Troubleshooting a Dead GPU: How to Confirm If Your Graphics Card is the Culprit

When faced with a non-responsive computer, diagnosing the problem can be a daunting task, especially if you’re not entirely sure where the failure lies. Recently, I encountered a situation with my wife’s PC that compelled me to investigate, and I thought it would be beneficial to share my journey in hopes of assisting others facing similar challenges.

The Problem

One day, my wife’s computer suddenly powered off and refused to turn back on. Each time I pressed the power button, the lights flickered briefly before everything went dark again. I was met with a frustrating situation — the system was completely unresponsive.

Initial Steps

Determined to find a solution, I decided to try removing the dedicated graphics card (an EVGA GTX 950) and switching to the integrated graphics processor (IGPU) on the motherboard. To my relief, the system booted up without any issues. This led me to suspect that the graphics card might be the source of the problem.

Reevaluation of the GPU

After successfully booting the PC using the IGPU, I reinserted the GPU to check if it would work again. Unfortunately, the computer remained non-functional. This raised a critical question for me: Is the GPU truly defective?

While my instinct was to lean towards the GPU being faulty, I couldn’t help but consider other possibilities. There were no visible signs of damage on the graphics card — no scorched areas or blown capacitors — but I know that these indicators are sometimes hard to spot. It also crossed my mind that the issue could lie with the PCI-E slot or the power supply’s 12V rail instead.

Seeking Further Insight

Unwilling to prematurely label the GPU as dead, I reached out to the tech community for insight. I wanted to know if there were any additional steps I could take to rule out other potential issues before coming to a conclusion.

Confirming the Diagnosis

As fate would have it, further testing was necessary to get a definitive answer. I took the graphics card and connected it to another computer that I knew had all functioning components. Unfortunately, when I attempted to power it on, the GPU appeared to fail entirely, rendering it inoperable. Thankfully, the host PC remained unscathed.

Conclusion

Through this experience, I learned that when diagnosing computer problems, a methodical approach is essential. Although my initial inclination was correct