AMD Radeon R9 280x not detected by ASUS Z97-A

Question

Hi all,
I just purchased a MSI AMD 280X Graphics Card (Twin Frozr) and have put it in a new build, but I can't get it recognised by the BIOS/Windows. My PC has the following specifications and I'm wondering if my power supply is the issue:
Asus Z97-A Motherboard
Intel Core i5 4960k Processor
MSI AMD 280X Graphics Card 3GB
Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (120mm)
Samsung 2.5-Inch 250 GB 850 EVO Solid State Drive
WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive - Caviar Blue
G.Skill RipjawsX 8GB (2x4GB) DDR3 PC3-14900 1866MHz Dual Channel Kit
Corsair Builder Series CXM 600W Modular 80 PLUS Bronze Certified ATX/EPS PSU
The power supply is 600W and this seems fine when I put my specifications into a power supply requirements test (they seem to recommend anything from 400W - 550W), but I don't know how trustworthy they are.
I have tried a few things:
1) Initially I had only attached the PSU with the 6+2 pin power cable to the 6 pin port on the graphics card (leaving 2 pins dangling). The fans on the card spun at normal speed, however my BIOS did not pick it up. The system booted as normal with integrated graphics.
2) I updated my BIOS to latest version and re-tried, but still no luck.
3) I attached the 6+2 pin power cable to the 8 pin port on the graphics card. This time the fans didn't spin at all and obviously the card wasn't recognised. The system booted as normal with integrated graphics.
4) I attached the 6+2 pin power cable to the 6 pin port on the graphics card (like step 1) and using the remaining molex power cable on my PSU, I attached a two molex to PCI express (6 pin) adapter to this cable, then attached a 6 pin to 8 pin adapter to the 8 pin port on the graphics card. This time the fan spun for a millisecond and the entire system failed to power up.
5) I attached the two molex to PCI adapter mentioned in step 4 to the six pin port on the graphics card to see what would happen. The exact same scenario - the fan spun for a millisecond and the entire system failed to power up.
6) I repeated all of the tests in another PCI-E slot in case this was the issue, it wasn't!
So yeah, long day with no progress. Is there something wrong with the way I'm configuring the graphics card (the molex -> PCI express -> 8 pin adapter attempt seems convoluted, but plausible) or am I right in thinking it may be a power supply issue? How do you normally fill the 8 pin port on the graphics card? Is my card just faulty?
I could be horribly wrong in what I'm attempting or guessing about the PSU - I'm a complete novice.
Any help much appreciated!

Answer 1

Yeah, the explanation was a bit tricky, so hopefully pictures will help. I'll do it in steps again.
The exact card I was using:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/products/components/amdradeongraphicscards/amdr9280xseries/r9280xgaming3g.html
1) I connected the 6+2 connector below to the graphics card's 6 pin power slot. The fans were spinning at a normal speed but the card wasn't recognised and PC booted with integrated graphics.
6-2 power cable
http://s24.postimg.org/tj27xv3kk/6_2_connector.jpg
Graphic's card's 8 pin and 6 pin power ports
http://s24.postimg.org/azsixy9cl/Power_Ports.jpg
6-2 power cable in the 6 pin power port of graphic's card
http://s24.postimg.org/ymthm2eol/6_pin_adapter_in_card.jpg
2) To supply the power to the 8 pin power port of the graphic's card, I used the molex power cable from my power supply and connected a molex to PCI express 6 pin adapter, then connected a 6 to 8 pin adapter which went in the power port.
Molex power cable
http://s24.postimg.org/6646fcnh1/molex_power_plug.jpg
Molex to PCI-E adapter (6 pin)
http://s24.postimg.org/9w3t88zbp/molex_to_pci_adapter.jpg
PCI-E (6 pin) to 8 pin adapter
http://s24.postimg.org/xuqtmvahh/6_pin_to_8_pin.jpg
3) Assembly of this convoluted cable!
The molex to PCI-E (6 pin) adapter connected to the PCI-E to 8 pin adapter
http://s24.postimg.org/443p13phx/molex_adapter_6_8_pin_adapter.jpg
The cable above attached to the molex power cable
http://s24.postimg.org/xlt8wxxp1/molex_to_molex_adapter_to_6_8_pin.jpg
4) Finally the entire cable connected to the PSU and the 8 pin port of the graphic's card:
http://s24.postimg.org/v9l8zcl3p/all_hooked_up.jpg
Which of course resulted in the system not being powered at all! So if the PSU is powerful enough, how am I supposed to get power to the 8 pin port on the card? Can I do this without adapters? As I guess this is where I'm going wrong.
Thanks in advance.