GPU fails to power on after cleaning with compressed air.

[mmcwaters]

My computer was working fine yesterday, and today I decided to clean the internals using a can of compressed air. I didn't move/unplug any parts, just removed the side of the case sprayed the air on the surface of the dusty parts. Upon restarting my PC, I found everything powered up fine, but my monitor received no signal. After opening up the PC again, I noticed my GPU fans weren't spinning. All other components on the computer are working fine, it is just the GPU that will not power up. Each time I hit the power button, the GPU fans do make a small jump forward, as if they are trying to spin up, but they remain stationary after that. I can't imagine my GPU is fried, considering it worked yesterday and I haven't messed with it aside from reinstalling it and spraying it with compressed air.

SPECS

CPU: AMD Phenom II X4
GPU: Radeon Gigabyte 7850
MOBO: MSI 970A-G46
PSU: Rosewill RD 600
RAM: 1 stick of 8GB Corsair

I have tried reinstalling the GPU and RAM, testing different PCI-E cables in the GPU, taking out and changing CMOS battery. I have not tried the GPU in another PCI slot because the GPU is too large to fit without unplugging SATA cables first. I don't have another GPU to test with, and I can't access BIOS because my motherboard doesn't offer a VGA or HDMI input to use with another monitor. Any ideas as to what might be wrong would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

 

[beekermartin]

Is it possible you over spun the fans??? I use compress air to clean out my computer but I always use a wooden stick, like a chopstick, to hold the fans so they don't over spin. If a fan over revs it can blow the bearings. Try to spin the fans by hand to see if there is any resistance.

 

[beekermartin]

BTW, since you used a can of compressed air and not an air compressor I doubt the fans were over revved. Usually a can of compressed air isn't powerful enough to do that. Still, check to see if the fans spin freely.

 

[mmcwaters]

BTW, since you used a can of compressed air and not an air compressor I doubt the fans were over revved. Usually a can of compressed air isn't powerful enough to do that. Still, check to see if the fans spin freely.

I don't think the fans were damaged. The GPU has two fans, and both can freely rotate with just a light tap.

 

[rcald2000]

mmcwaters, I don't have the solution that you're seeking; to revive your existing power supply. However I recommend that you unplug the power cable from the power supply, and hold the power button for five seconds to discharge the power supply. Then replace the power supply. If I were you, at this point I wouldn't be most concerned about the compromised power supply. What I would be most concerned about is the power supply damaging my components. I recommend that you replace it with a better brand and higher wattage. You could order it from Amazon or NewEgg and have it in the next day or two. If you're in the US, you could possibly drive down to the nearest MicroCenter to purchase a PSU. Please know that Amazon has the most amazing return policy and that is the first place that I would order it from.

GPU: I'm not sure if your GPU was damaged by your PSU (hopefully not) or your PSU is damaged. Even though it can power other devices, your GPU isn't one of them; perhaps that indicates the PSU is the source of the problem. Bring it to a friend's house and see if your GPU works, in order to determine if your GPU is working or not. Sorry that my writing is erratic; I've been sick this week and it's taken a toll on me. I'm really sorry that you're going through all this.

 

[mmcwaters]

mmcwaters, I don't have the solution that you're seeking; to revive your existing power supply. However I recommend that you unplug the power cable from the power supply, and hold the power button for five seconds to discharge the power supply. Then replace the power supply. If I were you, at this point I wouldn't be most concerned about the compromised power supply. What I would be most concerned about is the power supply damaging my components. I recommend that you replace it with a better brand and higher wattage. You could order it from Amazon or NewEgg and have it in the next day or two. If you're in the US, you could possibly drive down to the nearest MicroCenter to purchase a PSU. Please know that Amazon has the most amazing return policy and that is the first place that I would order it from.

GPU: I'm not sure if your GPU was damaged by your PSU (hopefully not) or your PSU is damaged. Even though it can power other devices, your GPU isn't one of them; perhaps that indicates the PSU is the source of the problem. Bring it to a friend's house and see if your GPU works, in order to determine if your GPU is working or not. Sorry that my writing is erratic; I've been sick this week and it's taken a toll on me. I'm really sorry that you're going through all this.

Thanks for the ideas. My friend has a PC with similar components, so I think my best bet would be to try the GPU in his computer and see what happens. I hadn't considered the power supply, but I know I at least have enough power to spin the case fans, the CPU fan, and power up the CD drive. I'll try the GPU in another computer and update later tonight.

 

[rcald2000]

Thanks, I'd appreciate if you updated the thread; I think there's a lot to learn from this crappy thing that's happened to you. And I hope that my response didn't come across as rudeness; it was not my intention. I've just seen small power issues create incredible situations.

e.g.: A friend of mine was playing a video game on her computer, with her toddler daughter in her lap at the same time. Her daughter knocked over a juice that went into the keyboard. My friend attempts to dry out the keyboard and then plugs it back into the computer's USB port. The keyboard initially worked but than it not only stopped working, the whole computer stopped working. I kid you not, the computer wouldn't even POST! Something I could never have believed had I not witnessed it: I hypothesized that by plugging that keyboard into the USB port, which in essence means it was plugged into the motherboard, a short circuit was caused. That short FUBAR'd a component on the motherboard that prevented it from even posting. Had my friend simply replaced the keyboard from the beginning of the incident, she would have only been without a $10 keyboard, instead of an entire computer. Crazy, right?