ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA and XFX GeForce 9800 GX2

[carmaster22]

I've tried everything I can think of to get my new 9800 GX2 to work with my motherboard but it will not POST. I have multiple calls/emails into ASRock tech support but have yet to receive a response.

Has anyone tried this before?


Current setup:
ASRock 4CoreDual-VSTA 2.30 BIOS
Core 2 Duo E6600
2x1GB OCZ Platinum XTC DDR400 PC3200
ATI X800XT AIW AGP
Silverstone Decathlon DA700 700W PSU

I know I should really just buy a new mobo and RAM, but I'd like to avoid that if possible.

 

[toadeater]

It needs a BIOS update most likely.

 

[carmaster22]

2.30 is the latest BIOS, it's the first thing I did.

 

[tcsenter]

I've found one successful report with 9800GTX and a few successful reports with 9600GT, but no reports at all with 9800 GX2 (positive or negative). Well, except for this one.

The no-POST condition suggests it could be the old 'GEN1' VGA BIOS problem again. It would be incredible to learn we are revisiting this issue on any recent G92 products, since it was well-known to NVIDIA and most board makers no later than February 2008. But that didn't stop some vendors from shipping G80/G90 boards with the non-compatible VGA BIOS as late as May or June, or perhaps 're-introduced' the problem in later ROM versions that were supposed to implement the GEN1 fix.

You can check this discussion on MVKTECH Forums or elsewhere in the forum to see if anyone else has reported the same problem with 9800 GX2 on VIA chipsets. I would recommend reading the last several pages of that discussion before posting any inquiry that might have already been made.

Reportedly, NV BIOS versions 62.92.25.x and higher are supposed to have the GEN1 fix for G92-based boards. If you have access to another motherboard and verify the card is working, you can check the VGA BIOS version using GPU-Z from techPowerUp!

It could be a motherboard BIOS thing, since ASRock released a BIOS to patch some issue with Radeon 3870 X2 on 4CoreDual-SATA2, even though previous BIOS releases addressed the single-GPU 3870 boards.

While I realize you want to avoid a new motherboard and RAM, the performance that you would lose by running the 9800 GX2 on PCI-E x4 is hardly insignificant. A new motherboard and RAM can be had for as little as $90.00 including delivery. How much of your 9800 GX2's purchase price are you NOT getting with the VIA board?

 

[carmaster22]

I haven't looked at the link you provided yet, but I will check it out later.

I was thinking the same thing about the GEN1 vs GEN2 VGA BIOS, but I called XFX and they said that was an issue on the 8800 series only and that the 9800 series is not affected. Even so, I asked them if there was a way to flash the BIOS of the 9800 GX2 to GEN1 and they said no (or at least the one tech support agent I spoke with).

And yes, I know I can get a mobo and RAM for cheap, but if I'm going to buy new components, I usually don't like to go cheap, so I'm looking at another $300 to $400 for new mobo and RAM.

 

[carmaster22]

Just skimmed the last couple pages from the link you gave me, tons of good info but nothing specifically related to my situation.

Unfortunately I don't have anther system I can test the card in without a lot of hassle.

I just received a call back from ASRock and they said it was a PCI-e 2.0 vs 1.0 (i.e GEN1 vs GEN2) issue. I told them what XFX told me, but ASRock said that's wrong and that because the mobo has a PCI-e 1.0 slot, the VGA BIOS needs to be GEN1.

Also just spoke with XFX and they said that I would have to put in a support request to get a GEN1 BIOS for my 9800 GX2 which would take a couple of weeks. So I'm just going to buy a new mobo and RAM.

Any recommendations?

What do you guys think about this, I'm up for suggestions:

ASUS P5N72-T Premium

OCZ Reaper HPC 4GB (2 x 2GB)

 

[carmaster22]

Yes/no on the motherboard and RAM combination?

Any recommendations?