So~ I bought this EVGA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard a while back, and I got the pieces I needed to set it up. So, yesterday I went out and bought a new ATX Computer Case (As my current one won't fit the 790i.) Anyways. I'm not really good at all of this hardware stuff. At first, I took my original case apart and eventually concluded my new motherboard wouldn't fit with my old system, so I put it back together. At the epitome of my hardware skills, I was very surprised when I hooked the original system back up, that it even turned on.. So, this is just going to show how bad I am with this.. Alright. So, there've been some things I've been curious about, or if anyone here has had any similar issues, or even knows any possible solutions. I'll explain my situation, and what I've done to try and remedy the situation. -------- My current situation: [Equipment] EVGA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard. GeForce 9800 1GB DDR3 Video Card. [PCIe x16] 4GB OCZ Dual Channel DDR3 RAM. Maxtor 250GB Sata HDD. PSU.. I don't remember which kind, but it's a higher capacity one. [Ideology] Well, my initial idea was because I don't know much about computer hardware or hooking it up, I'd start with the very bare minimum to boot my system, being the motherboard, the PSU, a hard drive, some RAM, and a video card (Because the 790i doesn't have anything for on-board video.) If I'm missing some random pieces or something that would be necessary, please let me know -- I'm ripping my hair out over here.. [Methods] So.. I've taken my old hard drive and old power supply from my other system. I've seated the motherboard into the new ATX case. Now, my Hard Drive doesn't really fit because of the massiveness of my graphics card (I'll find another way to get it in there, but for now -- I just want to see it turn on.) So; this is what I've done; 1. Applied the motherboard to the new case. 2. Screwed the PSU into position. 3. Set the HDD in a separate rack just sitting there. 4. Seated the 4GB RAM in the appropriate positions. DIMM 1 and DIMM 3. 5. Seated the GPU in the PCIe x16 (top) slot and secured its position. 6. 'Attempted' to connect everything to the PSU. The big (20-24?) power socket from the PSU is plugged in. I have the power buttons on the front of the case properly connected to the motheboard. All of the fans run appropriately and even the LED's light up. The HDD is plugged into the PSU. And the GPU is plugged into the PSU. Well, now, while I have almost everything where it needs to be (As far as I know..) I'm having one tiny problem.. I don't get any video. There is a nice blue light that's illuminated on the motherboard (The top-middle of the motherboard.) The machine will stay powered on, and it doesn't shut itself off (as in the event of a CPU Overheating, or faulty power connection.) So, I'm pretty stuck. [Exhausting Solutions] So, the first thing I thought; no video, graphics card. It's a pain because this system doesn't have an on-board graphics plug-in as to test. - -' Anyways. I thought because I just hadn't installed my new GPU's drivers to my hard-drive, maybe that was the issue.. So, I took an old graphics card of mine GeForce 8600 (PCIe x16) and plugged it in and tried again -- nothing. I actually had another graphics card lying around, so I tried that one as well -- still nothing. So, I'm pretty sure it's not my Graphics card, because I've tried all three PCIe x16 slots with 3 difference cards. So, I thought.. Maybe -- wait, did my Motherboard come with a CD? Sure enough, I hadn't put my CD in my old HDD to try and install any needed drivers from there. I plugged my HDD into my brothers computer long enough to put the CD in his system and install any drivers from the CD to my HDD. Plugged my HDD back in, and still nothing. I haven't had time to call the folks at EVGA, because currently I'm sitting at work. I've scoured the motherboard looking for any slots that I might've missed that need the PSU's attention. I don't think I've missed any.. On the bottom part of the motherboard, there are several colored 7-pin pieces attached, but I think that's for USB/Card Readers/etc. This is the first time I've ever tried to install a new motherboard. I'm getting frustrated and irate. I'm usually a patient person, but I'm sacrificing one system for another at the moment, so without the new one working, I don't have one at all. One last section, anyways. [Possible Solutions] As I mentioned, I'm at work. I've read a bit here and there, and will continue reading for the next 6.5 hours until the end of my shift, as to any possible solutions or similar problems. I've read that re-seating the RAM could be the issue. I've also read to take the CMOS battery out of the system for a few hours (over night) and putting it back in and trying. -------------------------------------------------- If you know anything, please help me out. It's been a while, so the price of this board has depreciated over the time, when I first paid for it, it was over $800.00 CAD, and now it's around $400.00, if that. Anyways, another piece of information that might help, is that on the motherboard's LCD Indicator it gives "FF." I've read that FF either means the computer is hooped, or that it's running appropriately. Usually FF won't boot the system at all, so I think that's not the issue. Thanks for your time in reading this; I'll recap the important information; -------- EVGA 790i Ultra SLI Motherboard hooked up and booting with 'No Video!' Error Code, "FF." Tried multiple Graphics Cards.
Well, where I'd start is taking the motherboard out and place it on a flat surface. Have the following installed: CPU CPU fan 1 stick of RAM 1 video card, should be in first PCIe x16 slot (closest to the CPU socket) PSU As you've already done, make sure every power connector in this configuration is plugged in. If your video card has 2 connectors, make sure they are both plugged in. Secondly, and this something I've done: make sure the PSU's switch on the back is flipped on. Additionally, make sure the CPU fan is plugged in. Some motherboards refuse to start without one plugged in by default. I'm not sure, but eVGA might have power and reset switches mounted on the motherboard for testing like this. If not, then you can use a flat-head screwdriver to short the connector for the power switch. For reference, if you're looking at a new case, you'll need one that can accomodate an ATX formfactor. Additionally, with the longer video card you have, you probably want to make sure it has some distance between the drive bay around where the video card(s) would be. In a worst case scenario, you can purchase a set of brackets to use a standard 3.5" drive in a 5.25" bay, but with a little care, you can avoid that.
Maybe I didn't explain very well. My current situation is that; The motherboard is booting up appropriately as far as I can tell, besides the "FF" post code. I have the CPU Installed, the GPU installed, an HDD hooked up, and the motherboard is in its new case. I called EVGA and explained to them my situation, they told me to make sure the 8-Pin power is connected, as well as to attempt to press down on the BIOS/CMOS chip/battery. After thinking about it, my current PSU doesn't have an 8-Pin connector to connect to the motherboard to power the CPU. I tried connecting my 4-Pin connector to the last 4 sockets (or first four?) and the error code cycled through FF and stopped on 80, which according to the manual is "Reserved." I called them again, and they said to try a new PSU with an 8-Pin connector. Hopefully, this will solve all of my issues.
