Biostar TPower I45/Gigabyte EP45-DS3R problems...

[Omastar]

This has pissed me off beyond ALL words. Here is the problem, plain and simple:

I had a Gigabyte GA-EP45-DS3R that was giving me trouble, would shut down randomly and would do the dreaded Gigabyte mobo reboot 'loop' on a cold boot. I chalked this up to immature BIOS, or maybe just the newest F7a BIOS was bad, so I tried a Biostar I45, which I've heard nothing but good things about. Mind you, I have an HD4870 on watercooling that I'm running. I switched out to the Biostar mobo, brand new, and hit the onboard power button. Lights come on, fans spin, hard drives are going, and I can see the LED post codes on the board, but NOTHING comes on the monitor, JUST like with the Gigabyte mobo.

I didn't have any mouse/keyboard plugged in, so the post codes kept going up until the CPU temperature was being displayed (which is normal). It reads around 20C, which I know is wrong, but whatever. When I plugged in a PS/2 mouse and keyboard, the post code hung on 2E, which means "initializing all output devices" according to the manual.

Also note, when the computer boots, my HD4870's LEDs are lit up (from the left, looking straight at the card, vertically) on LED #1, #2, and #4. Any idea if this means my video card is bad? Could it be my DVI cable? I've tried the monitor on my server with a VGA cable and it works, so it's not the monitor.

My PSU is also new--Corsair TX750. I'm out of ideas, guys. Could my CPU be bad? Would the board even POST with a bad CPU? :(

Thanks.

[Omastar]

Seems like my video card is bad. =/

[Omastar]

Going to RMA. Tested the 4870 in 3 different systems, none worked with it. Then, the loose capacitor finally just fell off. Great work, Sapphire.

[Lestat]

eh stuff happens, usually in the packaging process it got whacked and was shipped out.

dont feal bad i had a 9600 GT from Saphsh|te and it has 2 little resistors off and floating around int he static bag, and another thing which i dont recall..
card was toast...
Sapphire refused to do anything about it. Said it was a shipping issue and to go back to newegg,,, said if i wanted it rma'd they would have to send it back to china to get repaired. they couldn't quite get it thru their retarded a$$brains that its not a shipping issue when the box is sealed and in perfect condition.
i broke my phone that day throwing it on the floor (i didnt hang up first either lol ).. thus my much voiced opinion to never ever buy anything sapphire,,

[Omastar]

eh stuff happens, usually in the packaging process it got whacked and was shipped out.

dont feal bad i had a 9600 GT from Saphsh|te and it has 2 little resistors off and floating around int he static bag, and another thing which i dont recall..
card was toast...
Sapphire refused to do anything about it. Said it was a shipping issue and to go back to newegg,,, said if i wanted it rma'd they would have to send it back to china to get repaired. they couldn't quite get it thru their retarded a$$brains that its not a shipping issue when the box is sealed and in perfect condition.
i broke my phone that day throwing it on the floor (i didnt hang up first either lol ).. thus my much voiced opinion to never ever buy anything sapphire,,

Yeah, it was my own goddamned mistake from EVER buying a Sapphire product. I was anxious to get a 4870 and I ordered that one, that came in stock. I should've gotten the Diamond or waited a day and gotten HIS, but oh no. So I pay the price for my own terrible judgment. I knew Sapphire was crappy to begin with.

[dinos22]

Seems like my video card is bad. =/

yeah was going to suggest a video card be tested as i know biostar in particular ain't happy with some cards though 4870 should be ok with them

[Leeghoofd]

Don't think it's Sapphire's fault mate , aren't they full reference cards...just their sticker on the card and put in their box : bad quality control...abusuve shipping ; happens to the best (sadly)

[Omastar]

Don't think it's Sapphire's fault mate , aren't they full reference cards...just their sticker on the card and put in their box : bad quality control...abusuve shipping ; happens to the best (sadly)

Yeah, true enough. I got the box and it didn't appear to be abused in shipping, but you never know; UPS plays hacky sack with their boxes, anyway. RMA'ing tomorrow and should get a replacement next week, sometime. Good thing I have a 7200GS to hold me over.

[ChuckM]

I think I'd rather have the Biostar MOBO anyway. Maybe this will work out for the best, good luck

[rusty]

by the way Fa for ep45-ds3r reintroduced the vga issue you should have stayed at F6

[rusty]

by the way Fa for ep45-ds3r reintroduced the vga issue you should have stayed at F6

hmm I started getting random reboots too, some weird stuff.

[Omastar]

by the way Fa for ep45-ds3r reintroduced the vga issue you should have stayed at F6

Ah, I didn't know that, but I did flash back to F6 just to see if the random blue screens and reboots would stop, and it didn't help.

hmm I started getting random reboots too, some weird stuff.

Yeah, I think this rev 1.0 PCB is no good. I don't think it's so much a BIOS issue as it is an actual hardware issue.

[systemviper]

I heard the BIOSTAR TPower I45 was susposed to be a monster over clocker, was thinking of getting one, only 170....