GPU stopped working, is it my PSU or my GPU?

[pieter2]

I just started gaming tonight (maybe 1 or 2 minutes into it) when my screen went black, the sound froze and basicly the whole computer froze. When I resetted the pc my GPU, an Asus GTX 560, didn't work anymore.

I tried reselecting it as preferred GPU in the bios, but that didn't help. The fans of the GPU do spin and the computer starts up normally, but the onboard GPU takes over.

How can I be sure if this is a broken PSU or a broken GPU?

 

[silverz]

To confirm a broken psu you would need to test with a confirmed working one or use a testing kit (available cheaply online), however if it was broken it is more likely that it would not power on at all.
How do you know the onboard gpu is taking over? Do you need to connect your monitor to the motherboards built in hdmi/dvi or are you still getting video signal through your 560?

 

[pieter2]

To confirm a broken psu you would need to test with a confirmed working one or use a testing kit (available cheaply online), however if it was broken it is more likely that it would not power on at all.
How do you know the onboard gpu is taking over? Do you need to connect your monitor to the motherboards built in hdmi/dvi or are you still getting video signal through your 560?

I'm getting no output at all through the 560, not even the Bios message. When I plug my monitor into the onboard everything is fine, the pc automaticly switches over to that one (even if I set PCIe as initial GPU in the bios, instead of onboard).

I do know someone with a PSU-testingdevice, but I was wondering if there's a way to be certain whether it's the GPU or PSU without having to bother him.

 

[silverz]

Can be hard to tell, although it does sound like a gpu issue.
A faulty psu may struggle to provide the extra power needed for the graphics card and fail to boot but in my experience this usually only happens once you put a load on the card (playing a game) and rarely stops you getting to the bios.
The fact that it seems to be ok when using the onboard suggests a gpu issue, I would check all cables first and make sure the card is properly seated, if you are using those molex adapters to power the card with then pay extra attention to making sure they are firmly in place because they are usually really poorly made and have been the source of many issues in the past for me.
Ideally you need another pc to test the card in, otherwise you take the chance of replacing parts that are not broken and still having the same issue.... you may need to call that friend after all.

 

[pieter2]

Can be hard to tell, although it does sound like a gpu issue.
A faulty psu may struggle to provide the extra power needed for the graphics card and fail to boot but in my experience this usually only happens once you put a load on the card (playing a game) and rarely stops you getting to the bios.
The fact that it seems to be ok when using the onboard suggests a gpu issue, I would check all cables first and make sure the card is properly seated, if you are using those molex adapters to power the card with then pay extra attention to making sure they are firmly in place because they are usually really poorly made and have been the source of many issues in the past for me.
Ideally you need another pc to test the card in, otherwise you take the chance of replacing parts that are not broken and still having the same issue.... you may need to call that friend after all.

I've taken the card in and out of the PC a few times (disconnecting it completely), that didn't help. So improperly seated/no good connection can be crossed off the list.
I'm not using a PSU with those Molex adapters. My PSU has the two needed 6pin PCIe connectors of it's own (and more than enough amps on the 12v line).

The GPU doesn't show up in Windows Device manager either, not sure if that says anything though.

I'll see if I can try the GPU in another pc.

 

[silverz]

Yeah, sorry I cant be more help.... testing the card would give you a definitive answer on if it is the gpu at least.

 

[Snagged]

Can be hard to tell, although it does sound like a gpu issue.
A faulty psu may struggle to provide the extra power needed for the graphics card and fail to boot but in my experience this usually only happens once you put a load on the card (playing a game) and rarely stops you getting to the bios.
The fact that it seems to be ok when using the onboard suggests a gpu issue, I would check all cables first and make sure the card is properly seated, if you are using those molex adapters to power the card with then pay extra attention to making sure they are firmly in place because they are usually really poorly made and have been the source of many issues in the past for me.
Ideally you need another pc to test the card in, otherwise you take the chance of replacing parts that are not broken and still having the same issue.... you may need to call that friend after all.

Absolutely to the molex comment. My brand new NZXT case had came with crap molex connectors that caused an issue for me.