Issue with SLI configuration - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 19, 2018, 04:37:24 pm
content: I recently bought an EPOX 2themax EP-9NPA+SLI Socket 939 board. I have stuck an FX-57 (as it reports, even though it's labled as an FX-55, mislabel? CPUID reports FX-57 and it runs at FX-57 speeds) into it, along with a 1GB stick of DDR400 into the first slot. Now, it boots into Windows XP off my 4 RAID 0 drives (unreliable, but it wasn't built to hold important data, and backups will be taken) and installs the drivers and everything for the first card, but completely ignores the second one as if it wasn't plugged in. Yes I have the SLI bridge connected right. Yes both cards work, I can swap them out for the first slot just fine.Now, this board was from a blip in history where in order to use both PCI-E slots you had to switch a little jumper card around to change the slots from one 16x and one off, to dual 8x. If you look at the Newegg listing here:https://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813123246you can see this card between the two PCI-E slots. My thought is that it may not be seating right. I've tried to seat it in multiple positions, but that little plastic hook is a bit loose and doesn't tend to hold it very well.I can't get the second PCI-E slot to function. I've tried different cards, using only that slot, and even holding the jumper card in with my hands. Nothing works. It's possible the PCI-E connector is dead, but I am wondering if there is anything obvious I am doing wrong. The cards I am using are nVidia GeForce GTX 7800 GTX 512 editions. They are both identical, both powered, and both seated firmly into the PCI-E connector.I'm trying to think if I should try to find a way to seat that jumper card in better. Maybe some sort of putty, rubber band, or something. That hook keeps it in, but it's loose. Even trying to wedge it so that it appears to be in doesn't help anything, and I haven't gotten anything close to a response out of it.Help is appreciated. Yes my power supply is powerful enough, it's a brand new 650W Corsair supply.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 20, 2018, 06:27:42 am
content: Alright, I have definitely narrowed it down to that jumper card. The way I know this is from attempting to put the card into the 16x position. This should give the first card a full 16x slot, and ignore the other card, but instead the card reports as 8x in forceware, and ignores the other card. There's obviously connection issues.I took a better look at the connector, and also took some pictures, visible here:https://drive.google.com/open?id=1WSukD1l4capskYR4Ql4l0GUWh32AC6yvWord of warning, as people have complained about it in the past, these are pictures, about 2MB each, taken at a rather high resolution. The data isn't Bell 103 friendly.You can see the little connectors at the rear that are supposed to connect, but no matter how I arrange the connector, it just straight up doesn't seem to touch all of them. There doesn't seem to be any defined location on the hook that dictates where it should be fastened.So honestly, I need suggestions on how I could secure the jumper card in a manner that hits all the conductors. I do not have the manual, which is nearly impossible to find (although if someone knows of a copy defo send it my way), so I have no real idea if there is a preferred position to install it.