PCIe card not detected in either x8 -2 or x4*4

[greggyp89]

Hello I have already set up an RMA for my motherboard but after receiving a new CPU from Intel most of my stability problems stopped. Now I am having another stressful issue. I have a network card that works fine in my other PC with a gigabyte motherboard. 

My current configuration is Z790 Dark hero with 14900k and 4090. I am currently running stable with 2 *48 gb ram g skill 6400 running at 5000 MHz No errors. 

I PCIE 3.0 * 4 networking card for connection to my NAS. I have tried disabling the top m.2 slot which was empty and running bifurcation at X8. Nothing is detected in the PCIE_2 slot even then. I have also tried the motherboard in auto configuration with same result. No light on the card and not detected. I have also tried the same steps in the *4 bottom slot. 

I am very behind on all my projects that is why I wanted to avoid sending an RMA. I am pretty desperate as I have gone almost 9 months with non-stop problems with this build. I literally built this computer out of desperation to get my projects to clients faster. 

Anyways does anyone have any ideas or thoughts? Should I just send this motherboard back for RMA if possible? Thank you very much Have a great day! 

[achugh]

Hi @greggyp89 I am sorry to hear about your issues.

You and I have the same board with same CPU and maybe same GFX Card (you didn't mention the make of your GFX card). See my build details in the signature.

Why are you trying to install a network card when the board already has a 2.5G network port?

You also did not mention who made this PCIe 3.0 Network Card. 

With this missing information, may I suggest that you go into BOOT Configuration in BIOS and ENABLE CSM (Compatibility Support Module) and give that a try.

NOTE: Enabling CSM may have the side impact of your iGPU disappearing from BIOS and Windows. See https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/intel-700-600-series/igpu-option-not-available-in-bios-when-the-legacy... post for reference even though it is a different board, I think).

I'm curious why you are running your memory so below its rated speed.

I hope this information helps you proceed forward in your journey to a stable setup. Good luck!

[greggyp89]

I apologize I was not sure what model it was but it is a gigabyte gaming oc 4090. I am using four sticks of 48 GB RAM so it does not run at XMP speeds. Keep in mind after the micro code I updated the BIOS and even tried two sticks would not run anywhere near XMP. So I put the other two sticks back in and run it at around 5,000 MHz. 

I need to use a 10 GB Nic because I am using a NAS for video editing. It is very difficult to edit 4K video even with 1 10 gig connection. I was hoping to add one through thunderbolt and one through the Nic. The nic that I bought is a TP-Link AX401 I believe. It works in the top slot on my dark hero motherboard. It also works on my other builds no problem.

Also this weekend I ended trying the X8 slot That is number two. Still got no response from the PCIe card. I also have had many issues with this build and got the CPU replaced. When I turned CSM on with card it just booted in to Windows and did not detect. 

Never had to run CSM before so I'm not 100% that I did it properly. I just went into the bios and selected it and then it booted. 

Thanks a lot for the help I appreciate it. Not sure if I mentioned it but I have an RMA for the board. I just have a ton of work on backlogged on. This entire year I've been troubleshooting this build instead of editing my videos and I almost lost my mind. 

[achugh]

Hi @greggyp89 thank you for sharing your GFX card details. As you said, you have quite a lot of things to solve so we will have to work on them one by one. Sharing a full system detail will help along with all the issues. I am going to respond to few things that I understood so far.

I am using four sticks of 48 GB RAM so it does not run at XMP speeds. Keep in mind after the micro code I updated the BIOS and even tried two sticks would not run anywhere near XMP. So I put the other two sticks back in and run it at around 5,000 MHz.

What is the full make and model of your memory kit? Are you using 2 kits with 2 sticks each or 1 kit with 4 sticks in it? You can very easily see it in the FREE HWiNFO software as I have shown here below on the left hand side for my 192 GB Memory kit which is a single kit with 4 sticks in it.

---

I need to use a 10 GB Nic because I am using a NAS for video editing. It is very difficult to edit 4K video even with 1 10 gig connection. I was hoping to add one through thunderbolt and one through the Nic. The nic that I bought is a TP-Link AX401 I believe. It works in the top slot on my dark hero motherboard. It also works on my other builds no problem.

Also this weekend I ended trying the X8 slot That is number two. Still got no response from the PCIe card.

I get it. Do you have something installed in your M.2_1 slot? If yes, it disables the PCIEX16(G5)_2 slot. This is the 2nd long PCI slot like your GFX card slot. Since you mentioned the card works in the first slot it makes we think you did not get a chance to read the manual which states that M.2_1 shares its bandwidth with the 2nd long PCI slot. So you can have a device in one or the other but not both of them.

Regarding video editing, why are you not editing with M.2 drives directly on the board and then transfer to the NAS. It will be much faster and smoother with this option. The board supports 5 NVMe drive and if you put 4TB or 8TB NVMe drives you will have plenty of storage for most of your editing needs instead of editing directly off the NAS. Just a suggestion to get you better experience.

I also have had many issues with this build and got the CPU replaced. When I turned CSM on with card it just booted in to Windows and did not detect.

See above as to why it did not detect i.e. you must have M.2_1 populated with a drive.

---

Never had to run CSM before so I'm not 100% that I did it properly. I just went into the bios and selected it and then it booted.

You can revert back to CSM DISABLED as at this time I do not think that is your issue.

[greggyp89]

Thank you for the detailed response**

Im sorry to add the extra information about the RAM. It's just every time I mention having four sticks of RAM... I get this response They are not from the same kid They were purchased at the same time from the same store. The micro center in Boston did not have any four *48 GB kits. In my last DDR4 build I only had issues when the platform was brand new. After about a year everything ran at expo or XMP speeds. 

I am totally aware that it probably won't run an XMP with four sticks or with four sticks not from the same kit. The only RAM that was on the QVL at 48 GB was some Corsair RAM that was out of stock online and not in stock anyway. So I made the decision to buy two kits.  

I had issues running more than two NVMe drives this year. The second slot under the heat sink and under the NVMe_1 slot You are speaking about. There are three slots below the Gen 5 slot that takes a lane from the GPU. I had four NvME drives occupying those slots and one of my slots kept getting reduced read speeds. I ended up purchasing the NAS because this computer system had been so unreliable and I was months behind my work. Moving large chunks of data back and forth without it was taking hours. 

I am shooting an 8K and I really don't like to compromise on the video quality side. So I always end up with huge files. That is why I needed a top of the line CPU and motherboard. Also why I needed 192 GB of RAM. Although I only use about 70% max in video editing. I can use up to 90 in after effects. 

So long story short I did read the manual and I have been trying to figure out what's causing the issues with my build. I just got a new CPU from Intel and now trying to add the card I am having zero detection. 

I am wondering if there could be something wrong with the motherboard? Especially considering I seem to be having issues directly related to PCIE bandwidth. 

If I can't figure something out in the next few days it will be sending the board back in. Stopping my work and putting myself further behind schedule... At this point I am beyond stressing over it. 😂 

Thank you

[achugh]

Hi @greggyp89 I understand what you are saying about memory and totally get it. The only QVL memory with 192 GB is what I am running my build with as I was able to get this kit before it became out of stock.

So is your card not working issue is now resolved? Basically, you have a PCIe GEN 5 drive in your M.2_1 slot and hence you cannot use your card. Or you remove the M.2_1 drive and then you can use your card. That the choice you have to make with this build.

Let me know if you have any further questions. Good luck!

[greggyp89]

No I have these slots occupied m.2_2 and m.2_3.

My gen 5 card is running at x4 in the bottom slot. I have no issues running My GPU and X16 on top slot.

My second slot will not work when properly configured to *8 and *8

My bottom X4 *4 slot G4 does not work either. That is my issue

As far as I know I have tried every possible solution besides chucking it out the window lol. Jk

I think it may need RMA honestly. Just wanted to pick the brains of another user.

[achugh]

Hi @greggyp89 I am really sorry as this is an issue on my side. I am having hard time following which slots are occupied so let us use the official names from our board's layout (PAGE XV of the user manual)

Also with regards to what is occupied can you share the following screens from BIOS?

• SA Configuration\PCI Express Configuration
• PCH Configuration\PCI Express Configuration
• OnBoard Device Configuration

See my post below with my screen and how to take a screenshot in BIOS, in case you did not know.

https://rog-forum.asus.com/t5/intel-700-600-series/z790-dark-hero-gpu-only-using-8x-pci-lanes/m-p/10...

Here's what I am understanding from your message above of course once you post these 3 pictures things will become even more clear.

Your 10G PCIe NIC Card is GEN 5 and you have installed it in the bottom most PCIEX4(G4) slot. This card is not getting detected in this slot. This is because even though the length of this slot is the size of 4 lanes, it ONLY provides 1 PCIe lane at GEN 4 speed. See below where it is mentioned that this slot is mentioned under the Intel Z790 Chipset but there is nothing mentioned in parenthesis like the above 2 PCIe slots getting their lanes from CPU. This is how I am interpreting this information.

The way to read 1 x PCIe 4.0 x4 slot information is, we get 1 PCI Express Slot that support GEN 4 speed and the length of this slot is 4 lanes long (in other words quarter length). It is missing any additional information in terms of how many PCIe lanes will be provided. Since this slot is getting its lanes from the chipset, the missing lane information means TO ME that it will ONLY get 1 lane.

If my interpretation is correct then your card cannot run because as per your card's specification https://www.tp-link.com/us/home-networking/pci-adapter/tx401/#specifications it need 4 PCIe lanes of GEN 3. The main issue here is that it is looking for 4 lanes and the slot can only provide 1 lane.

I hope this helps you understand this compatibility issue. This is why this card works when you install it in your PEG (PCIEX16(G5)_1) slot as it then gets 4 lanes.

Regarding this card not being recognized in the PCIEX16(G5)_2 (2nd full length PCIe slot), that is probably due to the M.2_1 slot being populated.

Once you share the 3 screenshots, I can give you better confirmation.

I am sorry, the build you are trying to create is not meant for the CPU + Chipset which is what then translates to the board. I spend lot of time getting requirements for my build well understood by me before I settle on hardware choices as these mistakes are very costly in terms of money and time. I wish I had a better news for you but no amount of RMA, waiting for any software fix can solve these issues as these are fundamental hardware configuration issues so you will have to think creatively with what you can connect and how to best use this setup.

Let me know how I can help further. I feel your pain and wish I could do something for you.

The only suggestion is to switch back to using all 5 M.2 drives with highest capacity and using your NAS to offload so you always have room on your PC to do your work.

[greggyp89]

Ok First of all thank you so much for your time. I must Insist that the mother board manual states it is 1x G4 slot at 4 Lanes. You would think with all the research you have been doing for your hardware that you would know that.

2x G5 Lanes means there is two slot

1X 4X G4 slot means 1 slot at 4x4

I have labeled the slots occupied in yellow and the slots unoccupied in Red. The card was also not working in the Gen 5 slot _2 with x8 x8 bifurcation properly set up in the bios.

So am I crazy or is this board malfuctioning? 

[achugh]

Hi @greggyp89 maybe someone from the ASUS team can confirm how many lanes are going to PCIEX4(G4) slot.

My interpretation is using PCIEX16(G5)_2 as the reference. Here this slot is a PCI Express slot denoted by PCIEX portion. Next, 16 represent the length of this slot. Next (G5) in parenthesis is representing the maximum version of the PCI Express specification/generation that is supported. Finally, _2 represent the slot number on the motherboard layout. So in this notation, it does not tell you how many PCIe lanes are being sent to this slot. That is controlled by the logic in BIOS i.e. will it get 8 lanes or 0 lanes. The lanes are not even mentioned in the layout.

This is why my interpretation of PCIEX4(G4) is that it is a PCI Express slot of length 4 supporting up to generation 4. With respect to number of lanes, I am assuming it gets 1 lane from Z790 Chipset because I could not find that this slot shares its bandwidth with any other M.2 slot which is a good thing. Also, no where in our board's manual it is mentioned how many lanes are going to this expansion slot.

Since you TP-LINK card is PCI Gen 3, when you install it into the PCIEX16(G5)_2 slot, the BIOS does not allow you to select any speed for it since this slot is not even shown (at least it is not shown to me on my BIOS 1503). This means whatever speed you are going to set for PCIEX16(G5)_1 in the BIOS, this PCIEX16(G5)_2 will get the same speed. This is just a guess. If my guess is correct, can you set the speed to GEN 3 for PCIEX16(G5)_1 in the BIOS, have you card installed in the PCIEX16(G5)_2 and see if this card gets detected and works for you?