Monitor is blank/no signal

Look, I'm not saying checking the PSU is a bad idea—it won't hurt anything—but you really should run some tests first. It’s kind of pointless to just say "it's the power supply," have them go out and buy a new one, and then find out it wasn't even the issue.

Regarding the GTX 1060, it really depends on which specific model you're looking at since there are so many different brands. It's definitely wrong to assume they're all built the same. Some have decent heatsinks while others are pretty cheap, and some fans last way longer than others.

And yeah, plugging into the DVI port on the motherboard isn't going to work here—the CPU doesn't have integrated graphics.

I'll let you know once I test it out.
I'd honestly rather have the power supply die than the GPU, especially since the PSU still has four years left on its warranty.
I built this rig exactly three years ago.

fadedorca66 said:I wouldn't just assume it's the power supply. This looks like a high-quality unit, and I doubt it's as old as the rest of the build.

It sounds to me like your motherboard might be glitching. Try putting just one stick of RAM in slot one (check your manual, I think it's actually slot two), then clear the CMOS. If it doesn't boot right away, just keep restarting it to force the board to kick in using the backup BIOS—most boards have a secondary one if the main fails to load. What BIOS version are you running? If it's an older version and you can get it to turn on, try flashing it to the latest one.

I have the exact same motherboard and mine glitched out right after a BIOS update. I had to clear the CMOS and reboot several times before it finally stabilized.

I've already tried that a few times, but I can do it again. It won't hurt.
The BIOS version is from three years ago. As soon as I bought the board, I flashed it to the newest version and haven't touched it since.

I went through this exact same headache a few months back where you could hear the system booting into Windows, but the screen would just stay black. I ended up deep-cleaning all the dust out of the case, wiped down the GPU, swapped out the HDMI cable, and reseated everything, and now it runs perfectly every single day. In my case, it turned out to be a loose connection; something had just shifted slightly out of place. I actually dealt with this same issue on an older graphics card ages ago, where the signal would occasionally drop
just if I accidentally bumped the desk with my foot, even though everything was tightened down securely. Of course, I’m not saying yours is the same thing—it could be
anything at this point. People kept insisting my monitor had kicked the bucket, but since I keep a stash of spare parts like power supplies, hard drives, and RAM lying around, I figured I should first check if it was
just a seating issue, especially since I remembered having that exact same trouble with my previous card, and this one is relatively recent (only about a year old).
Everything seems solid now; temperatures are low, the massive heatsink on my AMD processor keeps things cool, the PSU is dead quiet, and so on.

wanderingpanther68 said:I went through the exact same thing just a few months back where the PC would boot straight into Windows but there was absolutely no signal on my monitor. I ended up giving everything a deep clean—blown out all the dust from the case, wiped down the GPU, swapped out the DVI cable, and reseated everything, and now it's been running perfectly every single day. For me, it turned out to be a simple connection issue, though obviously, your situation might be different, but it's definitely worth considering.

It’s definitely a possibility 👍 Though if I had to guess, I'd say you're looking at a loose connection in the power supply this time around.

Maybe try grabbing some contact cleaner and spraying down all the connections one by one; that might just get the whole rig humming again.

wanderingpanther68 said:I dealt with this exact same headache just a few months back. The system would boot straight into Windows, but I’d be staring at a completely black screen. I went through the whole ritual—deep cleaned all the dust out of the chassis, scrubbed the GPU, swapped out the DVI cable, and reseated everything. Once I got it all hooked back up properly, it started running flawlessly every single day. In my experience, it was simply a matter of a poor connection; something had shifted just enough to lose contact. I encountered an identical issue with a different graphics card ages ago where the signal would just drop out randomly. It’s always a hardware seating issue.
The only way there would be any contact is if I were to accidentally strike the leg of the table. To be clear, everything was always bolted down securely, though I realize your situation might differ. It is entirely possible that things aren't quite as stable on your end.
It’s the usual nonsense. People were insisting my monitor had finally kicked the bucket, which is always the first thing they jump to when something goes wrong. I actually have a decent stockpile of spare parts on hand—power supplies, hard drives, RAM, you name it—but before I went tearing into the hardware, I figured I’d start by checking if...
Drop me a line. I just realized I ran into this exact same headache back when I was running my old graphics card, and since this current one is relatively recent—only about a year old—it’s worth investigating if the issue is recurring.
Everything seems to be functioning within acceptable parameters. Temperatures remain low, aided by that oversized heatsink I installed on the Phenom, and the power supply is running remarkably quiet. It’s all quite stable.

🙂 That is precisely correct. First and foremost, we must consider the primary option. Those of us who grew up in a different era remember the ritual of physically striking the television set just to get the picture to stabilize back when those old cathode-ray tubes were the standard. It was a crude solution, certainly, but it speaks to a fundamental truth: poor connections and faulty solder joints are an inevitable reality of hardware. It happens in almost every piece of equipment, much like how... swiftowl7 Everything he wrote points directly toward a failing power supply, which is honestly the most straightforward issue to troubleshoot. It’s the path of least resistance if you want an actual answer. If there isn't even a signal coming from the motherboard to the GPU, then we're looking at a fundamental power delivery failure. I find myself once again contemplating the inevitable decline of modern hardware standards. It seems we are constantly circling the drain of obsolescence. I would suggest moving straight to the second option. Of course, we still have to consider whether this remains an issue regarding direct contact or if there is some underlying complication at play. fadedorca66 He noted that the error frequency was hovering somewhere in the sixty to eighty percent range—it's almost certainly a power supply issue.

So I picked up a second PC. I hooked up the monitor to the old one and it works fine. Then I tried swapping the GPU from the old rig into this new one—nothing. Tried plugging the power supply from the old build into the new one—still nothing. It’s clearly not the PSU or the graphics card.
At this point, it’s either the motherboard or the CPU.

I find myself wondering if your aging power supply unit actually possesses the necessary wattage to handle this load...
You might consider testing the components from the new build in the old chassis, starting specifically with the PSU.

Jerry Robinson56 said:Is your old power supply strong enough? Try swapping the new one into the old build first to test the PSU.

The 450W unit is an old one, but I used an old card too.
I'll try the new power supply on the old PC.

The new power supply works fine on the old computer.

Zachary Nguyen2 said:The 450W unit is an old relic, but I only used it because I paired it with an older GPU.
I'll attempt to test the new power supply on my old rig.

The new PSU works fine on the old computer.

A logical approach... There is always the possibility that when you deploy a used power supply, it lacks the necessary overhead for the initial surge upon startup; if it fails to hit the required voltage, the motherboard might just enter sleep mode or the PSU itself could trigger a shutdown.
However, since the new one functions, we have identified our "problem." Your next move should be testing the graphics card; that’s the only variable left. Personally, I haven't heard of anyone having issues with a GTX 1060 screaming under load, though that isn't necessarily a deciding factor.

That monitor isn't doing you any favors, man. My own setup is twelve years old now and the picture quality is starting to look pretty pathetic... at this point, I'm definitely going to have to shell out for a new one.

Jerry Robinson56 said:That's smart... There's a chance if you use an old power supply, it won't have enough juice to handle the initial surge. If it can't hit the right voltage, the motherboard might just hang or the PSU could trip.
But since this happens with a new unit, it's a different issue. Try testing with the GPU; that’s what you have left. I haven't heard of anyone having issues with a GTX 1060 screaming, but that's not a guarantee.

You think I should try the GTX 1060 in my old PC?
The old power supply only has a 6-pin or maybe an 8-pin connector for the card. I know for sure it's missing another 4 or 6-pin lead.
I'll just swap in a new power supply along with the GTX 1060 into the old rig to test it out. I don't know why I didn't think of that sooner.

Honestly, I've had a feeling the motherboard died from the start.

John Ortiz4 said:Your monitor isn't the problem. Mine's been acting up for 12 years now. After 12 years, you just gotta buy a new one.

I have two monitors and both work fine on my old PC using the same cable.

Zachary Nguyen2 said:Do you think I should try a GTX 1060 in this old rig?
The old power supply only has a 6-pin connector for the GPU, or maybe an 8-pin, I can't quite remember—I just know there's a missing 4 or 6-pin lead somewhere.
I’ll just swap in a new PSU along with the GTX 1060 and test it that way; I don't know why that didn't occur to me sooner.

Besides, I have a nagging suspicion the motherboard is already dead.

Almost every single instance boils down to the power supply... because it handles the heaviest electrical load, yet the common habit is for people to refuse to spend more than $100.

On the motherboard itself, you also have the voltage regulator modules near the processor that bear significant power stress. You might want to check if there are any swollen capacitors.

If you look at the top, you can see how they include a notch designed to vent upward if they pop, preventing them from scattering debris everywhere.
Take a close look at that board... it's not saying it won't fail, but in my thirty years of doing this, it's happened in maybe a tiny fraction of cases.

And we're all just here to remind you about 😁... nothing surprising about tunnel vision; it happens to the best of us.
And never forget rule number one of electrical engineering:
Electronic devices function significantly better when they are actually plugged in.

There’s probably nothing worth checking on the motherboard since all those capacitors are solid-state anyway...

The GPU works fine in my old rig with an EVGA power supply.
I can't test the motherboard or CPU, though—that old PC uses AMD.

fadedorca66 said:There isn't much point in inspecting the motherboard visually since all the capacitors are solid-state now...

🙂 You make a fair point about those silver solder joints... I haven't actually scrutinized the photo yet, but I appreciate the insight. It's good to have the context.

Zachary Nguyen2 said:The GPU is currently running in an old rig equipped with an EVGA power supply.
I can't verify the motherboard or the CPU because the system uses an AMD build.

It appears you’ve had a run of bad luck. My apologies, but perhaps sourcing a more budget-friendly processor for testing purposes would be wise, or we may simply be dealing with a corrupted BIOS as previously suggested. As a precaution, pull the CMOS battery out for a couple of minutes before reinserting it, then attempt to boot the machine. Additionally, check the voltage of that battery; it is imperative that it measures above 3 Volts.

Jerry Robinson56 said:It sounds like you're just having bad luck. Sorry about that. Maybe try a cheaper CPU for testing, or the BIOS might be acting up like mentioned. Just to be safe, pull the CMOS battery for a minute or two before putting it back in and trying to boot. Also, check the voltage on that battery—it needs to be over 3 Volts.

I already tried all that. I even went out and bought brand new batteries, but still nothing.

My motherboard is a Gigabyte AB350 Gaming—just the standard one, not the Gaming 3. I can't remember exactly which model I picked up at Best Buy.
My mistake, it's an AB350, not an AB350M.

Maybe try one of these tricks to get into the backup BIOS:

https://superuser.com/questions/1141...orting-pins-on