I recently bought a pre-built gaming PC from a colleague, who got it from Walmart but realized it didn't have a graphics card. I got it for a good price, and a friend donated his old GeForce 1080TI to me. I think I installed it correctly, but when I try to boot the PC, the monitor connected to the GPU shows nothing. When I switch the connection to the motherboard, I can see the boot screen with options like DEL for BIOS and F12 for the boot menu, but nothing seems to work from there. I've gone through all the options, reset the PC, removed the graphics card, and even tried different USB ports and keyboards. I'm not super tech-savvy, but I'm eager to learn. Can anyone offer some advice?
3 Answers
First off, make sure your monitor is plugged directly into the GPU, not the motherboard. Did you remember to connect the power connectors to the GPU? That’s essential!
Can you clarify what you mean by 'stuck in BIOS'? What do you actually see on your screen?
I see a GIGABYTE screen with options for DEL into BIOS and F12 for the boot menu among others.
Those 4-pin flat Molex connectors can sometimes push the pins out, so double-check that they're connected properly. If you're able to access BIOS, try switching between UEFI and legacy boot modes. Also, check your boot order—make sure your drive or Windows boot manager is set to the top. Lastly, if Windows tries to boot but crashes, the SATA mode could be misconfigured. Experiment with modes like ATA, AHCI, and RAID.
Yes! I connected a 6-pin connector to the GPU, and it lit up fine. I tried the HDMI and the three DisplayPorts but got nothing. I checked the GPU: it was warm when I removed it.