Quote from: ozhaveruk on September 15, 2017, 11:01:41 PM

Hi,

Now that everything is working and fresh in my mind I wanted to go through step by step installation from beginning to end:

1. Install just motherboard. it means CPU, memory, SSD, NO wires NO adapters NO GPUS

2. Plug motherboard into power not forgetting power to 8 pin CPU

3. Power up make sure first of all the thing works and you can access the bios. (forget about all the tutorial videos where they build the thing from beginning to end and it just works, that shit don't work!)

4. Once you can access the bios, update it to the latest version. There are instructions online and in the motherboard manual. It's really not that scary.

5. set up your bios ready for the next steps:
a) DMI/OPI is gen 2
b) PEG Port is gen 2
c) 4G decoding - enable (I find there is no harm in enabling 4G early even before you have multiple GPUS but if you have issues do it later after 3rd GPU)
4. PCH / PCIe config is gen 2
5. Onboard devices M.2_1 config is auto (M.2_2 setup options are not found as this is set to PCI-e by default it should just work)
There are other settings for making things more convenient but these are not critical to setup

6. After setup install windows

7. setup all your risers but NO GPUS yet!
POWER TIPS:
- make sure if you are using a daisy chain SATA or Molex power that you don't put more than 2 or 3 risers per connection to PSU. It might not take the load and give you errors.
- I also burnt 2 motherboards in early setups connecting adapter to adapter - don't do it! take the original psu power cable and connect each end (if daisy chain you will have multiple) to ONE chinese splitter. don't connect one splitter to another splitter. I use the molex one male to two female adapter works fine.
- Make sure non of the cable touch the metal body of your GPU those get very hot and melt the cables.
-don't share cables between PSUs corsair and Antec and EVGA they are all wired up differently and don't share you could burn up your setup
-there are MANY things that can go wrong with power. each Riser would need about 75W on it's own so 850W supply might just be enough for 8 risers and M/b. If you use heavy power GPUS like 8 x R9 390 you will need at least another 2 PSUs as these will draw at least 200W each. AT LEAST!

8. Install the two m.2 adapters m.2_1 and m.2_2 make sure you follow asus recommendations I followed the instructions carefully, FIRST screwing in the m.2 card and THEN bending it into place. VERY SCARY!! I felt like I was going to snap the card in 2 or snap the motherboard or snap my fingers, bending those shits is hard!!!

9. start up the PC after each step just to make sure nothing was messed up in between steps

10. So each PCIE riser is powered now and you can connect just ONE PCIE riser to ONE m.2 connector. NO NEED TO CONNECT m.2 adapter to power as PCIE your riser is already powered.

11. update windows

12. download all latest drivers from asus website, chipset, LAN and Video ALSO download latest driver from AMD website but DON'T yet install the AMD video driver.

13. disconnect Internet. uplug it. shut down

14. Install 1 GPU inside the first PCIE riser (the one you connected to m.2_1) Power up should boot fine.

15. In windows open device manager make sure your 1 GPU is detected as some generic video adapter.

16. shut down. Install second GPU in PCIE riser connected to m.2_2. boot up, at this point both m.2 converted to PCIe should be detected by windows as generic display adapters. good.

17. Keep adding 1 GPU at a time and booting up and making sure detected by windows between each addition. (after 3 GPUS make sure your bios is setup for 4G decoding). sometimes it may take a few minutes for device manager in windows to detect new GPU, wait patiently. by the end of this you should see 8 GPUs detected by windows.

18. shut down. Unplug all your PCIE risers from motherboard (no need to physically pull out GPUs from risers)

19. plug in just one PCIE-riser to motherboard and boot up into windows

20. install latest AMD graphics driver that you downloaded before.

21. Driver should install successfully detecting the 1 GPU you have connected.

22. shut down, connect second riser, reboot make sure it's detected not as generic

23. repeat process connect one PCIE riser with 1 GPU at each reboot, check and repeat

Hopefully by the end of it all you will have 8 gpus detected.

If I left anything out please comment and I will ammend

GOOD LUCK! Cheesy

Kudos
Eth 0x26eD97293A6F31E2bE3a7122D52aC151B97138Cd

PS sometimes GPUs are not detected on first reboot. reboot 2 or 3 times with same settings to ensure you really have a problem

Very long and instructive list of steps. I think this will help new users of same brand and model. Regarding GPU detection, I have experienced same issue with an Asrock mobo. I had to reboot several times to see all gpus in action.