He did say it even crashes with the onboard intel graphics.

Have you tried running Memtest overnight? Also, what is your bios settings, especially memory?

 

[malik18]

Fix 290X Driver Problem

Then it probably be a driver problem. In case of updating with incompatible drivers, you can first use Windows update to see whether it can update drivers automatically.
Step 1. Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, tap "Settings", and then tap "Change PC settings". But if you are using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen and move the mouse pointer up. Then click "Settings" and "Change PC settings".

Step 2. Tap or click "update and recovery", and then tap or click "Windows Update".

Step 3. Tap or click "Choose how updates get installed".

Step 4. Under important updates, choose "Install updates automatically".

If it does not help, you can use a drivers update utility to update the driver automatically. With it, you can download and update whatever drivers whenever in need. http://tiny.cc/mawerx. It helps me download and update many of my device drivers and I hope it can also work for you. You can download and install it, then it will automatically scan for your system and recommend suitable drivers for you. You can download or update whichever driver you need.