Hello @ all, 
 
first of all i would like to give you a overview about my Hardware components:
Asus Rampage V Extreme Motherboard
Intel Core i7 5820K 
32GB G.Skill DDR4 3000 Ripjaws V
BeQuiet 850w Dark Power Pro 11 
 
I got my new 980 ti Hydro cooper about 5 days ago. After i replaced my old 660gtx from msi i noticed no screenoutput by the new card.
The Bios Q-Code stucks on B2 and a small VGA red led is lighting up on the motherboard. The integrated led on the card just stop shining and after about 10 secs it power up again.
 
Things i've recently tested to find a solution:
 
-Clear CMOS (this means no overclocking of anything at this time)
-Update CMOS and clear cmos again after that
- trying all buttons on the mainboard like "retry" "saveboot" and so on ...
- tried another PCI-e slot
- tried to remove all ddr sticks except of on in A1
- removed all other hardware like hdd ssd fans and all USB (also mouse and keyboard)
- tried to give the EVGA Hydro card a dedicated power supply (430w pure power)
- tried different 8 pin / 6+2 pin cables
 
EVGA delivered me another card yesterday and i was sure that this one will be working fine. The big supprise just came after the display did not show up anything and the Q-Code was showing B2 again... 
So nothing even changed the situation at all.
 
additional tries to find a solution:
-putting both cards seperatly into my mediacenter pc (430w be quiet 8gb ddr3 ram h87 pro asus mainboard, dual core 3220 intel)
 --> same result here (just no q-code display) but the card were flashing of its lights after a few secs and turned on again after another few secs.
 
This give me very big headaches now cause i am a IT specials / IT Technician myself and can't solve a problem like this. 

I really hope anyone else got a idea that could help me out :)
 
best greets 
Karel1710
 
 

bcavnaugh
I would say after two cards you have a hardware issue that it not the Graphic Cards.
Maybe take a look at your Power Supply. (850 Watts for One card) (1000 Watts for Two Cards)

Think this is a missunderstood, i will use 1 card and no sli with two cards, the second card came by evga as RMA in cause the first one is broken.
 

bcavnaugh
Run EVGA's  to see what your Power Needs Are.

I just ran the PowerMeter Calculator with these results for my system:
Without overclocking they recommend a 650w supply.
For overclocked systems they recommend a 850w psu.
 
If you remember i reset my whole bios to default settings. This means there is actually no overclocking active on my rig.
 
Just by the way: if i put in my 660gtx my rig is getting stable up to 4,7GHz  @ 1,33v and 3000mhz ram with 15-15-15-34-1T
I think the CPU and RAM are a big win from the silicon lottery.
 
Back to topic:
 

bcavnaugh
Are you using the PCIe Slot that is Next to your CPU?

As I said before, i checked every pci-e slot on my mainboard if its working. With my old 660 it is, in fact its also working with an asus strix 970.
But yes my mainslot is normaly the first next to the cpu. This is a gen3 x16 slot, and i know the manual myself without even watching at it :D so many times read and try to figure out whats wrong
 

bcavnaugh
Are all or Both 8-Pin/6-Pin Connecters Connected?

All connectors were checked 10 times and pluged in and out several times till now ... no changes appears
 

bcavnaugh
What Other PCIe Cards do you have installed?

No other PCIe cards, neither m.2 cards installed. I would have mentioned this because i know its relevant for the whole incident.
 

bcavnaugh
B2 ( cannot copy and past from your Manuel) you have a Legacy ROM issue, turn your Legacy Mode On or Off in your Bios and look at your Secure Boot and CSM as well.

tried to change CSM settings the day before yesterday with the first card, first set to legacy this keeps a b2... if i change to uefi or even deactivate it, it show another code but dont remember the number anymore. So no Success at this point.
I tried also to change some Secure Boot settings, without luck because they seem to be greyed out on the bios. 
Do the depend on another setting ?
 

bcavnaugh
Do you have the Extra Power Cable Plugged in on your Motherboard for the PCIe Slots? (4-Pin Molex bottom left on your MB)

Yes every cable is attached and were messured twice if its working and getting the right voltages. I tested all with a multimeter and every single 12 v and 5 v lane seems to be stable and o.k.
 
 
 
UPDATE:
I just came back from my brother. I build his gaming system also and he is the only one i know in my neighbourhood i can test my card in his system.
i can hardly remember the exact hardware details but i try to list all here:
Core i7 4770k (without overclocking)
8gb G.skill Ram ddr3 (dont remember the MHz)
970 GTX Superclocked EVGA 2.0
730w BeQuiet Pure Power
120gb ssd
Asus Z97 Deluxe Motherboard
 
Result of the testing ..... both cards stuck at B2 at his rig.... 
 
No my headaches getting really terrible *lol*
This is really really really hard... i still can't belive the cards are broken ...
 
I've been told by EVGA earlier today.... that the card does not need much ampere to get through the POST test.
I got 4 Rails each 12v (2x 30A and 2x 35A). 
In the opinion of the EVGA technician there is no use of thinking about a broken PSU.  My own opinion about this is, i still would like to try another PSU with more wattage... BUT here it comes... at the moment this damn cards blocked about 3000€ on my visa. I can't even order a test PSU atm to test it :D :D :D (in fact i can but i still got other payments @ real life :D)
 
Ok guys any other ideas ... my head is allready smoking while its thinking about this damn problem....
 
Thanks in forward :)

Sajin
When you say you updated the cmos you mean you updated the motherboard bios to the very latest bios which is version  correct? If yes, sounds like you just got two bad cards which is unfortunate.

Yes Sir :P i meant the BIOS of the motherboard and its Version 1801 thats also true ... After flashing the Update i cleared cmos again because this was an advise of the Asus Support hotline

What is the hardware that you are using in your water loop?

I am pretty sure the last three posts nailed it.  You are not the first person to install hydrocopper cards with no water connection and you will not be the last.  Not trying to overly critical but if computers are your living I would suggest that you investigate unfamiliar hardware before using it. If you want a similar card without the job of setting up a loop the hybrid version is the one you want.

karel1710
Sorry guys but you are wrong. I have nerver been driving one of these cards without a water loop... In fact it was without a radiator but with about 700-1000ml water loop. I am 100% sure that this kind of setup should be enough without any kind of risking to see if the card wakes up or not ....


I took the pump/ reservoir combo with some fittings for soft tubing and filled that up with water ...

Still evga technician told me that even with no water in that card I can test it for up to few minutes to see if it's passing post or not

My regular water cooling eq is:
D5 with the acrylic top from bitspower and on top the 150mm upgrade kit reservoir all bitspower ...
1x 360 radiator alphacool
1x 280 radiator alphacool
Heatkiller IV pro cpu waterblock


Last but not least the first card has been never turned on before it was integrated into my regular full loop ...

You are searching the wrong direction my friend :P I am not a damn nooby on computers and I am not risking any dmg on my hardware ...
 
I'll upload a picture of my system. At this point the evga hydro copper has never been turned ON. I installed the whole loop into my system and checked for leaks.
After 24 hours leaktesting (without having any cables to my motherboard --> only to the pump)
Another fact : this picture has been taken after removing the tissues from the leaktest and spending hours on cablemanagement ... but still no power cable attached to the PSU)
There were no leaks at all. Than i powered up the system and stucked on b2 even the first time i run the card.
The loop has also been free of air, no bubbles .... its working quietly perfect. 
Just right now i am on my Computer and the watercooled cpu is running at under 40°C at idle...
to bad i got my 660gtx in atm....
 
 
 
 

Nice Water Loop Hardware you have, I wish you luck with your new Cards.
I note about SLI if you are only using Two Cards make sure that you Test Both SLI Forks incase you want to add a 3rd or 4th Card.
 
Where are you Buying the HC Cards From?
 
If you get the Time Create a  Page
 
When your cards are installed are the PCIe Locks Locked?

I apologize for making the assumption.  Surprising how many people have done that.  Odds are against both cards being faulty.  But if you tried them in another working system, you have the latest MB bios and your system boots with the older card it just may be that you win in the bad luck category.

Some people have reported POST code/Beep/Boot issues with 900 series cards (not only from EVGA, but other vendors such as Gigabyte and MSI as well) when using DisplayPort and can get their PC's to pass POST/Boot by using HDMI or DVI, or by turning off/disconnecting the display until the PC passes POST and boots into OS (if it does) before turning on/connecting the display again..I didn't see in any of your posts what kind of display you're using, but if it's DisplayPort (or even otherwise), you might try disconnecting it and see what happens..Just thought I would throw this into the mix here.

Hi i have the same problem with two of 980 ti Hydro cards...
i tested on two systems:
Asus Maximus VII Formula  with latest Bios
Asus Striker 2 Extreme Latest Bios
 
S/N XXXX6******
S/N XXXX6******

Hi Im from Germany too
i buy the cards from Alternate
My Rig
 
Intel Core I7 4790k
Asus Maximus VII Formula
24 GB Corsair Dominator Platinum
2x 580 GTX
(2x 980 Ti Hydro)
Be Quiet Dark Power Pro 850W
 
 

Willkommen im club LaW  ;-)
 
 

bis morgen warten :-(
 
mal schun was das problem ist .......
3 User 5 defekte karten

karel hatt kontakt mit dem support..... 
du kannst ja mal probieren sie zu tauschen..... evtl hast ja glück
mal sehn morgen was der support dazu sagt

Thanks scarlet-tech, i apologize for this. I know that it could be abused but my thinking about the serial number and that more cards could be affected just got proofed :) so i'm quiet o.k. with the removing of the S/N. 
 
Guys i would also enjoy to write in german, but lets stay @ english to respect user from other countries even when it seems to be a problem with cards sold in germany.
At least i'll go on in english...
 
Thank you all for you responses. Special thanks to Loosersatwork !!! You said that your cards ain't work and your PSU is much stronger than mine. I'm 100% sure now that the cards are all DeadOnArrival.
 
I'll contact the support tomorrow morning and i'll also keep you informed about their further actions. I'll also ask what you all have to do. I guess i know the anser allready, thinking all of you will have to RMA your cards. I'll inform them about this thread to keep an eye on this, so they can see the avalanche breaking out :D
 
If this all is true, this is a blame for EVGA. I mean the support is quiet brilliant (god thanks for this specially in cases like this) but for me personally its the first card from evga and also my first card ever out of this price segment i've ever bought. This is frustrating. I had have spend so many hours to find a solution for a problem that EVGA should have catched before it gets to the enduser.
Why are they saying that they are testing the cards up to 24 hours before they put them on the market ? I will never belive my cards have been tested before... and thats a shame for a card that cost 900€. Other people buy whole systems for lower prices :D
 
If there will be no solution or working replacement till the end of the week, i'll buy another brand. Everything i wanted was an EVGA card in my high end rig and now everything i want is a working card so i can start my working/gaming.... 
 
Stay patient and keep cool I'll add more infos tomorrow

I had to go the way through rma...cause caseking was out of stock...
So i decide to make an advanced rma paying 900 euro to evga for sending me an hydro copper as fast as possible. This took 24 hours but the card was faulty... So there is no difference by calling the reseller or directly evga... At least evga seems to have them on stock for rma's