I put together a PC with a Ryzen 5 5500, Gigabyte A520M K V2 motherboard, 8GB of TeamGroup RAM, a DeepCool 550W 80+ Bronze PSU, and an RX 5500 XT 8GB graphics card. The system does not POST or show anything on the monitor. The parts were tested individually in other builds and reportedly work, including the GPU.
I suspected the BIOS, so I tried updating it with a flash drive and also tested a known-working RTX 3050. The fans moved with the 3050, but there was still no display. I cleared the CMOS, tried an SSD from another working PC, and even disconnected the case connections from the motherboard to rule out a faulty case. I understand that the computer should still reach the BIOS without a drive installed. The power cables appear to be connected correctly. What should I check next?
3 Answers
Clear the CMOS properly by switching off and unplugging the PSU, removing the CMOS battery for several minutes, then reinstalling it. Reseat the CPU and inspect the AM4 socket for bent pins or debris. Check that the CPU cooler is not tightened unevenly, and verify that the 8-pin EPS cable near the CPU is connected—not a similarly shaped PCIe cable. If the board still gives no display in a minimal outside-the-case setup, test with another known-good PSU or replace/RMA the motherboard first.
The GPU fans not spinning does not necessarily indicate a problem. Many cards use a zero-RPM mode and keep the fans stopped at startup or low temperatures. The Ryzen 5 5500 may also require a sufficiently recent BIOS on that A520 board, so check the motherboard’s CPU support list and the BIOS version required for the 5500. Make sure the update method you used is actually supported by this exact board revision; some versions do not have BIOS Flashback and cannot update without a supported CPU.
The most likely suspects are still the motherboard or power delivery, even if the parts worked in another system. Test the board outside the case on its cardboard box with only the CPU, cooler, one RAM stick, GPU, 24-pin motherboard cable, and 8-pin CPU cable connected. Remove all drives and USB devices. Try the RAM stick in the recommended A2 slot, then try the other slot if needed. Also confirm the monitor cable is plugged into the graphics card, not the motherboard video outputs—the Ryzen 5 5500 has no integrated graphics.
I already tried disconnecting the case wiring, but I’ll test the board completely outside the case with one RAM stick and check the CPU power cable again.
The fact that the 3050 fans moved only tells you that the card received power; it does not prove the system completed POST. A BIOS compatibility issue or a bad board could still cause the blank screen.