this post was submitted on 30 Aug 2025
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PC help (lemmy.ca)
submitted 6 days ago* (last edited 2 days ago) by yeather@lemmy.ca to c/techsupport@lemmy.world
 

My PC screen randomly went black while I was playing a game, and the VGA light turned on. When I rebooted, the cpu light turns on for a second, then turns off and the DRAM light turns on for a second, them the VGA light turns on permanently, screen completely black and unable to do anything. I have already tried clearing the CMOS, reseating and testing RAM, and the cable to my monitor. Any other ideas?

Edit: Just got it back from Office Depot. It worked in store according to the tech but when I brought it back home it did not work again. Possibly my Displayport cable? The VGA light is still on, so maybe it’s my outlet? Any ideas would be nice.

Edit 2: Thunderstorm must have messed with my cable running between my PC and Monitor. After rerunning it at Office Depot, a new cable and a deep clean fixed my PC. Thanks for everyone’s help.

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[–] dual_sport_dork@lemmy.world 4 points 6 days ago (2 children)

In addition to the other idea about trying a different power supply (pro tip: PC nerds should always have a known good power supply lying around on a shelf somewhere, for situations like this), also try yanking out and reseating your graphics card. If neither of the above do it, try sticking in a known good graphics card. Also check the power socket(s) on your graphics card for signs of having become cooked.

In addition to the Shelf O' Power Supplies, I also keep a couple of rinky-dink and/or several generations old graphics cards in a box (I even still have a couple of AGP ones!) because they're not worth anything but definitely do at least kick out a video signal, which is useful for troubleshooting a potentially bad card and also keeping you going — albeit maybe only in Flatland — while you wait for warranty or a replacement to show up in the mail.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago

This is my first real computer so I do not have any spare parts laying around. I unplugged the graphics card, the plugs look fine to me. I plugged the card into the same slot and have the same issue, I then olugged it into the second, lower slot, no more cpu light but the dram flash and vga light persists with the black screen still.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

I might just take it into Office Depot, seems easier since I don’t have all the tools to fix the computer.

[–] ArcaneGadget@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

The motherboard is telling you; it's unhappy with the graphics card. (VGA = Video Graphics Array) Try reseating it and its power connectors. If that doesn't fix it, ideally you should try plugging in a different card, if you have one.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

I do not, any way to check for driver updates or anything from outside the computer? The screen won’t display anything.

[–] ArcaneGadget@lemmy.world 3 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Not that I know of. But it won't be a driver issue if nothing at all is displayed. The boot screen should show up at the least. Basic video functionality shouldn't need a specific driver at all. There is a good chance, the graphics card has gone faulty, but with no alternative hardware for testing, it's almost impossible to reliably diagnose.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

That’s going to hurt, hopefully it is the PSU like other comments mentioned and not the GPU.

[–] shittydwarf@piefed.social 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Do you have a second power supply you can try?

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

Unfortunately no, the computer gets power, I can hear it turning on and booting up, all the rgb lights turn on too.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Intel i5 14400F, RTX 4070 Super, 32gb DDR4 ram, Windows 11, and a 650w power supply.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

PSU specs? 650w is required, but 650w PSUs aren't equal.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 2 points 6 days ago (1 children)
[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Did you build this yourself? That PSU isn't exactly a quality one.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

No I bought it prebuilt and cheap.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Well time to get your hands dirty I'm afraid. If you're able to I'd order a PSU from like Amazon or Best buy and swap it out to test. If the problem persists you can return the PSU. If you need recommendations or help with the swap just let me know.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

But the PC still turns on. I can hear it through my speakers, and all the lights turn on. Even the lights on the GPu. It is just the GPU not putting out a signal.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Alright let's put the PSU aside for a second. How does your GPU connect to your monitor?

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Displayport? Plugged into the GPU on the side.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

On the side? What do you mean? Like up near the USB ports and such?

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Like into the GPU’s side? The ports on the back.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ok just checking. Some people accidentally connect to the motherboards video out and your CPU doesn't have integrated graphics.

Describe the cable(s) that connect to the GPU from the PSU.

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

2 cables, both 2 rows of 4 for 8 pins each cable and 16 total. They don’t seem burnt out or anything like that.

[–] the_q@lemmy.zip 1 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Ok I was making sure you weren't using a single cable with daisy chain 8 pin. Do you have any friends with with GPUs they'd let you use to test?

[–] yeather@lemmy.ca 1 points 6 days ago

Possibly but it will be a few days until I can mess with it more