Before replace your graphics card, we should deal with the typical error messages and problems that indicate that your graphics card is broken.

How to recognize a defective GPU of a Desktop PC

The graphics card is one of the most important hardware components in your computer, at least if you are a gamer or streamer. It is all the more annoying when your graphics card is defective. If you don't need your computer for gaming or other graphics-intensive applications, then you most likely don't have a dedicated graphics card and are using the graphics chip on your CPU.

The graphics card - the central control unit for your image output

In most cases, however, your computer has a separate card for image output and problems with this occur at least as often.

But what exactly does your graphics card do? Roughly summarized, it processes the data from your computer and sends it to your monitor, so it is the central control unit for your image output.

This brings us to the actual question, how do you actually recognize that your graphics card is defective?

Sooner or later you will have to deal with technical problems on your computer. In the following article, we will explain whether these are the result of problems with your graphics card and whether you really need to replace your graphics card.

Basic errors of a defective graphics card

Before you want to replace your graphics card, we should deal with the typical error messages and problems that indicate that your graphics card is broken.

This saves you a lot of effort if the error may be in another component of your computer.

As already mentioned, your graphics card is responsible for your image output, so if you have problems with a black screen or screen flickering, these are clear indications of a defect in this hardware component.

However, with a black screen, the problem can also be the monitor. A defective or improperly plugged-in cable is a popular source of error.

If your computer crashes during games that have the requirement of a particularly high graphic, you should definitely check your graphics card as well.

The BIOS warning sound

If you have only recently installed or replaced your graphics card, the problem may also lie in the fact that it is loose in the computer.

You can find this out relatively quickly. Because if this is the case, then your BIOS will play a warning tone when the computer boots up, which will be recognized as a high-pitched beep.

There are of course different combinations of tones, which stand for different sources of error. Many systems indicate a problem with the graphics card to the user with the combination 1x long, 2x short" and "1x long, 3x short".

If this combination of sounds occurs, then most likely your graphics card is not seated properly in the case.

You can easily check this when the power supply is switched off. Check that the card is properly seated in the slot and that the cables are all properly seated.

Even if the warning tone doesn't appear, it doesn't hurt to check.

Test the graphics card

If errors like the ones mentioned appear, then it is very likely that your graphics card is causing problems.

The next step is to check your graphics card. You can easily carry out a graphics card defect test yourself without much effort.

Explicitly with a BIOS warning tone, it is advisable to run a DirectX test. Use the key combination Windows key + R key to open the “Run” window and enter the command “dxdiag” there.

This will run the test on the Windows operating system. After completing the test, you will find out whether the graphics card defect test returned a result that indicates a problem with your GPU.

You can access the results via the "Notes" tab. Another way you can test your graphics card is with a stress test using the free tool FurMark.

The program pushes your graphics card to its maximum performance in order to find possible sources of error.

However, this test is not recommended if there were already clear errors that can be traced back to the graphics card.

In this case, FurMark's stress test can, in the worst case, lead to even greater damage.

Update the drivers

Another very banal error that occurs very often is that the drivers have not been updated.

This can often lead to malfunctions in your GPU. So before you worry about replacing your graphics card, download and run the latest drivers for your particular card.

You can easily do this via the device manager. Select your graphics card there and click on "Update driver software".

The latest driver will then be downloaded and installed. Finally, all you have to do is restart your computer and in most cases, your GPU should work again.

So you can easily rule out that your graphics card is defective.

What can I do if my graphics card is defective?

If you can no longer rule out a defective GPU, the question now arises as to how to proceed.

On the one hand, you can carry out a repair yourself, for example, if your graphics card has overheated due to a defective cooling unit or you can buy a new one.

The latter option is unfortunately very expensive depending on the graphics card. However, when doing the self-repair, note that opening the card will void your warranty claim if it still exists.

Of course, this also applies to third-party repairs. However, if it is repaired by a specialist, the risk of your card being irreparably damaged is significantly lower or non-existent.

The best thing to do is to find out what it costs to have a repair carried out by a specialist and then weigh up whether it might not be worth buying a new one.