I've set the graphics chipset to onboard before and installed ubuntu through it. Than I installed the latest AMD drivers from the website. It asked me to reboot.
When I try to reboot it gets stuck on recovering journal.
I tried literally every solution I could find, including nomodeset and fresh installs (been working for 14 hours straight now) and nothing seems to solve my problem.
I than switched the motherboard gpu chipset to PCI-E and was able to boot but with only 1 GPU. As soon as I shutdown and plug the second second GPU in, motherboard doesn't recognize the GPU with monitor plugged in.
I would really like to know what I must do to boot using onboard graphics card while having my 6 GPUs active.
Any help is more than welcome.
I did something similar to what OP said.
1. With no GPU connected install Ubuntu 16.04. Monitor connected to onboard graphic.
update/upgrade, sudo reboot, shutdown
2. Connect GPUs to risers and connect GPU to the first 16XPCIe slot without a riser (card on mobo).
3. Try to connect that GPU to monitor. If no signal see where there is signal (most likely from GPU in the first 16XPCIe slot, less likely from the GPU on the last riser). If no signal, connect back to onboard. make sure that everything is connected (PCIe, risers, etc)
4. Install AMD-GPU pro driver.
5. Important: after installing the driver, DON'T reboot UNTIL you entered the following:
cd ~
sudo usermod -a -G video $LOGNAME
shutdown (from gui). Shut down PSU, push the power button so no electricity surge will follow later. Light will flicker for a sec.
If you were connected to onboard, switch HDMI to GPU in first 16X PCIe.
Switch PSU power back on, restart.