[skarface]

Originally Posted by Kal-EL

Joe,
sry to hear bout the run of bad luck homie.

The thing about waterblocks on gpu's is not overtightening the block screws. The pcb easily bends when the screws are over-tightened and if the pcb bends and touches the metal block, you can get a short. Also, if the pcb bends enough, you can crack the inner layers of the pcb severing the trace lines running thru the pcb.

This thing with the pci slot 1_ slot_2 slot_3. What it sounds like is that the gpu in slot_2 is functioning fine but the gpu in slot_1 is recognized as present but not functioning. This happened to me with my 9800gx2's after the slot_1 card failed due to short. Remove and switch out slot_1 cards.

I'd reckon just from this that gpu in slot_1 arrived d.o.a. from Evga (shit happens)
OR
The Koolance waterblock is warped and there is contact being made somewhere on the pcb
OR
the retention screws used with the waterblock have been over-tightened

Another option you may try is running the system outside of the case on a flat non-conductive surface like a cardboard box. Be wary though, the gtx295's with waterblock are pretty damned heavy and if you're pci slut isn't a virgin, you might have lean on the gpu in the slot.

Also, are you laying the case on its side when mounting the gtx's w/waterblock? Because of the weight of this card with a waterblock, properly seating the card adn then securing the card to the motherboard tray might require laying the case on its side. This way, you know for sure you have a good seat and that its snuggly fastened to the mobo tray. A slut pci slot can allow for alot of play which can lead to bad mounts.

And lastly, don't sweat it bro, its a hobby and not intended to be a huge source of frustration. Everyone and I mean everyone in that plays with their pc will encounter d.o.a. hardware and rma blues. Just pull that nut tot and re-install the air h/s, and rma that sucker to EVGA for a fresh start. now that you've learned your lesson on assuming hardware is working on arrival, always test at stock upon reciept to lessen ur workload, time consumed, no sweat.

Hey thanx alot kal! After a day of rest and clearing my head i looked back at the cards and noticed an error. One of the ribbions was not properly installed so i used a tarter tool for teeth to get it plug back in correctly through the fan vent above the dvi ports. Bam card work posted and both gpu showed. So then i was left with only rmaing one more card vs 2 more. Well i got the card this past wed and installed it friday and all is well and working great! Lost around 7c in windows and 16c with full load on a single rad and a 400m/l pump.

Chuchnit came by and gamed with us some on sat and checked out my rig. He was saying he was surprized the the set up was holding those temps down!