My PC was working normally, but it suddenly began freezing at the motherboard logo during startup. I cleared the CMOS, tried different RAM slots and configurations, and even performed a clean Windows 11 installation. The system boots and runs normally using the CPU's integrated graphics, but it hangs at the motherboard screen every time the RTX 4070 Super is installed. Removing Nvidia drivers did not change anything, so the issue appears to happen before Windows loads. The GPU's fans and lighting turn on. I'm using an ASRock B650I Lightning WiFi motherboard, Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Zotac RTX 4070 Super, 32GB of G.SKILL Trident Z5 DDR5-6400, a Corsair MP700 2TB NVMe SSD, and a Corsair SF1000 power supply in a Fractal Terra case. I also removed the PCIe riser and connected the GPU directly to the motherboard, and forcing the PCIe slot to Gen 4 did not help. I tried updating the BIOS with a FAT32 16GB USB drive, but the board reports "No Image File Found." What should I test next to determine whether the problem is the GPU, motherboard, or power supply?
3 Answers
Check the motherboard’s diagnostic indicators while the card is installed, especially a VGA or boot light. If the board has another full-length PCIe slot, try the card there temporarily. You can also leave the BIOS set to PCIe Gen 4 rather than Auto, although you already tried that. Make sure the GPU power connector is fully seated and, if possible, use separate PSU cables rather than a daisy-chained lead.
The fact that the card powers its fans and LEDs does not prove that it is initializing correctly. A failed GPU, damaged PCIe connector, or power-delivery problem can still stop POST at the logo. Since Windows has been reinstalled and the freeze occurs before the operating system starts, focus on hardware isolation instead of reinstalling drivers or Windows again. Avoid connecting or disconnecting the GPU while the computer is powered on.
Since the machine works with integrated graphics but freezes before Windows whenever the discrete card is installed, the Nvidia driver is probably unrelated. The most useful next step is testing the 4070 Super in another known-good system, or testing a different GPU in this motherboard. That will quickly separate a bad graphics card from a motherboard or power issue. Also double-check that the BIOS file exactly matches the motherboard model and revision, is extracted to the root of the FAT32 USB drive, and follows the board’s required filename and flashback procedure.
The GPU lights and fans come on, and I already removed the riser and connected it directly to the board. I’ll try swapping in another graphics card or testing this one elsewhere.