Hey everyone, I've been trying to make this thing work for over a week and I'm at my wit's end with it...
 
When I try to plug in the 2080 using VGA cables, the PSU acts like it tripped a breaker (it clicks on and immediately off) and never turns on, no lights from the GPU or error codes from the MB. From there, the only way to turn on the machine is to turn off the PSU and turn it back on again, which it'll fail to do if the 2080 is still plugged in. I've tried 2 types of VGA cables: 4+4 going to 6+2, and I also tried a split cable. 4+4 going to 6+2 and 6-pin.
 
As soon as I show any video card a whiff of either set of VGA cables, it's the same result: PSU trips a breaker and won't turn on. I have noticed with a 980 and a 1080 I had laying around that using those VGA cables still trips the breakers but causes the power plugs on the cards to smell like burning electronics... no visible damage to either and they both still work, but I obviously stopped trying as soon as I noticed this. I only mention this because I thought maybe the initial cables were defective, hence trying the split cable.
 
I am currently running on the 1080 using PCI-e cables (4+4 to 6+2) with no problems. Using PCI-e cables, both the 1080 and the 980 run just fine, but when I plug those into the 2080, all 3 red lights very briefly turn on, then it settles on a single red light, and I get no output from the card on my monitor (I've made sure I'm on the HDMI output and I've even tried a miniDP to DP cable). My research tells me a single red light on a 2080 means it's getting insufficient power, but that doesn't make sense with a 1200W PSU.
 
I've tried 4 of the 5 PCI ports (the 5th one would squish some cables so I didn't do that one), flashing the BIOS to the latest version, updating all MB and GPU drivers to the latest, bought and returned PSUs from Best Buy (750w to 1000w)...
 
Does anyone have any ideas at all? What could I possibly be missing? The GPU was being used in a SLI configuration up until a few months ago (I might be able to grab the identical 2080 and see if the one I have happens to be broken).
 
HELP!
 
Specs:
PSU: Corsair AX1200
Motherboard: ASRock x99 OC Formula/3.1
CPU: Intel Xeon 10-Core E5-2687W v3 @ 3.10GHz (Cooling: Corsair H80i v2)
RAM: HyperX 128Gb (8x 16Gb) DDR4
GPU: EVGA 2080 Ti FTW3

Welcome to the EVGA Forum
 
New issue with an existing PC or is that a New GPU  (2080 Ti FTW3) going into your PC ?
 
NEVER use any cables with your PSU - that - Did - Not - Come - with - the - PSU, unless you confirm they are wired for your PSU
 
All Cables are custom wired to work with the PSU they came with.
 
 
When you use other cables (not stock with PSU) YOU Must confirm with PSU mfg that they are compatible
 
The outputs on the PSU can & often Are wired differently, the PSU mfg knows this & provides the proper cables.
 
Only the Device End & not the PSU end of modular cables has a standardized pinout
 
So, if multiple GPUs fail with any non-stock cables I'd say it was not compatible & I hope you did not damage your hardware

Cool GTX
New issue with an existing PC or is that a New GPU  (2080 Ti FTW3) going into your PC ?
 

Both? My work was getting rid of old PC gear that had been collecting dust. Among the parts were a PC with everything except the GPU and PSU. Used my home PSU (1200W) and grabbed one of the two 2080's available (used to be SLI). Co-worker gave me 2 VGA cables which I tried first (didn't know about different wiring...). PCI-e cables just don't power the card, but they work fine for 980 Ti and 1080 cards.
 
Tried out 3 other PSUs from Best Buy, a 750W, 850W and 1000W, using their respective cables, but the result was the same (single red light and no output)
 
EDIT: I also tried the card on a different/older MB with the same behavior

fromParaguay

Cool GTX
New issue with an existing PC or is that a New GPU  (2080 Ti FTW3) going into your PC ?
 

Both? My work was getting rid of old PC gear that had been collecting dust. Among the parts were a PC with everything except the GPU and PSU. Used my home PSU (1200W) and grabbed one of the two 2080's available (used to be SLI). Co-worker gave me 2 VGA cables which I tried first (didn't know about different wiring...). PCI-e cables just don't power the card, but they work fine for 980 Ti and 1080 cards.
 
Tried out 3 other PSUs from Best Buy, a 750W, 850W and 1000W, using their respective cables, but the result was the same (single red light and no output)
 
EDIT: I also tried the card on a different/older MB with the same behavior

 
seems something is wrong with the 2080Ti FTW3 GPU then; possible electrical short
 
Did you also try the second BIOS position, that card has a very small switch by the PCIe sockets
 
When testing:
make sure GPU is fully inserted into the PCIe slot & locked & the PCIe cables are fully installed (sometimes they get tight in socket before the are fully installed)

yeah... what a bummer :/ I'll hopefully get to try the other 2080 with my PSU's PCIe cables and see if I have any luck. I wouldn't expect both of them to be failing

found a few older threads for you to check:
 
 Used 2080 ti ftw3 / 1 red light
https://forums.evga.com/FindPost/3209993
 
2080 TI FTW3 one red light above power cables?
 
Help! 2 Red LED on Brand New EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 TI FTW3 ULTRA HYBRID GAMING
 

thanks, yeah I came across those from scouring the internet for a solution. I did just stumble into the one where someone suggests plugging into different PSU positions, I'll have to try that tonight just tried this but no improvements, although I'm not sure what the method is supposed to be here, so my approach was kind of haphazard.
 

Cool GTX
Did you also try the second BIOS position, that card has a very small switch by the PCIe sockets

Sorry just saw this, yeah tried switching from BIOS A to BIOS B and got the same results as always. 
 
EDIT: if you meant the physical switch on the video card itself, I'm just seeing a switch to go from Normal to OC
 

fromParaguay
thanks, yeah I came across those from scouring the internet for a solution. I did just stumble into the one where someone suggests plugging into different PSU positions, I'll have to try that tonight just tried this but no improvements, although I'm not sure what the method is supposed to be here, so my approach was kind of haphazard.
 

Cool GTX
Did you also try the second BIOS position, that card has a very small switch by the PCIe sockets

Sorry just saw this, yeah tried switching from BIOS A to BIOS B and got the same results as always. 
 
EDIT: if you meant the physical switch on the video card itself, I'm just seeing a switch to go from Normal to OC
 

Yes, "the physical switch on the video card itself" --->> switch to go from Normal to OC BIOS for the GPU

EVGA support seems to think it's a bad card. I'm gonna try the other 2080 on Monday and if it works, then I guess I'll know for sure, unless there's something else I'm missing. 

fromParaguay
EVGA support seems to think it's a bad card. I'm gonna try the other 2080 on Monday and if it works, then I guess I'll know for sure, unless there's something else I'm missing. 

it does sound like a damaged card, you have done a lot of testing
 
What OS are you using?
 
You are new here & we have no idea of your experience level, so some basics:
 
1) Make sure the PC is unplugged - the MB always has power even if Windows is shut down (soft off)
 
2) That you are grounded, (no static discharge = ESD procedures)
 
3) Everything is fully locked into place PCIe slot & PCIe power
 
4)Turn Fast Boot = OFF (in the MB BIOS), Before you change any hardware (you need the MB to look for new hardware)
 
5) Use known good video cable & monitor
 
6) Have the appropriate Nvidia driver already downloaded & read to install - OR - reinstall if need be
 
Give an update once you have a chance
 
Have a great weekend