Go ASIC or go home!
I've already ordered 2 Zeus Ether ASICs by KnC and they promised to ship between Q2/Q3 2017

Try flashing the bios, maybe he messed with it.
I had the same idea but both BIOS versions are the default one's (015.012). I've tried BIOS version 015.039 (ASUS 7970) and 015.041 (ASUS 280X) but with both versions the PC doesn't boot.
check with gpu-z to see who is limiting the gpu
How? I'm using Windows/GPU-Z for the first time since many years. Which values are important?
For example if I start Furmark the core clock stays at 300 MHz and can't be changed with MSI Afterburner.