My nine-year-old GTX 1050 Ti recently died, so I bought a refurbished GTX 1060 Windforce OC 6GB as a replacement. The new card's fans spin, but when it is installed, I get no display and the keyboard and mouse do not even light up. The computer works when I remove the graphics card and use the CPU's integrated graphics.
I removed the old graphics drivers, discharged the system, reseated the card in the primary PCIe slot, checked the BIOS settings, connected the required six-pin PCIe power cable, and tried the troubleshooting steps included with the card. I also moved the monitor cable between the motherboard and graphics card outputs while testing.
Could a weak power supply cause this, and how can I check what power supply I have? Should I return the refurbished GTX 1060, try to repair my old card, or save for a completely new PC?
3 Answers
First, test the system with the graphics card removed and the monitor connected to the motherboard output. Since integrated graphics works, that confirms the rest of the computer can boot. When testing the 1060, make sure the monitor is connected directly to one of the 1060’s outputs, not the motherboard.
To check the power supply, turn the PC off, remove the side panel, and read the label on the PSU. You need the model and its total wattage, especially the 12V output. A GTX 1060 generally calls for around a 400W-quality PSU, but the exact requirement depends on the rest of the system. There usually is not a way to see the PSU’s actual rating from Windows.
The keyboard and mouse losing power is not normally caused by a graphics card simply being underpowered. If the system cannot complete POST with the 1060 installed, the likely possibilities are a defective card, a PCIe slot or motherboard problem, a power connection issue, or less commonly a PSU problem.
Try another USB port and confirm the six-pin connector is firmly attached, but the best next test is another known-good graphics card in this PC or testing the 1060 in another compatible PC. If another card works in your computer, return the refurbished 1060 as faulty rather than paying to repair a very old card.
A power supply that is too weak is possible, but the 1060 itself does not draw enough power to make a suitable PSU shut down under normal startup conditions. Check the PSU label instead of guessing, and also inspect whether the card is fully seated and whether the PCIe power cable is the correct cable from the PSU.
Because integrated graphics works and the replacement card gives the same no-boot behavior every time, I would prioritize returning the refurbished card and getting a working replacement. A repair on a nine-year-old 1050 Ti is unlikely to be worthwhile unless the repair is very inexpensive.
Everything works normally when the graphics card is removed, so I’m leaning toward returning the 1060 and checking the PSU label before buying anything else.
I’ve been using the integrated graphics for testing, and it works. I have to remove the card and move the monitor cable each time because I can’t get both working together. The old card behaves similarly now, although its fans may not spin.