PC won't boot properly when using my GPU

[SherarMurray]

So in the middle of a game a few nights ago, my PC suddenly froze and refused to respond in any way. After a few minutes I decided to power it off. Upon trying to boot up the system again, it displayed the Gigabyte logo, but soon after it displayed the 'No signal' error and did nothing else. After trying to boot up a few more times, I received a message saying 'Windows hasn't loaded correctly', and was given different options to try and repair my PC.

I have tried:
- Start-up Repair
- System Restore
- Reinstalling Windows 10
- Clearing CMOS
- Updating BIOS

So far, nothing has worked. The system does run when I disconnect my GPU and use my on-board graphics as an alternative, but the system seems to struggle (constant crashing & very slow). I know this problem is common with people installing new GPU's/ other hardware, but I've been using my setup for a few months now.

Specs:

Processor - Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-4150 CPU @ 3.5GHz GPU -
Nvidia GeForce GTX 460 SE
Motherboard - Gigabyte H81M S2PH rev 2.1
RAM - 1x 8GB
PSU: Corsair VS450
OS - Windows 10, 64-bit

If anyone could post a solution, that would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[Ancalagon44]

It sounds like your GPU could be toast.

I recommend you download DDU. DDU is a free driver uninstall utility. It will completely remove the drivers for your old graphics card.

Remove the graphics card, and switch to using onboard. Boot into safe mode, and run DDU. Remove your old video card drivers.

Restart and see what happens. Is stability improved? If so, it is likely that your old GPU is toast.

Is there anyone else you know with a PC? You could also put your GPU into their computer to test whether it is working.

Another option is the PSU - it could be that it is going and not supplying enough power.

 

[VirtualLarry]

when I disconnect my GPU and use my on-board graphics as an alternative, but the system seems to struggle (constant crashing & very slow)

Ordinarily, I would say that GPU failure is most likely, followed by PSU failure.

But given what you've written, above, it seems like it's unstable, even with the GPU removed? That points to mainboard, RAM, or PSU issues, or your Windows got corrupted, which could be HDD or SSD.

Recommend booting without the graphics card, and trying a Linux LiveDVD / LiveUSB distro (www.linuxmint.com). If that crashes too, without the GPU removed, then you still have a hardware issue.

I would then use Memtest86 or Memtest86+ , on a bootable DVD, to run a memory test overnight.

If that passes without error, or reboots, without error, then consider swapping in a known-good PSU. You could even, if it proves stable with a new PSU, add the dGPU back in, and test some more. If it's still stable, and now your games play, then the problem was likely the PSU.