Z77 Pro3, Pro4 PCIE2 port doesn't work
Printed From: ASRock.com
Category: Technical Support
Forum Name: Intel Motherboards
Forum Description: Question about ASRock Intel Motherboards
URL: https://forum.asrock.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=97
Printed Date: 25 Sep 2024 at 4:32am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.04 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Z77 Pro3, Pro4 PCIE2 port doesn't work
Posted By: Bigmatt
Subject: Z77 Pro3, Pro4 PCIE2 port doesn't work
Date Posted: 06 May 2015 at 4:58pm
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Dear Asrock, I have a very strange problem. My specs are the following: - Z77 Pro 4 (Pro 3 before) - I7 2600K CPU - 2x4 GB Corsair Vengeance - SSD Kingston 240 GB, HDD WD 500 - Sapphire Toxic R9 270x For some reason my PCIE2 port (3.0 16x) does not work. I tested it with the VGA above and also with 2 other VGA (460 GTX - PCIE 2.0, x1600XT - PCIE 1.0) I know that my CPU is a GEN2 which does not support 3.0 but the 3.0 port shoud have run at 2.0 16X. My other port works fine, (PCIE 2.0 4X) but the bandwith is limited to 4X, which bottleneck the 270X VGA... neither I can use crossfire... I have just received my new motherboard Z77 Pro4, because I sent back the PRO3 which was considered as non-repairable, I got my money back after I purchased the PRO4 but the problem is the same!! I tried the following to fix: - Updated BIOS to the freshest (in case of PRO3 - 2.2 PRO4 - 1.8) - Cleared the connector of VGA (I tried with 3 different VGAs) - Tried GEN1 GEN2 GEN3 in bios. - Checked the PINs in case of both MB (Pro4 is brand new...) Is this an already known incompatibility maybe between the processor and MB? If so is there any chance to get a Firmware update? Thanks in advance, Mate |
Replies:
Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 09 May 2015 at 5:35pm
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Hello there, Is anyone working on my issue? Do you need more details maybe? I am planning to return the MB to the seller but to be honest I am getting tired of the whole thing, probably I am not going to buy another Asrock product. All of my hardware are branded items there shouldn't be any incompatibility issue... Any suggestion that can work? P. S.: I forgot to list my PSU below it is an FSP HEXA 500W
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Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 13 May 2015 at 1:31pm
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There is no compatibility issue with the Z77 Pro4 board and an i7-2600K, all BIOS versions are compatible with the processor. Having the same problem with two different boards, and even different models, does not seem like a problem with the board. The following is from the Z77 Pro4's manual: Boot your system. Press <F2> or <Del> to enter UEFI setup. Enter Share Memory option to adjust the memory capability to [32MB], [64MB], [128MB], [256MB] or [512MB] to enable the function of D-sub. Please make sure that the value you select is less than the total capability of the system memory. If you do not adjust the UEFI setup, the default value of Share Memory, [Auto], will disable D-Sub function when an add-on VGA card is inserted to this motherboard. When you install your video cards, do you then clear the CMOS/BIOS before starting the PC? You did not mention setting Primary Graphics Adapter to PCI Express in the BIOS, rather than Onboard. Do you have a cable connected to the onboard graphics on the IO panel? Did you try the Auto setting for the PCIE_2 slot's speed? If you use the onboard graphics to start Windows, and also have a video card in the PCIE_2 slot, is the video card seen in Device Manager? |
Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 14 May 2015 at 1:49am
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Hi Parsec, First of all thank you for your reply and suggestions provided below. The fact is everything is the same, even after I changed the share memory option to whatever mb from auto. (After a cmos reset). If you have anything else that can work, I can test it but I am afraid I need to visit a service point because I am lack of hardware for testing. By the way this whole thing seems very unlogical for me. If the card is working in the slower port why it can't do the same in the other? "Enter Share Memory option..." - This is what I just tried now, but the result is the same unfortunately. When I put the card to the other PCI-e slot, the system immediately recognize it and it is also shown in system browser (UEFI setup). No matter which settings I using, the card in the PCI-e 3.0 slot will remain invisible in system browser. (The card is acting the same in each port from outside it seems like working, lights, fans on.)
"When you install your video cards, do you then clear the CMOS/BIOS before starting the PC?" - Of course, I did it. You did not mention setting Primary Graphics Adapter to PCI Express in the BIOS, rather than Onboard. Do you have a cable connected to the onboard graphics on the IO panel? - PCI express is actually the default setting, but of course I checked it every time. I even tried to switch between the settings, but nothing. In order to check the card in system browser, after I didn't get picture I used the on board graphic's port in order to check Did you try the Auto setting for the PCIE_2 slot's speed? - This is the default so I tried it of course and every other settings as well. If you use the onboard graphics to start Windows, and also have a video card in the PCIE_2 slot, is the video card seen in Device Manager? No, it is not neither in system browser. |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 17 May 2015 at 2:40pm
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Firstly, why are you trying to use PCIE slot 3 rather than slot 2? Are you planning on setting up crossfire or is it a space issue inside your case. I wouldn't recommend using slot 3 as it is only a x4 slot so you will be bottlenecking any half decent GPU in x4 mode. It may well be a case that the slot is only active when you have another graphics card populating slot 2. The manual does not say anything about the matter however, in fact I see no reason to believe it would not work according to the manual.
My guess would be that it is not getting power without slot 2 populated.
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PCIE3 (PCIE 2.0 x16 slot) is used for PCI Express x4 lane width graphics
cards, or to install PCI Express graphics cards to support CrossFireXTM,
and for installing ASRock Game Blaster.Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 17 May 2015 at 9:43pm
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What you have written down is true, but I am afraid you misunderstood the problem here. "Firstly, why are you trying to use PCIE slot 3 rather than slot 2?" Because I have to as other port PCI-E_2 is not working as per I described previously. Just to clarify: PCIE_2 port: PCIE 3.0 16X speed Not working :( PCIE_3 port: PCIE 2.0 4X speed (Working but as you mentioned below, it bottlenecking the GPU) |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 17 May 2015 at 10:40pm
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Ah I see, my bad I should have read the post properly. What GPU are you using in the system? I would imagine you have likely tried every combination of BIOS options with the GPU in slot 2. Have you checked the connector on the card itself? It could be possible that there is some kind of short or worn away contact there. PCIE x1, x4, x8 and x16 cards all use respectively more pins as you graduate upwards so if there is damage to your cards pins after where x4 slots terminate that may explain why it will not work in the x16 slot. I do not imagine that the PCIE slot 3 has all the connections past x4 connected on the board. I hope this makes sense, if not I will try and explain better :) My only other advice would be to either borrow another GPU to test or take your PC in to a service center as you mentioned and have them do it.
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Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 17 May 2015 at 11:57pm
| It makes sense, there are 4 times less pins on the MB in case of slot 4x speed. The problem is the same issue occured when I tried it with two other GPUs. The current GPU is a Toxic R9 270X. Before I look for a service center I give it a last shot and I try to clean the pins on GPU. |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 18 May 2015 at 12:03am
Good luck, let us know how it turns out 
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Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 23 May 2015 at 10:00pm
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Unfortunately, the cleaning wasn't helped... I called the local dealers, service centers and because this is an older construction, LGA 1155, neither of them have the spare parts to fully investigate my issue, if i am not going to buy the spare part they won't unbox then to test my config. One of them have a processor but this one doesn't have 1155 Mobo. I think it is not make sense to do a partial test, that's why I decided to send back this mainboard as well to Asrock as my previous board has the same issue and Asrock considered it as "non repairable" and I got my money back after the MOBO was sent back by the Reseller. Here comes the suprise... When I tried to remove the card for 20x times as I tested a lot with different VGAs I broke that little plasctic seal which fix the card into the port, I am very unlucky. My question would be to ASROCK support, Does this void my warranty?? That seal is not so strong constuction, even a little pushing can broke it and it does not take any affect on the operation of the MOBO.
 In the meantime I am still trying to find a store which is near and they have the spare part to do the testing for me. |
Posted By: Steiner06
Date Posted: 30 May 2015 at 11:39pm
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Hi guys, i have exactly the same issue as Bigmatt. My Setup is: - Z77 Pro 4 - I5 2500K CPU - 2x4 GB http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=corsair+vengeance" rel="nofollow - Corsair X MS3 - PSU: OCZ 600W 80+ / Model OCZ600MXSP - Samsung SSD 840 Evo 500GB - Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming the gpu is only running in the PCIE3 Slot with of course only 4 lanes. When i put the GTX 970 in the PCIE2 Slot even if i change it manuly to Gen 1 or Gen 2 doesnt matter i get a black screen but the pc in the background is booting fine. Even in the system browser in the UEFI there is no card detected, so i have to use the onboard GFX to get a picture in UEFI Bios. I tested every BIOS Setting combination possible on the Northbridge page, without success :( The GTX 970 works flawlessly in a computer from my buddy, but he has a z97 board. is there a workaround? sry for my bad english ;) |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 3:35am
It seems that there is a problem with the Z77 chipset with some boards that caused the system to fail to recognize PCIE 3.0 GPUs unless the slot is set to gen 1 or 2 though I see that the OP has already tried that solution. All I can think of trying is clear CMOS and set the slot to gen 1 and try it again. Oh, additionally, if it is the same problem I found when I searched this then a gen 1/2 GPU should still work fine in the slot so it may be worth while finding an old Gen 1 or 2 card to try. If that fails too then the slot must be dead in which case you will likely need to replace the board 
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Posted By: Steiner06
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 4:23am
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Yeah i think that to, because i found alot of user's with this problem on google. I tried my old GTX 570 and this card works fine on the PCIE2 Slot. I guess there is no way without a new bios patch to get this working because i tried literally everything to get the card running on that slot.
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Posted By: parsec
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 11:47am
Your English is very good, I can understand you fine.  Given this information, and that of the OP, it seems like an incompatibility issue that would need a UEFI/BIOS update. Not that this is directly related to the problem, let's look at the specs for the PCI Express slots on this board: - 1 x PCI Express 3.0 x16 slot (PCIE2: x16 mode) - 1 x PCI Express 2.0 x16 slot (PCIE3: x4 mode) PCIe Gen3 is supported on 3rd Generation of Intel® Core i5 and Core i7 CPUs. Notice that the PCIE3 slot is PCIe 2.0, which is provided by the Z77 chipset. The PCIE2 slot's lanes are provided by the CPU, not the Z77 chipset. Sandy Bridge processors only provide PCIe 2.0 speed lanes (16), and Ivy Bridge processors provide PCIe 3.0 speed lanes (16.) Bigmatt also uses a Sandy Bridge processor (i7-2600K.) Both Bigmatt and Steiner06 tried using new video cards, released a few years after this board was new. I'm not saying those cards cannot be used with this board, they should be but it looks like a UEFI/BIOS patch will be necessary. You can try this, but I cannot guarantee it will work: With the PC shutdown and the power supply turned off and unplugged, disconnect all video cables from the video card and the integrated graphics outputs. Clear the CMOS/BIOS with the jumper on the board. I want to suggest removing the CMOS battery to do a complete CMOS clear, but the battery will be under the video card. Connect your monitor to only one of the integrated graphics outputs, with no other cables connected to the video card or integrated graphics outputs. (If you are using a VGA (analog) cable, meaning not a DVI or HDMI (both digital) cable, that might be part of the problem.) Connect power to the power supply, and start up the PC. You should be prompted to go into the UEFI/BIOS after the CMOS clear, which I want you to do right away, don't boot into Windows. In the BIOS, on the Exit screen, click the Load UEFI Defaults button. Then set any BIOS settings you must have if you use them, like RAID, etc. Do not OC the CPU or memory. Go to the Northbridge Configuration screen, and check or set all the following options: Set PCIE 2 Link Speed to Gen 2. Set Share Memory to Auto. Set IGPU Multi-Monitor to Disabled. Set Render Standby and Deep Render Standby (if you have this option) to Enabled. Notice that I did not mention the Primary Graphics Adapter option. I want it set to PCI Express, which it should be by default. Even if you don't see the video card in Device Manager, shutdown the PC and remove power. Disconnect the video cable from the integrated graphics and connect it to the video card. Just use one video cable to one monitor. Connect power to the PC, start it up, and see what happens. Let us know what happens, either good or bad. If you experiment further, the options I listed above, except Primary Graphics Adapter, should be set to what I listed. |
Posted By: Steiner06
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 9:13pm
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Thanks for the reply parsec i tested what you suggest but without success. I even downgrade the UEFI Bios to all available versions but there is no way i can get this card running in the PCIE2 Slot. I tried to deactivate the onboard USB 3.0 / LAN / Audio controller to get the lanes from the cpu free, but even that makes no differents. I'm running out of ideas :( |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 10:17pm
I am curious about something, can either you or Bigmatt get your hands on an Ivybridge CPU to try? All it would need to be is a celeron ivy or a cheap pentium. An Ivybridge CPU will support PCIE 3.0 so I am wondering if it would work.
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Posted By: Steiner06
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 10:41pm
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Unfortunately not, but this is what i think to because any PCIE 2.0 Card i tested works fine (GTX 570, GTX 480 and a AMD Radeon HD 5870) I guess the swap mechanism is not working with sandy bridge cpus in conclusion with the PCIE2 slot. But i dont want to change my cpu because my i5-2500k is stable at 4800 ghz and this is enough for the current generation of games. |
Posted By: Bigmatt
Date Posted: 31 May 2015 at 11:35pm
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Neither I can test my config with a gen3 CPU as I am not going to buy one just to find out whether it solve my issue or not. We are on the same page with Steiner, even if our CPU is only Gen2 there is still a lot of juice in these and easily can handle the current programs/games. I am not planning to upgrade the CPU, just simply not worth it for the moment. I also tested what Parsec suggested, but everything is still the same... Steiner 06 - So the Gen2 GPUs is working for you? That's interesting becuse no matter which Gen GPU I try to use neither of them is recognized by UEFI system browser or Windows. Parsec - As you have mentioned a BIOS update would be necessary. I know that this is an older MB, but we would really appreciate if someone could work this out for us. I do think that Asrock is a great company and you care about the small people like us as well. When I got back my money after I returned the Pro3 MB I purchased an Asrock MB again because I think that this is a great product, please do not let me to get dissappointed, thanks in advance. |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 01 Jun 2015 at 12:43am
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Ah oh well, it was worth mentioning. Some people have other PCs so I had to ask if you guys had access to an Ivy, it would make troubleshooting easier. No matter. If I had a Sandybridge I wouldn't be upgrading any time soon either, they are more than adequate for gaming and pretty much any other task still, even the old i7 920s put out solid numbers still  Bigmatt, you can't even get Gen 2 cards to work on yours? Damn, that doesn't sound good. Thats all I could think of to try help you guys out. Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 6:05am
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I currently have the same issue with an MSI R9 280X 3GB twin frozr My system: Everything is at stock speed and always has been. CPU: I5-3570k (Ivy-bridge) MOBO: Asrock z77 PRO4. Updated bios from 1.4 to 1.8 RAM: Corsair Vengeance LP 16GB (4x4GB) DDR3 1600 PSU: Seasonic SS-660XP2. 660W 80PLUS. full modular OS: Win7 64bit I have also tried everything mentioned above and I also do not see the GPU in BIOS or in the device manager. I was trying to upgrade from a GTX 570 (which worked flawlessly) to this R9 280X |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 1:52pm
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Welcome to the forums A quick google search shows that your combination of hardware has worked for other people (r9 280x + Z77 pro4) so we are not likely looking at a situation where there is a bios support issue. When I searched Z77 GPU not detected in google I found a large number of people that have experienced this same problem with that chipset, it is not restricted to Asrock or the Z77 pro4 either. In many cases the problem was resolved by clearing the CMOS, I would suggest unplugging the PC power cord, hold down the power button for 10secs to discharge all residual power from the system and remove the CMOS battery for 5 mins. This method tends to be more thorough than the clear jumper in some situations. If that does not help then try the GPU in the PCIEx4 slot and see if it recognizes the card. Also be sure that the GPU is getting enough power by using separate power rails from your PSU for each of the GPU's 6 and 8 pin power connectors. You could set your PCIE slot to gen 2 in the bios as well and see if that helps. The 570 is a gen 2 card and it functioned in the slot so that may help. Your power supply is a decent one so unless its old and wearing out I doubt that could be the problem. Set your PCIE slot to gen 2 in the bios as well and see if that helps.
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 1:52pm
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Finally stopped being lazy and moved the 280x into the pcie slot 3 and got the same results (no signal). Also connected my old gtx750 into both pcie slots and it worked in both.. Perhaps its just a bad card. But I've also read a lot of similar cases with z77 motherboards wish i had a newer system to try this on.
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 1:56pm
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The GTX 750 is a gen 3 card so that rules out Gen 3 being the problem. A look at the MSI R9 280x you listed reveled numerous failures (typically cooling fans) but not much on the DOA front. As you have tried 2 other cards in the slot and both worked without issue I would lean more toward the 280x being bad. Its a pity you can't try the 280x in another system to be sure. You can still try the steps I listed and see if anything helps though.
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:07pm
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haha crazy. posts within 5 seconds of each other.. Things I've tried: -display driver uninstaller to get rid of all the old nvidia drivers -tried clearing cmos both ways (jumper and removing battery/pressing power button. This did not work. -with the card in the PCIE2 slot, I've tried gen 1, gen 2 and gen 3. Card was still not recognized Things I will try: -gen 1, 2 and 3 with the card in the PCIE3 slot. -I'll have to look up what you mean by separate power rails. I have two separate connectors (6pin and 8pin) coming from the PSU going to the GPU. Does it matter where they are connected to on the PSU side?
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:09pm
| My apologies. i meant that my old card is a GTX 570, which is gen 2 i think |
Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:19pm
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The power cord that goes to the GPU 6 and 8 pin connectors. You should connect 2 of them to your power supply and have one connect to the 6 pin and a separate one to the 8 pin. I imagine you have a single power cable connected to the power supply that is connected to both 6 and 8 pin connectors, this is the normal way of doing it, it isn't incorrect but for fault finding we want 2 separate power cables supplying the card. Basically each power cable should only be providing power to one of the card's power connectors. It should help determine if the card is getting enough power.
And yes the 570 is gen 2 I also have to ask, is the R9 280x new or second hand?
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:37pm
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Oh I do have 2 connected to the power supply which are connected separately to the 6pin and the 8pin. I didn't even know it was possible to connect the 6pin and the 8pin to the PSU using only one power cord? the 280x is second hand. but i believe it is still under some kind of warranty based on the serial# sticker
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:42pm
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Do you have any way to test the card on another PC, a friend or coworker that may be kind enough to let you try it out? I am sorry to say but given the card is second hand I would have to lean toward it being the problem. If you enable the iGPU in bios (by setting "share memory" to anything other than auto under chipset config) and boot into windows on that with the 280x connected does windows detect the card at all? When you power on the system do the GPU fans spin up at all? That particular model was infamous for the fans leaking a lubricant fluid that many users claim damaged their card (I can't be sure based on a few comments however). Check to see if the card has any oily residue anywhere. It may be someone sold you a card that was damaged.
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 2:55pm
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Unfortunately I do not have another PC with an adequate PSU to test this on. The card itself has no oily residue whatsoever and appears relatively dust free. The stickers (serial# and "void if removed") are intact. The card looks almost new. If im reading the serial# correctly, i think it was made on july 2014. The GPU fans spin up when the PC is powered on. With what I've tried so far, the 280x is not detected in BIOS or in the device manager. I have not tried anything with the "share memory." I'll add that to the list of things to try in the morning.
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 21 Jun 2015 at 3:07pm
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If you have already booted into windows and seen it is not detected then there is no need to use the share memory setting. That is not good news, it means the board did not pick up the card at all and booted from the iGPU even with the 280x installed. The iGPU should be disabled by default when a dedicated GPU is connected and the monitor cable attached to it. That means the card is not communicating with the motherboard at all. Given that the card is second hand the last thing I can suggest is to carefully check the contacts on the card's PCIE connector for any damage or dirt and clean them off with some isopropyl alcohol and see if that helps.
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2015 at 11:05am
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Tried cleaning the contacts and pre-installing the driver. still nothing. As you know, then the PC is turned on, there is not signal. However, I know it is still loading to windows because i can hear it starting up through the speakers.
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 23 Jun 2015 at 11:26am
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I'm sorry but that was the last suggestion I had. With no way to test if the 280x is actually functional we can't know for sure where the problem is coming from. If no GPU was working in the system I would suggest reseating the CPU as the PCIE lanes are built into it but the 570 works so....
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Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 25 Jun 2015 at 10:27pm
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So I was able to try it on an older system but it still did not work. Fans spun but no video. It also did not have onboard video so I couldnt check if it was being detected. Again the PC was rather old and it probably needed a BIOS update but I did not want to compromise the stability of someone elses PC just to test this.
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 26 Jun 2015 at 12:16am
At this point I would say the 280x is probably a dud  I hope you are able to return it.
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Posted By: ASRock_TSD
Date Posted: 30 Jun 2015 at 6:00pm
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Dear all, this is ASRock Technical Support Department. We have read all the replys, and decide to do the test for this issue. We tested using i5-2500(Sandy Bridge) and R9-270X(Gen3 card) with BIOS P1.80. The graphic card can run properly with above config, please refer the picture as below:  Noted that the card is running at x16 speed, which mean it is installed in PCIE2 slot. Therefore, it seems like not a compatible issue between this board and the graphics card. For users who meet this issue, we provide some suggestions for try: 1. Since the PCIE resource is from CPU, please reinstall the CPU then check whether there?�s any bent or broken pins in CPU socket. 2. Unplug the power cable to do the clear CMOS settings. 3. If possible, please use another CPU or Gen3-graphics card to verify. 4. If the problem still, please replace the motherboard or the graphics card to verify. Thank you for your patience. Kindest Regards, ASRock TSD
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Posted By: Steiner06
Date Posted: 10 Jul 2015 at 5:10pm
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I tested and checked everything to get my Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming working on the Z77 Pro4 but no chance. The card is only detected on PCIE3 but not in the proper PCIE2 X16 Slot.. I wrote an email to the support center from asrock but the answer was exact the same as here. Is it possible that you guys can check this combination to? My CPU: i5-2500k PSU: Corsair CX750M GPU: Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 Gaming (newest VBIOS) MB: Asrock z77 Pro 4 (1.80) |
Posted By: GYUUHH
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2015 at 2:59am
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Card was RMA's and replaced with a brand new R9 390x. Installed and booted up without a hitch. All is well! I'll take that trade any day =)
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Posted By: Xaltar
Date Posted: 23 Jul 2015 at 4:25am
That's great news GYUUHH, enjoy your new GPU 
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