MediaPhile

[jdbnsn]

Ok, this is not so much a mod per se as it is a "clean up" and watercool installation on my HTPC. I still have the Watercubed mod at home and once I escape my tiny little apartment and get some working space I do plan to finish that one too. But this one should be quick, not a scratch build.

So I have been putting this together with spare parts for some time now, I did pick up some waterblocks from DangerDen for my old 5870's and some WC components from XSPC. I was rather shocked at the quality of the DD blocks though, worst products I have ever gotten from them and the cost was high! I don't know what happened, probably just a bad day at the plant but the holes for all of the blocks were so poorly tapped that the screws holding down the plates to the card stripped while trying to fasten it tightly to the card. One of them was covered in corroded fingerprints, and the other's plexi side had stripped threads for the post. sheesh, DD dropped the ball on these muthas but maybe I can salvage them. Anyway, here is what I got done today, just some wiring and sleeving thus far.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/1.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/2.jpg

I installed the CPU block using some old hardware I had in a box from a block I bought from Paul Capello ages ago, the XSPC block was made for an up to date model board but mine is anything up to date. I took the brackets out and painted them back at my apartments and mounted it. Then packed the whole mess up to bring to my folks place to make use of the "man cave" to do the rest of the work.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/3.jpg

I painted the motherboard tray back home but it turned out like rubbish, will need to redo that...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/4.jpg

Most of the work I did today was just wiring for the video cards, boring boring...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/7.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/6.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/5.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/9.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/10.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/12.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/14.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/16.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/18.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/19.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/20.jpg

[d_stilgar]

Lookin good. It looks like the HTPC is really coming back with a vengeance. I've been wanting to build one for a while now too.

[jdbnsn]

Here's a pic of the new RAM cooler I got from Fuganater, skinned and painted but not finished...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/21.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/22.jpg


And a little bit of a shot of those misc brackets I threw together..


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/23.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/24.jpg

I am way burned out on clear case windows so I yanked out the plexi and cut a sheet of ABS to fill the void. I want to build a vent for the top which is going to be the next step...



http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/25.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/26.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/27.jpg

[blueonblack]

Excellent! Good to see you back in action Jon, looking very nice.

So to be clear, your HTPC has two water-cooled 5870 cards in it? I know that it's not really overkill unless something dies from it, I believe that with all my heart, but what exactly to you do with this HTPC?

:up:

[Cale_Hagan]

Excellent! Good to see you back in action Jon, looking very nice.

So to be clear, your HTPC has two water-cooled 5870 cards in it? I know that it's not really overkill unless something dies from it, I believe that with all my heart, but what exactly to you do with this HTPC?

:up:

ikr? two 5870's? :eek: for a htpc?
two 5870's are perfect for running eyefinity across 6 different screens, all with different video content. =P adult videos, perhaps? :whistler: jk.

but seriously, looking clean! beautiful work, as always!

[AmEv]

6*2560*1600 displays???

[jdbnsn]

LOL! Geeezzz guys, of all the people I thought you would understand! Seriously though I use the PC on a big TV and would like to be able to use it for gaming BF3 from time to time. Gotta have GPU muscle for that.

[xr4man]

i understand dude, i understand >_>

[blueonblack]

Clearly I read the acronym wrong, this is a Hyperspace Transport PC.

My mistake.

[Fuganater]

This might be the first worklog by jdbsan I have ever seen....

[jdbnsn]

This might be the first worklog by jdbsan I have ever seen....

There aren't many, and my very limited access to tools and shop space usually prevents their completion. Not this time, I am determined to finish this thing.

I have been working on the top more, replacing the clear plexi with a slab of ABS and an aluminum vent. Lots of tiny screws in this thing...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/28.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/29.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/30.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/31.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/32.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/33.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/34.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/35.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/36.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/37.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/38.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/39.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/40.jpg

[SgtM]

Looking good Jon. The photos are awesome too!

[d_stilgar]

Yeah. It's looking really nice. Can't wait to see more.

[jdbnsn]

Here are a few more, working as fast as I can because I need to try to get this as close to done as possible in the next few days.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/41.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/42.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/43.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/44.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/45.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/46.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/47.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/48.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/49.jpg

[jdbnsn]

Nothing much to display at this point, mostly just painting and cosmetic stuff. Here are a few shots of the progress...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/50.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/51.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/52.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/53.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/54.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/55.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/56.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/57.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/58.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/59.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/60.jpg

In the meantime, I have been trying to work on the top vent and the 5.25" bay in short bursts. I am pretty sure I won't be able to finish this whole build here so I am trying to get all the things I can't do at home done before I leave.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/61.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/62.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/63.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/64.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/65.jpg

[SXRguyinMA]

lookin good!

[_ferry_]

How are you going to mount those lamel vents? i don't know if you have a idea yet, but as a suggestion:

http://tweakers.net/ext/f/61696/full.jpg

I made it by filing down the edges to look like this:
http://tweakers.net/ext/f/62270/full.jpg
Then drill the holes in the aluminium side, stick them in 1 by one, align them, and hit the end with a hammer+center point. Result is awesome, especially when you polish them with some lights behind!

[jdbnsn]

That looks like a great idea! Mine are not going to be mobile, I wanted them to sit at the top of the case as just an open vent for heat to escape. I thought about moving vents but decided against them because I would basically always want them open anyway.

[jdbnsn]

Well unfortunately I didn't get it finished before I had to pack up and head out. I did however get most of the stuff I think I needed a shop for so I should be able to get the rest done here at my apartment. I did the cutting on the case panels, painted all that I could at the moment (will need to touch some parts up later though), finished the rack mount for the HDDs, and still waiting for the mobo tray to dry. I used one of those textured paints for the mobo tray, I wanted the main case to be mostly all black in different finishes and shades for contrast and some brighter colors like the silver for accenting parts inside. Here is as it is now...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/66.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/67.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/68.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/69.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/70.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/71.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/72.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/73.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/74.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/75.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/76.jpg

For each HDD I cut angle aluminum rails and sanded them down, and shaped a nice little access panel for the power and data cables...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/77.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/78.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/79.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/80.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/81.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/82.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/83.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/85.jpg

Only one problem, once I took a second look at the trays after completing all four I noticed that my dumb ass cut the access panel on the wrong side!!! I wanted access to the SATA strip and power cables, not the molex side! argh.... So I re-did the posterior rails which wasn't a huge deal and you can see in that last photo.

Here are some final shots before packing it up. I'll keep working on it here...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/84.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/86.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/87.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/88.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/89.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/90.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/91.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/92.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/93.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/94.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/95.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/96.jpg

[Fuganater]

Wow!

Is there enough clearance for the tubing beside the HDD rack? it looks like it might be uber tight in there.

[jdbnsn]

It's definitely going to be tight turns on both sides. I've cut channels in the bay side for the hoses but haven't checked the drive rack side yet. If it won't fit I will have to move the rack over to the midline.

[Fuganater]

a 90 degree fitting with an extender might work out depending on clearance.

[jdbnsn]

I thought about that, it will be my backup plan if they don't fit. And it may come to that...

[jdbnsn]

I haven't given up on this yet, and it is turning out to be much more of a "mod" than I initially planned. I was going to just water cool it and stack some storage drives in there but one thing led to another and...well you know how it goes.

I haven't been good about taking pictures and progress has been slow but the stuff I am doing now is much more time consuming and less fireworks.

I've been thinking about the face and how it will mount, by now I have it figured out but it's been a slow decision process. I built spacer out of layers of ABS and plexi to bolt the front plate securely into...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/97.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/98.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/112.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/113.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/114.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/118.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/119.jpg

[jdbnsn]

Another change of plans, remember this mess?


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/20.jpg

I decided to put a little more care into the junction of the board's wiring and the PSU so I put together a small box to mount on the right edge of the motherboard tray. This will allow me to run the cables all neat and orderly the way Kier does on his classy cable management delights. Mine will of course not be so beautiful, but I'll try to make it presentable. Here is what is done at this point...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/102.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/103.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/104.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/105.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/106.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/107.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/108.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/109.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/110.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/111.jpg


And I am taking these distribution blocks and cutting them down in size, the next time I get photos I will show you how these will be mounted.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/125.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/126.jpg


One other hand-crafting cluster$%@# was the second reservoir. The only scraps I had that seemed fitting for a res was an old piece of red plexi tube which I got ages ago (I think from Tybrennis if you've been around here long enough to remember him). So after building a mounting rail along the edge of the PSU bay I chipped and chopped and built this completed res....which I later scrapped and decided to remake.



http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/120.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/121.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/122.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/123.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/124.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/99.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/101.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/115.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/116.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/117.jpg

[OvRiDe]

Me likey!!! Can't wait to see more!

[billygoat333]

Very cool! I like the box idea for the cable routing. :)

[jdbnsn]

So I did ditch the red reservoir and decided to pick up some plexi sheets from Inventables.com (awesome place to shop by the way) and have been playing around with designs. Built this little tank which a mounted and leak tested, it's now back off and being sealed. Not 100% sure I will stick with it or not but between this and the wiring box I have been keeping busy with very few photo-worthy moments...

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/127.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/128.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/129.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/130.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/131.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/132.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/133.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/134.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/135.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/136.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/137.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/138.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/139.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/140.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/141.jpg
http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/142.jpg

[OvRiDe]

I like it! Interesting placement, looks like a great spot.

[jdbnsn]

Hello gang,

I haven't finished nor abandoned this damn thing yet. The lack of updates is more a result of unimpressive progress and dancing around making choices like the reservoir. Also spent lots of time making rubbish like these very unoriginal cable-sets...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/143.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/148.jpg

And changed up some of the hoses to get a cleaner fitting arrangement...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/144.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/145.jpg

I'm running the fans for the side-mounted radiators through two splitters that are plugged into an older LCD/fan controller/media display called M-Play Blast by VL systems. I like it because aside from all of the typical fan controller and readout functions it also has a remote which can operate the media players and can power the PC on/off. You can see the two main fan outputs connected to the back plate on the right..


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/146.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/147.jpg

I also ripped out the old power lines from the mainboard and the video cards and replaced with 18G wire from standard speaker wire.


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/155.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/154.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/153.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/152.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/151.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/150.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/149.jpg


Other things done was re-colored some of the vinyl fittings with the tried-and-true Rit dye method which works great!


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/156.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/157.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/158.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/159.jpg

And last but not least, after all that time and effort crafting a custom res....I bailed. LOL In the end, I was not certain enough that the res would not leak over time and it did not really work as well as I had hoped. So for the sake of functional security I picked up a cylinder res and built a mount under the PSU...


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/160.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/161.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/162.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/163.jpg


http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/164.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/165.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/166.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/167.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/168.jpg

http://www.thebestcasescenario.com/jdbnsn/dataphile/169.jpg

[Fuganater]

Horray for updates!

[d_stilgar]

Yeah! Great to see this with some more progress.

[SgtM]

Looking good Jon!

[jdbnsn]

Oh no!!!! Disaster strikes! Both video cards are dead as a door-nail. :( The Danger Den blocks were not cut quite right, when I first installed them I was surprised that the threads seemed stripped and I had to torque the screws down pretty good to get contact but evidently even with the spacers it shorted out both cards and now the project is stuck. I'll have to decide what to do.

[Fuganater]

Oh balls!! Was it something you did? Maybe you can pick up 2 more cards for cheap.

[billygoat333]

Poopstains. :(

[jdbnsn]

Poopstains indeed... :banghead:

Well I was able to buy a couple of replacements off ebay for reasonable prices so with any luck I will get this up and running. I pulled the cards and mounted an old ATI1900 while waiting for them to arrive and right now I'm testing systems and installing windows. Wish me luck!

[jdbnsn]

Uhhhh ok I'm stumped. Maybe those cards aren't fried? I got one of the replacements in the mail today and plugged it with the stock cooler and it does the same thing. Tested the voltage on all the PCIe power cables and they are fine, all works fine with the older 1900 card but no signal with the newer cards. I tried booting it up without the PCIe power lines and the fan revs up loud like it normally should during POST but goes no further, with cables plugged in it does not rev up during POST. I'm scratching my head!!! Any ideas?

[Fuganater]

Did you try them in another mobo? I thought I lost one of my 560Ti but it was actually the PCI-E slot that was going bad.

[jdbnsn]

That is the next think I was going to try but it's going to be a pain in the ass, only other mobo is in my main PC and taking it apart is tedious. I will do that tomorrow.

[Fuganater]

Someone needs to get an extra test system.... :P

[jdbnsn]

OMG, now NOTHING works!! I am losing my mind over here, pulled open the main PC and took out the graphics card, inserted one of the new ones and same thing...no POST. Tried another one, no POST, replaced the main card that was just in there, no POST, tried an old 1900 that always works, no POST, checked all power lines, unplugged everything I could think of that was not needed, no POST. I can't get this MF to turn on no matter what I do! And this is my primary PC, WTF is going on???

[Fuganater]

Everything clean? Meaning the PCI-E slots. Check the cables to make sure the pins are going all the way through the connectors.

[jdbnsn]

Everything is clean, pins are ok. Here is what it has resulted to, after trying all those cards and getting identical results I decided to try resetting CMOS (for whatever reason) and it actually worked. I was able to boot to BIOS with the primary card (7970). But, when I swapped out any other card the same thing happened. Now even without removing the video card, I have to reset CMOS any time the computer is unplugged. I guess that means the battery is dead. Then I remembered that I have an old single PCIe slot motherboard from and old box and I powered it up to run the cards through the line again. With the exception of the 7970, I tried all of the cards on that motherboard with the same PSU. The old 1900, another old card (2400 or something) work fine, but both of my 5870's and both new 5870's all do the same thing in that setup. So that is the same result with 4 cards tested on two PSU's, 3 motherboards, 3 CPU's. What are the chances that all four GPU's are actually blown? I'm so confused.

[d_stilgar]

What are the chances that all four GPU's are actually blown? I'm so confused.

While it would be nearly impossible that you would have 4 dead cards from the factory (especially if they are different brands), it is possible that maybe you have one bad PSU that is frying them via the video card rail, and that they then remain dead for the other PSUs.

That seems like a long shot, but I'm trying to figure out what it could be and that at least makes some sense logically.

[jdbnsn]

I had the same thought earlier today, trying to figure out why it wouldn't have killed the 1900 or the 7970 and not even sure how to test for it. However, the thing that made think less of the theory is that the first trial of each card was not all on the same PSU. So their debut failure also occurred on separate PSU's. I must admit, if there is a pattern it eludes me, this is just bizarre.

[d_stilgar]

I guess I would try to flash all the cards, if you can, and then try each in a known working machine. Maybe it's the card, maybe it's some odd driver issue . . . although that makes no sense either. There's also the chance that the cards have corrupted settings not allowing them to be the boot output video. Or it could be something on the motherboard.

idk, now I'm just saying everything. I'm stumped too.

[jdbnsn]

I hadn't thought of flashing the cards, not even sure how. I'll have to look into that, thanks for the tip.