[SOLVED] Graphics Card Won't Turn On: PSU Problem? Help Please!

emcdawg123

Reputable
Sep 25, 2015
25
0
4,540
Hello all,

I was playing Apex Legends on my PC when all of a sudden my power cut out. I tried to reboot several times and my PC wouldn't turn on at all. I opened the case and smelled traces of a burn. I unplugged my PSU from everything and then tested it with each component to see what was messing it up. I found out that, when I plugged the PSU into only my case fan and then only my motherboard and then proceeded to turn on the PSU, the PSU was able to boot up and each component was able to run perfectly fine. However, when I plugged the PSU only into the graphics card, neither the PSU nor the graphics card would run. I rapidly pressed the power on button on the PSU (dumb idea probably) and then a little sputter of smoke came out of my graphics card. Is my card toast? Do I need a new card, or a new PSU? Help!

Also, I've been running this specific setup for 3 years. I'm running a GTX 970 and a 450 watt Dell PSU. I know that the 970 recommends 500 watts, but I haven't experienced any trouble until just now. Some help would be appreciated. Thank you!

Best wishes,
Ethan
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Please don't do what you've done to see if the PSU is in good order or not...it could've taken out the rest of your components. From your last line, I think you're going to need a new card. Speaking of components, please list your specs like so:
CPU:e
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

If this is a prebuilt system, list the SKU to your Dell prebuilt system.
 

emcdawg123

Reputable
Sep 25, 2015
25
0
4,540
Please don't do what you've done to see if the PSU is in good order or not...it could've taken out the rest of your components. From your last line, I think you're going to need a new card. Speaking of components, please list your specs like so:
CPU:e
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

If this is a prebuilt system, list the SKU to your Dell prebuilt system.


CPU: i5-4460 Quad-core 3.2 GHz
Motherboard: Dell motherboard
Ram: 8 GB
HDD: 1TB 7200RPM
GPU: Nvidia GTX 970
PSU: 450 watt Dell PSU
Chassis: Dell XPS 8700 case
OS: Windows 10

The prebuilt I have is a Dell XPS 8700. The GTX 970 was the only thing that I upgraded in the prebuilt.
SKU: 89H5V12

I was thinking about going for a GTX 1060 as a replacement, as well as a new PSU that's able to keep up with it. Will I run into any problems with compatibility? Also, will my i5 bottleneck a GTX 1060?
 
Last edited:

emcdawg123

Reputable
Sep 25, 2015
25
0
4,540
i think your GPU has been struggled for so long by lack of power.. the minimum system power was 500W.. here's the specs overview : https://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-970/specifications

I know I wasn't giving it sufficient power, but it never gave me trouble before and I've had it for 3 years. The other people who did the same upgrade I did said that the PSU was a non-issue too. Could an insufficient PSU really cause a graphics card to randomly fail?
 
Feb 8, 2019
39
0
30
I know I wasn't giving it sufficient power, but it never gave me trouble before and I've had it for 3 years. The other people who did the same upgrade I did said that the PSU was a non-issue too. Could an insufficient PSU really cause a graphics card to randomly fail?

i suspected that your PSU was the problem.. i think.
Have you contacted a technical support? i think you should bring it to them