7970 Matrix Platinum - safe mode all the time

[czeslaw]

Hello,

I've run into an issue with my graphic card.
After building my pc, installing windows 8 and drivers my card was flashing green all the time. I discovered that it was connected to Asus EPU engine, what I described here: http://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?29501-Matrix-Platinum-EPU-Engine&country=&status=

Since then my card was doing perfect. Today I've opened my chassis, removed RAM to try it with different PC, installed it again and now my card is in constant safe mode (led indicator flashing green). GPU Tweak ask me each time after boot to "recover my graphic card" but after boot it's still green !

Please help ....

Can it be that something happened to my psu and now graphic card can't work normally ?
Should I try holding the safe button while pc is booting ? Flashing card's bios ? Resetting the motherboard's bios ?

[desmondwiera]

czeslaw wrote:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Extensible_Firmware_Interface

UEFI bios is what you have in your mobo. It's a standard in nowaday mobos, and you can think of it as a bios successor. It contains many new revolutionary features that normal bios can't do like fastboot which is the case here.

In result some devices also need the special uefi "bioses" to use fastboot. It's a piece of software that controls the hardware before OS is initialized and handshakes with OS drivers are made.

You can also use CSM which allow you boot to efi partition without having uefi compatible devices (having only legacy bioses).
CSM should be turned off to take full advantage of win8 fastboot.

In terms of VGA bios. The UEFI VBIOS uses GOP - Graphical Output Protocol. A protocol that decides what monitor should be used and provides lightweight implementation that can output pixels in many resoltions / modes... for example you can see your bios logo in nice resolution 🙂

That's how I understand it, but I'm not an expert ;]

Wow... Thanks for the explanation..
Oh about my post earlier.. XMP thing.. It doesnt work (false theory).. A moment ago when i turn on my pc, the matrix flashing green again..
I set my bios back into XMP again, and then i realize that on matrix, it has a switch right? I tried switching the little switch towards the crossfire slot.. and voila... the led turns blue when i powering up my pc..
Another report will be 1 hour from now.. hopefully it'll fix all of this..

[czeslaw]

Yes, the bios switch it is. Switches between two (U2/U3) bioses that are similar but alternates output ports behaviour (and some say also the max gpu voltage - I not sure about that).

Your card has EXACTLY same behaviour as mine. Mine also goes blue sometimes when I switch the bios, but it's only temporary 😞

[twisted1]

Get one of these instead, and you wont get annoyed by the led 😉

[desmondwiera]

twisted1 wrote:
Get one of these instead, and you wont get annoyed by the led 😉

Planning to do that but i wonder if it will solve the gpu tweak problem?

Good news.. The gpu tweak is normal again after switching the little switch towards crossfire slot. So I guess the problem is from "bios" on the second switch. That's the conclusion so far i think.

[czeslaw]

Actually I want one (or maybe two) but I still want to keep that fancy led indicator ;]]]]

[czeslaw]

Can you give me your vbios ? The one that is now selected with the switch. You can save it to file with techpowerup GPU-Z. I'll check if it also works for my radeon.

[twisted1]

Here's my BIOS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4ZiF3QhSUosMjBzMERwN2p6Z3M/edit?usp=sharing

I've got problems myself now, cant get CF to work. All is good but when the windows animation is done all I get is a black screen. No BSOD no nothing.

Both cards work fine and it has always worked before, hmm.

Got a third one I'll try with that one, gotta open the waterloop though 😕

[desmondwiera]

twisted1 wrote:
Here's my BIOS

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4ZiF3QhSUosMjBzMERwN2p6Z3M/edit?usp=sharing

I've got problems myself now, cant get CF to work. All is good but when the windows animation is done all I get is a black screen. No BSOD no nothing.

Both cards work fine and it has always worked before, hmm.

Got a third one I'll try with that one, gotta open the waterloop though 😕

How to open those bios? Can I use the bios for non Platinum edition? Oh and one more thing.. How to share those bios? (sorry i'm a little bit noob) 😄

Ahh... Nevermind... Already found the tutorial and also the list of rom drivers from there..

already flashing into default.. hopefully it'll fix all of this problem. will give another update in 30 minutes

[czeslaw]

Wait, first check if both cards are using same bios. If switch is in same position on both cards...

Thanks for the bios, I'll check it @ home after work. Unfortunetely You wrote before it's legacy only and I need UEFI vbios 😞

[czeslaw]

I've wrote You PM answering your question.
What do you mean flashing into default? Where did you get the default bios? techpowerup or the link above?