Graphics Card and Monitors Issue

[christiandasneves1999]

So I've run into a problem. I'll try to go into as much detail.

I was using my pc the previous night perfectly fine, when I was finished I shut down my computer. The next morning I booted it up and everything seemed fine. I logged in and was on my desktop for about 5 seconds when both my monitors cut to black and said "Power Saving Mode" It's not an issue with the motherboard or cables or even the monitors, as I plugged them into my motherboard HDMI and DVI slots and they worked fine. I don't think it's a power supply issue because everything is powered up and working fine, even the graphics card. The fans are still spinning and a white light emits from it to show that it's receiving power.

I proceeded to look into my device manager and my graphics card is no longer there under display adapters. I went into my BIOS and it wasn't there either. So my computer isn't recognizing the card. This is what's leading me to believe it's a software issue. Maybe something within my computer conflicted with the driver or maybe something uninstalled? I'm not a computer whiz but I know some very basic things. I'm stuck and I would very much appreciate some help.

My GTX is a ASUS 970 STRIX, specifically this model.

https://tweakers.net/pricewatch/416129/asus-strix-gtx97...

As I stated earlier I don't think it's possibly a motherboard, monitor, or cable issue as it works when I use them on my motherboard HDMI and DVI slots. Can't be a RAM issue either because it still says I have 16gb ram in my computer settings.

Update: I decided to use an older graphics card while I try to figure some things out. So then I decided to take apart the graphics card (Unscrewing the back panel) and it looks like the thermal paste is all dried up and crusted around the sides. I was wondering if replacing the thermal paste could potentially fix this problem?

 

[2sidedpolygon]

That's concerning. There are a few possible explanations for this...

1. Worst-case-scenario, your GPU is fried, and you need a new one. I'm worried about this, though it's best to troubleshoot before jumping to conclusions

2. Like you suspect, it's insufficient cooling. I doubt that's the issue, but it's worth a shot

3. What I think is most likely, insufficient power delivery. I think a cable might have gotten loose somewhere and your GPU isn't getting the power it needs because of it.

 

[Barty1884]

What card do you have, and what 'older' card are you using?

The fact a completely different GPU works, doesn't guarantee the other card is broken/defective. Different cards have different power requirements (among other things), so it's a little simplistic to jump to a defective card conclusion.

Please post your full system specs.


As for replacing the thermal paste...... a cleanup & reapply won't hurt, but probably won't 'fix' the issue.
Older thermal paste applications can potentially result in higher temps/overheating but, unless for a sustained period, it's not likely to be the cause of the no display-out errors.

 

[christiandasneves1999]

I'll go out and get some new thermal paste and see if that works. My friend hooked it up in his computer and it got the same result, no signal (He has a really expensive gaming rig so his power supply and motherboard are pretty good) I'll get back to this thread after I try it out.

 

[SgtScream]

Reseat the graphics card into the pci-e slot.

 

[Barty1884]

What PSU do you have?

What is the 'old' GPU you're using in the meantime?