Chaintech VNF4/Ultra with PCI Video (NOT PCI-Express)

[ND40oz]

I might be off base here, but with my AGP boards, I've had the option of choosing the video, whether it be AGP or PCI. Do you have that option with PCI-E verse PCI. Maybe you just need to plug the PCI-E card in, go into the bios, switch the primary video to PCI, shut down, swap the video cards and reboot.

Nevermind...looks like you already did that.

 

[Ackbar]

Originally posted by: ND40oz
I might be off base here, but with my AGP boards, I've had the option of choosing the video, whether it be AGP or PCI. Do you have that option with PCI-E verse PCI. Maybe you just need to plug the PCI-E card in, go into the bios, switch the primary video to PCI, shut down, swap the video cards and reboot.

Nevermind...looks like you already did that.

Not off base at all, I talked with MajorPayne and he remembers there being an option in the Bios to choose either PCI-E or PCI video card. Unfortunately, that doesn't do anyone any good if you can't get video to choose that!

 

[MajorPayne]

Originally posted by: Ackbar

Originally posted by: ND40oz
I might be off base here, but with my AGP boards, I've had the option of choosing the video, whether it be AGP or PCI. Do you have that option with PCI-E verse PCI. Maybe you just need to plug the PCI-E card in, go into the bios, switch the primary video to PCI, shut down, swap the video cards and reboot.

Nevermind...looks like you already did that.

Not off base at all, I talked with MajorPayne and he remembers there being an option in the Bios to choose either PCI-E or PCI video card. Unfortunately, that doesn't do anyone any good if you can't get video to choose that!

Worse yet.... If I remember correctly from mine (and I may not), the PCI VIDEO First option is ALREADY selected as default! It would still give video to a PCI-E card, but it would look to the PCI slots first this way for video. AND, from what dfedders said in his post above, he CAN get video if there is a PCI-E card installed, AND he can use a PCI card for video as well, but ONLY if there is also a PCI-E card installed. He said that he made sure that the BIOS was set to PCI video first, and it did nothing. I am starting to wonder if the board assumes that any PCI video card would be a secondary card, and so only looks there after verifying the existence of a primary PCI-E video card. I think it is time to email this one on to chaintech themselves, and see what they have to say. If I had to guess, this is a hardware-based issue (something built into the motherboard), and a BIOS is not likely to be able to fix it. On the bright side, this most likely means that your board/CPU are likely NOT damaged, you just will not be able to use a PCI card as your only video card.

 

[SunSamurai]

seriously, if youre going to use pci video you dont need this board

 

[TheInvincibleMustard]

Originally posted by: aeternitas
seriously, if youre going to use pci video you dont need this board

Wow, nice threadcrapping there ... Perhaps you missed the OP's statement:

Originally posted by: dfedders
Has anyone had any luck with this motherboard and a regular old PCI graphics card? I don't have my PCI-Express graphics card yet, and I want to test out this system to make sure it works.

:roll:

On-topic, though. Don't be surprised if a BIOS update won't fix this, as it could be something as simple as the switch is not properly getting flagged. More than likely, however, it is as MajorPayne said in that Chaintech didn't really design this board with PCI graphics in mind, and so saved a few pennies by not implementing that functionality. Maybe if enough people complain, Chaintech might release a 1.1 or something, but I do think that aeternitas (new as s/he is) does have a point in that this board isn't really meant for standard PCI graphics. While dfedders does have a point in wanting to test the system, standard PCI graphics are going the way of the external serial connector () ... it's situations like this that is making me skittish about plunking down the cash for a PCIe combo, as I don't really have the cash for a PCIe card, but I do want to go PCIe for the future upgrade possibilities ... Grr ... :|

 

[MajorPayne]

FYI... This was posted on the pcper forums by a mod who has been working with a chaintech there to replicate this issue..
"I just got the information I was looking for on this one as well:
I talked to the Rep and asked him to try to reproduce the problem:
For either PCIex board (VNF4 ULTRA or 915P) It will not boot with just a PCI video card.
He assures me he will get us more information tomorrow, so stand by.
I'm not saying this unfixable or not. Not now anyway, OK? Let's just see what he comes up with.
He will contact their headquarters to get more info.
I asked if perhaps it could be fixed in the BIOS, but that's all the farther I've gotten.
For me to speculate anymore would be futile.
I do remember not being able to boot the 915P with only a PCI card myself, btw."

The chaintech folks are now looking into this, but it is DEFINITELY an issue with this board currently. Whether it is BIOS or hardware, only time will tell.

 

[dfedders]

Originally posted by: aeternitas
seriously, if youre going to use pci video you dont need this board

Yes, I understand. I have a ATI x800XL on order, but I don't know when it will ship, and I wanted to make sure that all of the other things I ordered worked so that I could ship them back if they didn't. Only have like 15 days to RMA a bad item.

 

[MajorPayne]

No, I understand the logic.... If you have a PC with an open PCI slot, you should be able to use PCI-video if you want to. Interesting that this does not work tho. Hopefully chaintech can fix it.