Is my PSU/GPU dead or alive

My System is Following
1. CPU - i7 4790K
2. Mobo - ASUS Z97 PRO
3. GPU - AMD R7 260X Sapphire
4. PSU - Cooler Master G550M

My PC stopped suddenly, i tried the reset button several time but it did not work. So i opened it and tried the paper clip method of the PSU. The Fan Runs. So i thought maybe the GPU is in trouble. So i removed the GPU and it works.

However when i keep the GPU with the power cable removed as far as i understand the bios should start. However the cpu fan starts for a split second and stops.

I am using this setup for around 20 Months, and it was working fine. The parts above are in my opinion good quality. So is it possible that my GPU might have died. I mean it did not show any artifact. I feel that my PSU might not be giving enough power in the PCI express so that the GPU is not running.

My question is how can i check which of the part is the troublemaker, is it the PSU, the GPU or the PCI express slot in the motherboard. And can GPU die suddenly like that?

I can not return it as the warranty period is over. I dont have another PSU or PC to check the parts. :(

Please reply your suggestions

Unfortunately anything can die randomly. It's usually a capacitor spewing out its guts.

To troubleshoot you need to test each component with another. PCIe slot is easy, you *should* be able to slot your GPU into another slot and it'll boot (although some BIOS' can be picky about which slot you use).

Whilst you might not be able to convince somebody to loan you a graphics card, you might be able to convince them to borrow yours and put it in their PC to see if it starts up fine.

PSU is a little more tricky as all the wires need pulling out to replace. I tend to get a loaner PC and put them next to each other and just trail the cables across to the other - saves pulling out everything, and you just need the basics connected to see if it'll POST (drives and all that don't really matter here).

Does sound like the GPU, remember even if it is connected with no power cables it'll still be drawing power from the bus. I also don't think a GPU will pull much power in tick-over so if your PSU wasn't providing enough, you'd likely only notice when running a game or something GPU intensive.


I'd also check that all of your RAM is seated properly (try running just 1 stick to see if anything changes), my ASUS board does a similar thing (spins up then cuts all power after a second) when the RAM sticks aren't perfectly fitted/jiggled.

My luck has become worse. Now the PC wont start. I now similar problem to this video no post no boot (You can see from this video ( start at 4 min 23 second) that for one time the boot stops abruptly and then retries in my case it just never starts. No matter how many times i press the power button it starts for 2-3 seconds and then stops abruptly) no beep no error nothing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MiUaPt-2504&t=4m22s

I have done the following
1. Checked the GPU with another cpu+mobo+psu that PC does not start nor does it beeps or shows any error
2. Checked if my PSU can run another PC it runs the other PC perfectly
3. Checked if other PSU can run my PC, with GPU nothing happens, without GPU the systems starts then stops abruptly no beep no error q-code

Feeling Very Bad. This PC was very expensive

Motherboard maybe?

The fact the GPU is causing another machine to fail boot is a pretty strong indicator.that the problem may be there.

The behaviour in that video (Spinning up and then just cutting out after a few seconds) is, as mentioned above, an issue I had with my own Asus motherboard - and the issue was badly seated RAM - I was upgrading from 2x Dominator Platinums to 4x G Skill Trident X - one of them didn't sit too well in one of my slots and I had to re-insert it a few times and wiggle it in place before it finally worked.

Try taking out all your RAM, and using just one stick to try and get past POST.

I think your next test is to put another graphics card in your computer and see if it boots.