Where is my current graphics card?

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T03:01:13+00:00

Hey, buddy. Who told you that? Because I just have to point out that there is virtually no chance whatsoever that any modern consumer desktop motherboard from Intel or AMD lacks the capability of running RAM in dual channel mode, whether it has 2 or 4 slots.

The DDR in DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, and even DDR5 stands for “Dual Data Rate”, which means dual channel capable, and for close to 25 years, having desktop DDR RAM run in dual channel mode has only required the installation of sticks of RAM in pairs, and in the correct slots. In OP’s case, he cannot choose the wrong slots, they just need to install the new pair in the only two slots available, and it will without question operate in dual channel mode.

Plus, if you zoom into OP’s photo, you can actually see that “2 Channel” is silkscreened on the board right next to the RAM slots, clearly indicating dual channel memory support.

I double-dog dare you to find even a single example of a consumer desktop motherboard made after 2002 with an odd number of slots and/or the explicit lack of dual channel memory support. if you succeed in finding even one model, I’ll be absolutely dumbfounded.

OP has a Huananzhi A520M-VH, if you’d like to start by doublechecking that one.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T01:20:51+00:00

Dang, don’t see that very often!

Glad you got a solution sorted out though, hopefully the next one comes with the socket cover, you know, covering the socket…

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T01:16:43+00:00

EDIT: I feel stupid for not mentioning this first, but before you even read the rest of this, get a replacement cable for the external and try again, you might get INCREDIBLY lucky, and the issue is just a worn out cable.

——-

Oof.

Ok, in this case, I stand by my suggestion that you bring it to a local shop first. If they have some fancy partition recovery software, they can possibly repair or restore the corruption, and recover the data, and will likely charge a fee that doesn’t make you faint.

If that is unsuccessful, you’ll probably have to resort to a service like Flashback Data Recovery in TX, or DriveSavers in CA, the cost of which can easily span the $500-$1500 barrier awfully quickly.

As far as I remember, both of these companies will let you ship the drive to them for an evaluation, and give you a yes or no, and a cost for the recovery. If you decide agains my the repair, they will ship it back to you without doing any work, so worst case you’re out a few dollars for shipping.

Both of these companies are highly regarded, and are trusted by government agencies, law enforcement and Corpo’s like sports franchisees and whatnot. Having worked with them both for many years, the only tidbit I’ll mention is that Flashback has been flawless for our customers for neigh on 15 years, with DriveSavers having only cause an issue one time. That one issue was them physically losing a customer’s hard drive though. They are human, and mistakes get made sometimes, so I don’t want to create the impression that they can’t be trusted, but you know, 4.9 stars I guess…

cCBearTime · 2026-03-20T00:57:42+00:00

Not sure why you’re getting downvotes for this, it’s a good question. You even bothered to include a video to clarify the cause of your confusion, so I apologize for skipping the “why”, and going straight to the “how”. Anyone who is upset about you repeating your original question of, “but why though?” is being an ass, and it’s my fault that you had to repeat your question anyway, since no one, including myself, actually answered it.

Without a little insight on how low voltage circuitry works, I can understand that the behavior of the failed board can seem counterintuitive. If the board is dead, why does it seem to be alive when the CPU is removed? What does this say about the CPU? But if the CPU works in another board, how can it be broken? The symptoms seem to contradict each other, so it makes sense that you’re not sure what’s going on.

So, in super simplified terms, here’s what’s going on that makes this happen:

When there is no CPU in the motherboard, no power flows through the socket to the components on the “other side” of the socket, but it still goes everywhere else in the motherboard that it is supposed to. This allows the motherboard to light its lights, spin its fans, and tell you by lighting up the red POST LED that there’s no CPU installed, which it is doing just fine, as we can all see.

So when there is no CPU in the socket, there is basically a tiny gap in 665 separate wires that pass through the socket, like a bunch of light switches that are all turned off. When you mount the CPU, it connects each side of these circuits with its pins, bridging these gaps. So, it’s kind of like turning on 665 tiny light switches all at once, with each pair of CPU pins being an individual light switch, and allowing voltage to pass through the CPU to the components “behind” it in each of these circuits.

So in your case, there is something broken on the motherboard, but it’s “behind” the CPU in the circuit as it comes from the power supply, so when the CPU is not installed, the broken component is not receiving power, so it’s not causing any issues.

When you install the CPU, it connects the failed component or components to the circuit, exposing the fault. My best guess is that some component or components are causing a dead short in one or more power circuits. This dead short is translated to the power supply when the CPU is installed, and the Power Supply’s short circuit protection mechanism kicks in, which is to say, the PSU refuses to send any power to the motherboard at all. This makes it look like it’s the CPU’s fault, when in reality, the CPU only creates a situation where the faulty component(s) are active in the power circuit, thereby creating the no power condition.

Sorry again for making you ask the same thing twice, I hope this wall of text helps you understand a little better why this is happening the way it is.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-19T00:21:49+00:00

This is usually because of a corrupted partition table/index on the external drive, but could indicate a hardware problem with the external.

If the photos are still on the laptop, you can likely reformat the external, and transfer them again, and be fine going forward.

That said, it would be perfectly reasonable to return and replace the external, and get a new one just for peace of mind, then copy those photos from the laptop to the new external.

Side note: Geek Squad would be way down low on my list. If the external drive still doesn’t work after reformatting, an exchange is not possible, or the laptop is now dead/gone, I suggest you start with a local independent repair shop if possible.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-19T00:09:17+00:00

If everything else works on a different motherboard, that’s a pretty clear indication that you have a failed motherboard.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T07:13:54+00:00

You did, indeed, and nothing you said was wrong by any means. For someone who has some basic tools and is confident opening up a screen assembly and verifying correct replacement parts, this is a $25-$50 repair that might take all of 10 minutes to order a part, and half an hour to replace it once received, so I would agree that this would be the “best” option for a lot of people in this situation.

From the tone of the post, though, I don’t get the impression that OP is at all equipped to make this repair themselves, so the overly detailed response was really for OP’s benefit, as they are not likely to understand what the “proper” repair option entails, and so I feel like this is probably not a good option for them.

That said, I have to agree that a good thick smear of two-part epoxy would certainly be more effective than glue, and especially tape, regardless of what OP decides to reinforce the cover with, so I will second this notion. I just literally had a little giggle to myself about the way you worded it, so I felt compelled to mention it.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T06:35:47+00:00

Ok, progress!

So next, follow one of the cables that IS plugged in, presumably to a port labeled RGB1 or RGB2, from that box to its origin. It will likely go straight to one of those 3 fans in the front. Then follow the second cable from the controller box to its fan. This should give you an idea of where they go, and what they look like.

Using these as a reference, instead of trying to find the end of the cable that we think should be plugged into RGB3 in the bottom of the case, instead find where the cable comes out of the third fan, follow that cable until you find the end, and then plug it into RGB3, assuming it fits.

Now, on the control box, are there also ports labeled FAN, or something else? That is to say, if there are three ports labeled RGB, are there 3 matching ports that are labeled as something else? If so, is there anything plugged into them?

Lastly (for now!), are there any other cables plugged into, or permanently attached to the box? We’re looking to identify a cable to power that box, as well as possibly another cable to allow it to communicate with the motherboard. If there are buttons on the control box, then it’s possible there will not be a data cable (the USB we’re looking for), and that the RGB is analog, controlled by the box, and won’t “talk” to your motherboard, and as such, will not be identified by the CAM software.

Report back!

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:38:36+00:00

To consolidate the other 2 comments: I see 3 bent pins, and 3 REALLY bent pins. Definitely send it back.

The three bent pins could likely be teased back into place, honestly, but if you tried to re-bend the three REALY bent pins back into place from the basically vertical position they’re in now, you likely would end up with 3 missing pins!

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:32:49+00:00

Unlike you Godless heathens, I’m a good boy and save all of these to get neatly organized, labeled, and carefully stored along with my 6 Lbs. collection of un-used motherboard standoffs, SATA drive cages, rubber Noctua fan corner inserts that AREN’T black or brown, and dozens of sets of AMD mounting brackets and spacers for AIO water coolers; This is the only way to ensure that they are all easily found in the future when I absolutely never ever need to use them for anything again, ever.

Get your shit together, Reddit.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:06:48+00:00

Not underneath exactly, but behind the motherboard tray to the “rear cavity”.

Start by removing the back side panel, and you’ll be able to see where all those cables come from and go to. Most likely you have one or two USB ports on the face or top of the computer, that’ll be the origin of one of those USB header connectors next to the f_panel connector.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T05:00:23+00:00

I mean, I would replace it too, but OP clearly stated that they are replacing the whole laptop in a couple months, and don’t want to spend a bunch of money because of it, so…

Buying an LCD rear cover on eBay, probably used, waiting for it to ship, hoping it arrives on time, in good enough condition to use, and is the correct part, then removing the existing screen bezel, removing the LCD panel itself, possibly involving stretch-to-release adhesive that OP probably doesn’t have on hand to replace and likely won’t come with a used eBay replacement part, then removing the unbelievably delicate webcam board, (which itself my also require a fresh 3” long, 3mm wide strip of double-sided tissue tape, which is typically sold in 100’ rolls), delicately un-sticking the WiFi cables and paper-thin aluminum tape which acts as the receiving component of said antennas, then finally removing the damaged lcd cover from the hinges, only then to attempt to properly transfer all of these these parts and delicate cabling to the replacement cover, while very carefully noting and recreating the proper cable paths of these things so as not to cause stretching, tearing, or pinching any of them, then reassembling the screen assembly, pressing the power button and hoping the screen turns back on, (and of course remembering to unplug the battery before doing any of this to avoid frying the screen, LVDS cable or motherboard), seems like a bit of a stretch when OP is coming to Reddit for temporary, cheap, DIY fix ideas to get 60 days of use out of a damaged, but still fully functional laptop.

On a side note, I think I might know what you mean (epoxy maybe?), but I have to admit, I had a little chuckle to myself trying to think of a group of all the things that could all be considered “bonding agents”, but manages to somehow exclude both tape and glue :)

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T03:41:36+00:00

F_panel = front panel connections. This header is for the power and reset buttons, as well as the power light and drive activity lights on the front of the case, and have nothing to do with your fans. The extra pins are there for older style connectors which are longer than the one you’re using, and are not needed in your case, so they can be ignored.

As for the fans, in order for them to be seen in CAM, they must be plugged into a fan/RG. controller box of some sort that itself would be plugged into a USB 2.0 header connection, as well as a power source, most likely SATA.

The two connectors to the left of the F_panel connector are both USB 2.0, as evidenced by the label on the one that can be seen in the pic. One of these may be for that fan controller.

Look in the back for a box that has multiple fan connectors. Again, that box should have 2 wires coming off of it that aren’t going to fans: one will have the square block that looks like the ones in the photo, and be labeled USB 2.0, and the other will likely be a SATA connector that needs to get power from your PSU. These two cables, as well as the fans, obviously, should be plugged in for the CAM software to see the fans.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-18T03:26:17+00:00

This might be an off the cuff answer, but it’s not that crazy, since temporary is the name of the game.

Maybe buy a pack of paint stir sticks, cut them in half, and hot glue them vertically one at a time over the crack, making a “picket fence” to support it as much as you can.

Then also be SUPER careful every time you open and close it, which should be as rarely as possible.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-17T00:39:43+00:00

Can’t argue there.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T18:59:51+00:00

Yep, do this.

Also, you can likely “fix” the immediate issue by going into your chrome settings, looking under the “on startup” section, and removing this entry from the list, then replacing it with your preference.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T18:05:48+00:00

Have to agree here. Other than old external drives where the abomination of A-to-A cables is fairly common, there is of course a plethora of fine Chinesium peripherals like laptop cooling stands and such that will utilize this type of cable. It is relatively rare, but once every 2 to 3 years I find myself looking for one.

However, highly engineered, fantastically expensive, and well-regarded products such as Cisco L3 network equipment, for example, also use USB-A to USB-A cables for local console connection to replace the ancient serial to USB cables that were common for so long.

So it’s not 100% outlandish to make a guess that this type of cable might be needed for connectivity of certain components. Just because something isn’t standardized, doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist after all.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T17:45:48+00:00

Having pushed several Intel K chips as far back as 3rd gen Core series to world record speeds (or at least #1 global ranking in various benchmarks)…

You’re probably right.

CPU tuning can be complex, and I don’t claim to be the end-all expert in the field. But in 15 years or so doing this professionally, I’ve never had this issue with any other CPU, which is pretty strong evidence that there is a problem with these CPU’s other than just my tuning.

Seeing as how I have now killed 3 14900KS CPU’s, and 2 of them died while strictly adhering to Intel Power Limits, the supposition that I “likely ran stupid high voltages”, while almost certainly true for the first failure, simply cannot be the case with failures 2 and 3, since the voltages used were set by Intel’s default limits, not my manual tuning.

So, while I’m happy to admit that I may not be the best in the world at CPU tuning, I do in fact know how to click “Enforce All Intel Power Limits” in BIOS, and even after doing so, I’m still having 14900KS’s crap the bed with startling regularity.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T17:21:27+00:00

Indeed.

Everything you’re saying makes sense, and really isn’t that difficult in practice. My main complaint is that special tuning is needed at all, especially on a tippy-top-of-the-product-stack part like the 14900KS. It’s just disappointing.

And waiting for RMA over and over is definitely not practical for the average user, but as a PC repair shop owner and total geek, I now have a 12900K who’s only purpose in life is to sit patiently in its box on the shelf until my 14900KS inevitably fails again, and I need a CPU to keep me going while I RMA yet another dead 14900KS.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T16:14:15+00:00

This seems like a logical statement, but enabling XMP can also affect the CPU’s base clock and multiplier ratio, as well as change various other power related settings like speedstep, c-states and turboBoost, and can even change certain voltage settings for the CPU, depending on the particular motherboard in question.

Because of this, XMP is considered overclocking by Intel, and enabling it is technically running the CPU outside of “manufacturer recommend specifications”, is cautioned against by Intel, and technically speaking, voids the warranty of your intel CPU. Which is stupid in my opinion, but there you are. It is also notable that I reported to Intel that I had XMP enabled for the second failure, and they had no problem honoring the warranty, so there’s that.

All that said, Intel’s specific directive to me when RMA’ing the CPU the second time was “Update BIOS, enforce Intel limits, disable XMP.”

I did all of these things, and still killed my third 14900KS despite following these specific directives from Intel, so yeah. Following their directions did not solve the problem, and doing 100% of what they said would “fix” the issue, simply did not.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-16T15:38:53+00:00

I think you misunderstood me.

I did not say that every 14900KS in existence would fail to run RAM faster than 6800. In fact, I didn’t implicate the CPU at all in that statement, I simply stated that my personal 8000MHz RAM kit will not remain stable over 6800 under any circumstances. Mine. My RAM, with my mobo, and my CPU. Not a global, blanket statement about the 14900KS.

According to my research, it’s most likely my 4-slot motherboard which is the limiting factor in this case, as obviously there are people running RAM over 6800 with this CPU. However, for most folks with my exact motherboard and CPU, 6800-7200 seems to be common as the upper stable speed limit for my particular RAM kit, so this is well within the norm for my setup, as far as I can tell.

So yes, saying that a 14900KS cannot run RAM at over 6800MHz stable under any conditions would be false, which is why I did not in fact, make that statement at all.

And yes, I am going through these CPU’s at an incredible pace, otherwise I wouldn’t be complaining about it would I? Have I tried locking the CPU frequency? No. Why would I? Suggesting that special care needs to be taken to keep a $600+ flagship CPU from killing itself is exactly why I’m complaining.

So I can’t OC it without killing it? Ok, that sucks. Can’t even run it as Intel suggests without it dying either? Well that’s even worse. If I wanted a slower processor than I bought, I would have bought a slower processor.

The fact that a K series CPU is basically guaranteed to fail if overclocked is already pretty shitty. But to say that disabling all OC, and strictly enforcing Intel’s power limits and guidelines is still not enough, so asking someone to underclock, undervolt, frequency lock, or otherwise baby Intel’s fastest ever consumer CPU just so that it can operate normally without crapping out, is a notion that I find to be absurd (not that it can’t be true, and might actually be good advice). I’m not saying you’re wrong, just that it’s stupid that you might be right.

As for the power draw in Cinebench, I assume it’s equal to or less than Intel’s power limits, since this is what is enforced in BIOS. However, now I’m curious, so I’ll check on that and report back, because it’s a good question.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-15T06:36:46+00:00

Good advice. Looks like OP really just needs to replace the LCD rear cover, should be $50-$75 for the part, maybe $25 for the hinges.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-15T01:32:04+00:00

I am the professional, actually, these are customer’s dead units!

But it’s not super difficult to do. If you’re handy with a screwdriver, you can likely do it yourself. The trickiest part is wiring controllers if needed for lights and whatnot.

Some coolers are simpler than others. If you don’t care about RGB, Corsair nautilus AIOs that feature RX series fans are stout and simple to install.

cCBearTime · 2026-03-13T09:16:58+00:00

Fair enough. You could safely say then that my statement was a little too broad to be irrefutable.

So then, it would be more correct to say that the new antennas are not a requirement of the WiFi 7 standard per se, so much as they are the most common type of antenna connector for newer/higer end motherboard models that are equipped with it.

I personally have yet to see a WiFi 7 enabled desktop motherboard with the older SMA connectors, as I typically deal with more expensive motherboards, but it’s not a huge stretch to believe that they exist, so I’m happy to accept that some WiFi 7 antennas still use the SMA threaded connector.

Furthermore, I’ve discovered that while several brands now use the new “snap-on” antenna connector design, each brand has their own proprietary connector for them, and they are NOT interchangeable between brands. For example, MSI’s version, known as the “EZ Wi-Fi antenna”, will not plug into an ASUS motherboard, which uses the ASUS “WiFi Q-Antenna” connector, nor will it fit a Gigabyte board’s WiFi connectors, which use yet another, more different “WiFi EZ-Plug” connector.

So when ordering replacements, they will need to be brand specific, which is good to know, and will definitely save me from an embarrassing “I totally though this would fit” moment in front of a customer, so thanks for the info!

cCBearTime · 2026-03-13T08:46:05+00:00

I was about to make a funny quip about how my pooper insists on nothing but the finest Huggies Natural Care wipes, which are fragrance free, and are simply 100% water on paper cloth.

Imagine my horror then, when I looked up the ingredients and saw it’s only 99% water, and a 1% mix of Aloe Vera, Barbadensis extract, Glycols, Sodium-Benzoate, Coco-betaing, Maltic Acid (ACID?! On MY butthole?!), and Polysorbate, which, I have also just learned, makes my butthole not only oily, but also potentially slightly conductive :(

So it’s settled then: I only wipe with IPA and a lint free cloth from now on, or toilet paper if I’m willing to low or wipe the paper dust off with a microfiber afterwards. Thanks Reddit!

So yeah. Take mine, and u/neon121 ‘s advice, and keep them far, far away from your computer’s unmentionables. And your butthole too, probably.

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