Is it Graphic Card or Motherboard issue ?

[Dyains]

This computer starts normally, after few minutes it stop giving signal to monitor.
It still happen even in BIOS (so I think this is not OS / driver issue), and nothing wrong with the temperature (everything is under 60' C) when this PC stop giving signal to monitor, voltage is also normal & stable.

So my question is : "Is it graphic cards or motherboard issue ?"

System information :
CPU I3 550
GPU ASUS 8600GT (DVI-I to VGA/D-SUB monitor)
Mobo DP55WB (with latest BIOS)
PSU Seasonic 350watt

I have limited budget for this, so I only can buy either (GPU / Mobo).
Your answer would be helpful for me

 

[Doctor Rob]

Could be either OR.. I had an OLD computer years ago that once it was on for a while would become unstable. I finally realized by looking at my motherboard that the old capacitors were bad. I could have put on new ones (if I was lucky to un-solder and re-solder the caps with new ones.. But just replaced the motherboard instead).

What I would do is look at all the caps on the motherboard and the other components and see if any of the motherboard caps were expanding on the top OR even leaking like in my case.

 

[10tacle]

Yeah that's an 8 year old chipset with a ten year old video card. It could be either the motherboard, CPU, or the GPU. It's inevitable that hardware will fail over time. I have noticed that ever since most manufacturing of motherboards and video cards moved from Taiwan and Japan to China, quality has gone downhill. For example, I still have a Pentium III chipset built in 1999 that works. The ASUS motherboard and video card (Riva TNT2) still work. Both were made in Taiwan.

What you can try is disabling the video card in BIOS (or take it out) and try running on the i3's Intel HD graphics (make sure to plug the monitor into your motherboard's graphics port). If you get video then you have a failed graphics card. If still no video, then it's the motherboard or chip failing. I would recommend replacing such an old chipset anyway but if you don't have much for budget, it's just not worth replacing a motherboard video card, or CPU on such an old platform. Good luck.

 

[Dyains]

Thanks for all of your help.

Yeah this is very old system, just want to make sure before changing any component...

I forget to tell something. I have oveclocked the GPU (before this happen), and when I turn this PC on there's a beep sound (the same beep sound when I remove the GPU - no graphic card detected).

When I unplug & plug back (graphic card), it works (detected) but only for few minutes then lost signal (no signal), so I press restart button and sometimes : 1. It doesn't detected by system and 2. Sometime detected and then no signal again.

so my question is still same, "Does it GPU or motherboard issue ?" and does it (overclock GPU) effect my motherboard ?

Additional information :
This system (mobo) doesn't has onboard graphic

Thanks for your help

 

[Dyains]

Could be either OR.. I had an OLD computer years ago that once it was on for a while would become unstable. I finally realized by looking at my motherboard that the old capacitors were bad. I could have put on new ones (if I was lucky to un-solder and re-solder the caps with new ones.. But just replaced the motherboard instead).

What I would do is look at all the caps on the motherboard and the other components and see if any of the motherboard caps were expanding on the top OR even leaking like in my case.

Thanks for your reply, I think un-solde and re-solder capacitors is a great idea , but I have no such skill like that, i mean who can help me to do it ?

 

[10tacle]

Your hardware is failing I'm afraid. Regarding capacitors, you have to look at them to see if they are bad (Google pictures of blown/burned out motherboard capacitors). Generally they are either bloated or oozing off the top like a nasty battery. If you don't have a friend with soldering equipment who knows what he is doing, I'm afraid you are out of luck. Because you can take it to an electrical repair shop (IF blown capacitors is the issue) but you'll spend more than what a replacement motherboard would cost used. And if you do that route, you'll be back to square one possibly dealing with another hardware failure on such an old system.

 

[Dyains]

Yeah that's an 8 year old chipset with a ten year old video card. It could be either the motherboard, CPU, or the GPU. It's inevitable that hardware will fail over time. I have noticed that ever since most manufacturing of motherboards and video cards moved from Taiwan and Japan to China, quality has gone downhill. For example, I still have a Pentium III chipset built in 1999 that works. The ASUS motherboard and video card (Riva TNT2) still work. Both were made in Taiwan.

What you can try is disabling the video card in BIOS (or take it out) and try running on the i3's Intel HD graphics (make sure to plug the monitor into your motherboard's graphics port). If you get video then you have a failed graphics card. If still no video, then it's the motherboard or chip failing. I would recommend replacing such an old chipset anyway but if you don't have much for budget, it's just not worth replacing a motherboard video card, or CPU on such an old platform. Good luck.

Yeah it's not worth to spend a lot of money for this system, like you said it's an old platform, so I need some help to spend as little as money possible .

I also have two older system with pentium4 and still works but it's not sufficient even for light task, so theese system doesn't useful anymore.

 

[10tacle]

Well with a severe limited budget comes severe limited options. If you can determine your video card works in another computer then it's either the motherboard or CPU dying (or both). But that's nearly impossible to diagnose without taking the CPU out and trying it in another board and trying another CPU in your board. There's also an extremely remote chance you have memory going bad too, but your symptoms are rare for that.

So what to do? Possibly find a used motherboard/CPU replacement that can work with your current memory. Start with eBay or even check out the classified section here on Tom's Hardware.

 

[Dyains]

Thanks for tour quick reply

If you don't have a friend with soldering equipment who knows what he is doing, I'm afraid you are out of luck. Because you can take it to an electrical repair shop (IF blown capacitors is the issue)

I don't have any friend with soldering equipment & I don't know any electrical shop here. BUT I think my father can do it, because he was a leader in a electricity company 😀

Your hardware is failing I'm afraid. Regarding capacitors, you have to look at them to see if they are bad (Google pictures of blown/burned out motherboard capacitors). Generally they are either bloated or oozing off the top like a nasty battery.

Capasitor looks clean & ok (there's no burned or bloated or something like that). Any other solution...?

 

[10tacle]

Have you confirmed your video card works in another system yet? I missed that comment if you did. Also other parts in a motherboard can fail too like certain chips (MOSFET chips for example). You'd need to test those with a multimeter gauge to see if there's a failure there. A bad chip will not be visible like a blown capacitor.

 

[Dyains]

Thanks for your reply 10tacle.
(and I'm so sorry for late response).

On 3 & 4 April this system (pc) works (without any problem, even on high temperature).

I turn this pc on (idle) on morning (got no problem), and test it to play some games on night (run without any problem). I think the problem solved... But today (this morning), with the same configuration & setting, no signal issue happen again 🙁

It really strange, and make confused but also a little bit fun (feels like this system making fun of me).

Thanks for your solution. I will test the hardware one-by-one to diagnose & fix it later, but I will install another graphic card first (insyaallah), because the mobo sometimes send twice "beep-beep sound - no graphic card detected.

Once again, thanks for your help 10tacle