Troubleshooting a Sudden GPU Failure: My Recent Laptop Dilemma

As an IT professional, I am typically well-equipped to handle technical issues. However, I recently encountered a perplexing situation that has left me scratching my head. A couple of weeks ago, I purchased a used laptop equipped with an Nvidia 3060 GPU, which was performing flawlessly—until it suddenly malfunctioned.

Out of the blue, just a few days ago, the GPU stopped working altogether. Given my background in IT, I immediately went into troubleshooting mode and tried a variety of solutions in hopes of reviving the graphics card.

I started with the basics: reinstalling the GPU drivers and ensuring that the BIOS was updated to the latest version. When these steps didn’t yield any positive results, I attempted to revert the BIOS and Windows updates back to previous versions. I even took the time to uninstall the existing drivers and try some older versions, hoping that something would click.

To make matters worse, I decided to reinstall Windows entirely and even test older versions of the operating system. Despite all these efforts, the GPU remains undetected by any programs, though it is listed without issues in the device manager.

At this point, I’m reaching out to the community for assistance. Has anyone else encountered a similar issue? If you have any insights or suggestions that might help, I would greatly appreciate your input. It’s frustrating to be at a standstill, especially when the hardware appears to be functioning at a basic level. Any guidance would be invaluable as I navigate this unexpected roadblock.