I was dealing with an overheating CPU and decided to clean the cooler. After I unscrewed it, cleaned it, and reassembled everything, my monitor suddenly couldn't find an HDMI signal. I checked the cable and monitor—they're both working great. I even tested my GPU in another computer, and it worked fine there. I'm wondering if I accidentally damaged the motherboard during the process. What could be causing this issue? My computer powers on, but there's no HDMI output at all.
2 Answers
Did you double-check which HDMI port you're using? Make sure it's connected to the GPU and not the motherboard—sometimes you can accidentally plug it into the wrong one without realizing it!
Have you removed the heat sink from the CPU? It's crucial to make sure everything is seated properly when you put it back together. Sometimes reseating the GPU can help, too. Just to confirm, you didn't touch the GPU when cleaning?
Yeah, I took the heat sink off, cleaned everything, and put it back together. I didn’t touch the GPU, but I reseated it multiple times after the issue started, and it worked fine in another machine.
Nope, it's definitely plugged into the GPU. I had no idea you could even connect it to the motherboard!