Question Best way to troubleshoot a bad GPU?

[ekreger]

Hello.

Recently my brothers computer randomly shut off and upon startup, the computer chimed 5 beeps. Several steps later, we found out that the GPU was not being recognized by the motherboard. I am looking to get my brother a new GPU, but for the time being I would like to see if I can find the problem with the bad GPU. What are some basic steps I can take to diagnose the issue? If I want to test for a short, is using the PSU's VGA port a good way to power the graphics card?

I have done an all-or-nothing test on the capacitors and there is one capacitor that does not send a resistance back to me.

Thanks.

 

[Lutfij]

If I want to test for a short, is using the PSU's VGA port a good way to power the graphics card?
Can you elaborate on that point?

If you're proficient with a multi meter you should be able to locate the component that isn't delivering power.

A side note would be to parse the specs to the rest of your build, like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:

include the age of the PSU, to rule out the PSU being the cause of the issue.

Did you try working with the GPU in another motherboard with a reliably built PSU with more than ample power for the entire system to see if you get display?

 

[ekreger]

I want to point out that I am pretty new to this kind of stuff so I may be in over my head already. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to reply to me.
I'm looking to fix this as learning experience as well as maybe as a fix temporarily until his new GPU arrives. For all I know, the GPU may be toast and I may be wasting my time.

A side note would be to parse the specs to the rest of your build, like so:

CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
include the age of the PSU, to rule out the PSU being the cause of the issue.

GPU: RX 480 Nitro+ Sapphire
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard: ASRock B450 Steel Legend
Ram: 16 GB (2x8GB) DDR4-3000
PSU: EVGA Supernova 750W G2

Did you try working with the GPU in another motherboard with a reliably built PSU with more than ample power for the entire system to see if you get display?

I put my GTX 1070 into his computer and it booted up with no problems. I put his RX 480 into mine and my computer did the 5 beeps on startup with no display.
The GPU is most definitely the culprit here.

If I want to test for a short, is using the PSU's VGA port a good way to power the graphics card?
Can you elaborate on that point?

Most shorts will generate heat so I was going to just see if I could find the short just based on that alone. Probably not healthy for the card though.

If you're proficient with a multi meter you should be able to locate the component that isn't delivering power.

Not really proficient, lol sorry.
I saw a post somewhere that said this card usually has a SMD capacitor problem so I was going to see if I could fix it with a simple soldering job.
I have all the necessary tools for soldering on a PCB so it's just a matter of figuring out the problem.

Here is picture for reference. This card is ~5 years old. It was bought New at the time.

https://imgur.com/a/KshbsDJ

View: https://imgur.com/a/KshbsDJ


Once again, thank you so much for replying.