Member Avatar for Rcfisher3

To start, I am a complete noob at computers so Im not quite sure what Im doing. Recently while playing games my computer screen faded to black, followed a few seconds later with my entire computer dying. I tried everything to turn it back on but had no luck whatsoever. I decided that the best course of action would be to get a new power supply, so I went out and replaced the old 600 watt power supply with a 550 Thremaltake gaming power supply. I installed the psu with no problems and when i turned on the computer everything seemed to run ok, but there is no signal on the monitor. The monitor power supply is ok, i checked it and there is a yellow light and it says there is no signal. I made sure to plug in the special pci exspress connector to the video card and so I am very sure that everything has power, so I dont know what the problem could be, but heres what I was thinking.

1. Because I got a 550 psu insted of 600, there is not enough power BUT the computer is atleast 3 years old and the video card is not brand new, so I was thinking that would be ok.

2. Something happened to the monitor when the computer died as well and I should just get a new monitor.

3. Something happened to the video card when the psu died and so now I need to replace that.

Because this computer was built by someone else a few years ago I am not quite sure what the monitor or graphics card is, currently there is 2 hard drives, a motherboard, dvd drive, graphics card, and a thermaltake water cooling device attached to the PSU, does anybody have any suggestions of what I should do.

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As pointed out, a CMOS clear is a good, low-risk first step. Beyond that, useful diagnostics focus on isolating the display path and verifying the power feeds that the motherboard and GPU actually need. The goal is to determine whether the board is POSTing (producing POST beeps or status LEDs) and whether the GPU or display link is at fault.

Common checks to perform:

  • Observe POST signs: fans, drive spin, keyboard LEDs and any motherboard POST LEDs or beeps. A single long/series of beeps points to specific faults per the motherboard manual.
  • Try a minimal boot: remove all nonessential devices (extra drives, cards), leave one RAM stick and the CPU; use onboard video if present. This isolates motherboard/CPU/RAM from add-in cards.
  • Reseat components: fully reseat the graphics card and memory modules; check PCIe power connectors and the 24-pin + 4/8-pin motherboard power for tight seating. Power connectors can look connected but still be loose.
  • Swap display path: change the video cable type (DVI/VGA/HDMI), try a different cable, or connect the PC to a known-good monitor or TV. Confirm the monitor input selection.
  • Test the GPU/PSU: if available, try the graphics card in another working PC, or try a known-good GPU in this board. A PSU can deliver enough to spin fans yet have a failed 12V rail; a PSU tester or multimeter can help, or try a different known-good PSU.
  • Inspect the board: look for swollen capacitors, burn marks, or a burnt smell—signs of motherboard damage.

Safety note: disconnect mains before touching connectors and ground to avoid static damage. If the CMOS reset resolved the issue for , that suggests a BIOS/boot-path confusion; if not, the checklist above narrows the fault to cabling, the GPU, the PSU rails, or motherboard hardware.

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Member Avatar for Rik_

Unplug it from the mains and remove the bios battery for about a minute. It is a round silver object with CR2032 stamped on it.

You will have to set the time and date and boot order correctly after this if your machine works.

Member Avatar for Rcfisher3

Unplug it from the mains and remove the bios battery for about a minute. It is a round silver object with CR2032 stamped on it.

You will have to set the time and date and boot order correctly after this if your machine works.

Thankyou very much Rik

Member Avatar for Rik_

No problem at all! :)

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