Hey everyone! I'm hoping to get some advice because I was in the middle of playing a game earlier today when my computer suddenly shut down, almost like a power outage, but that wasn't the case. Now, whenever I try to turn it back on, everything lights up—the fans spin, the CPU seems fine, and I even hear the motherboard beep. The GPU light is on as well, but my monitors only display a black screen. They flicker for a split second like they're searching for a connection, but I never see the Dell logo or BIOS screen. My mouse and keyboard light up for a moment too.
I'm wondering if the problem could be due to the PSU failing or if there's something wrong with the GPU. Just so you know, I have a relatively new Alienware setup with an i9 processor and a 4070 Super Ti—so the hardware is only about a year old. I haven't made any changes to it recently, aside from adding an SSD last year. I even tested a new monitor and HDMI cable, and they work fine, plus my regular monitors are functioning properly with other devices. What could be causing this issue?
1 Answer
I've faced a similar issue before, and it turned out to be the PSU. I had a 3070 with a 550W PSU and everything worked fine until I tried playing a more demanding game. After upgrading to an 800W PSU, the problem was gone.
Here are a few things you can try:
1. If there's been a power surge, sometimes it can mess with the motherboard. Try unplugging your PC and holding down the power button for about 30 seconds. This will drain the capacitors and might help reset things.
2. If your motherboard has onboard graphics, plug your monitor into that and remove the GPU to see if it boots up.
By the way, your data is probably safe, so don't worry about that. Let me know how it goes; I’m following this thread!
Also, what’s the wattage of your PSU?
I'm not entirely sure about the PSU's wattage, but since it’s a pre-built Alienware, it might be the bare minimum. I did try the hard restart you suggested, but that didn’t seem to do the trick.