HP Z210 SFF: two different video cards produce no Displayport output when installed

Question

I have a HP Z210 SFF that I'm trying to install a video card into. I've tried two different cards in Slot 2 (a Quadro FX380LP and a Quadro 600). Neither of these cards produce a displayport signal when installed.

With neither installed the displayport port on the motherboard works fine with the built in graphics. When I install the cards it produces no signal and the cards don't either. The Quadro 600 is brand new and the odds of having two dead video cards is quite low.

Is there something fundamental that I could be missing out - a BIOS setting maybe?

Answer 1

The HP Z210 BIOS will detect that a PCI graphics card is installed into the pcie slot and automatically deactivate the Integrated Intel HD2000/3000/4000 graphics. In theory, plug and play should just work :)

Obviously when you install any PCI graphics card you must also move the monitor cable from the motherboard port to the graphics card port, otherwise your still connected to the now deactivated Intel HD port which can't display as it's deactivated!

Also note, where multiple ports are available on the graphics card, one port may default to the primary port and it is this port that you must use or else the monitor will be connected to a deactivated port and you may not see the boot sequence on the monitor.

If you still can't see anything through the pcie graphics card, try another port on the graphics card (if there is one), reboot and check the screen for the boot sequence.

If you still don't see any output, ensure you are only using a straight through cable, that is DP to DP without any adapters/converters. If you have a DVI cable, try that and then try a VGA cable as last resort.

If you still have problems, try moving the graphics card to pcie slot3 and see if that results in some video being displayed on the monitor.

Failing that, your HP is likely still under warranty so i would call HP for support.

Answer 2

I suggest you test the cards in another machine. If they work, then it suggests the PCI-E slot on your board is faulty; you would have to take it to a computer repair shop though and ask them to test it.

Answer 3

Most likely the motherboard disables the integrated graphics when a video card is installed. This behavior can sometimes be changed in the BIOS.

Usually it will be labeled to something like "Default graphics adapter". I don't know what settings HP has left open on that particular model, but third-party motherboards usually default to "Auto", which is equivalent to using only the video card.

If you have the choice to use the IGP + PEG or PCI-E, that's the one you want. This way, programs can use the Quadro to perform calculations and you would maintain your DP output.

Answer 4

Are you positive that you are using the right X16 socket? Sorry I have to ask that, but simplest answer is generally correct.

[X1]
[X16] (@X4)
[X16] <- this is the right one
[PCI]

Based on the image from this review.

Answer 5

As a caution the HP Z210 PDF user guide says:

NOTE: HP Z Workstations do not support all graphics cards. Make sure a new graphics card is supported before purchasing it. To find out how to list supported graphics cards and get other information, see Finding supported graphics cards on page 21.

Still the card is likely to work but you could run into problems due to 1. on board is disabled when you add an expansion graphics card and 2. which port it considers the system port might not be the one you want. You can change 2. in BIOS for supported cards. It currently looks like the DVI is the system port during boot so try to change that in the BIOS.

The reason for a more static configuration is that for workstations it's often desired that when parts fail or are disconnected the remaining are not reassigned.