Failed to start after trying to install a second graphics card.
Failed to start after trying to install a second graphics card.
System: PSU model RM850e, Motherboard MSI B550-A, CPU AMD Ryzen 7 5800X3D (with cooler - BE QUIET BK022 CPU cooler), GPU GIGABYTE|NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti, RAM G.SKILL Ripjaws V DDR4 2x 16GB. Today I tested a potential GPU passthrough for a VM. I installed a second GPU, the Gigabyte GeForce GTX 1060 6GB. The process went smoothly until the monitor signal disappeared. I suspected driver issues or signal routing problems. I tried connecting monitors to the second GPU, but it stopped working. The CPU LED lit up bright white—clear sign of trouble. Steps I took: 1) Restored original setup (removed second GPU), still failed. 2) Powered on via fans, got voltage but no response—possibly PSU fault. Swapped connectors, reattached—still white LED. 3) Powered on with RAM, same result. 4) Bought a different PSU from NAS (RM750e), tried without GPU, issue persisted. 5) Removed all storage and RAM; CPU stayed lit, no GPU signal. 6) Disconnected and reconnected every cable, still white LED. 7) Cleared CMOS, waited 10 minutes. 8) Removed cooler and CPU, checked for damage—none found. Replaced thermal paste, reinserted CPU, installed new cooler. Tested CPU-only setup, LED remained white. From guides, I learned the boot fails early, possibly due to installation errors or power issues. My guess is the second GPU caused a hardware conflict or overloaded the PSU. The motherboard or CPU might be faulty. Since I can’t test on another board, I’m stuck and need advice. I don’t have a compatible replacement for further troubleshooting.
I’m having trouble getting into BIOS. Once the system powers on, it seems to activate only the main display and nothing else. I suspect the issue might be that the MB isn’t reaching it properly. I’ve booted with both GPUs and connected monitors, but I’ve used all available HDMI and DP cables in various setups. I’ll recheck this. Regarding debug mode, from the manual I know there are four LED indicators to help troubleshoot problems. In this case, it appears to stop early—no other lights appear when it should, possibly indicating a problem with RAM or another component.
Well I've gathered info from chatgpt and gotten 2 answers from it. Its working fine Its in debug mode (you have to exit it) It told me you'll have to go into bios and disable debug mode. If there was any issue indicator should be able to tell you what's wrong like cpu or ram or else. So we'll need to confirm if it's motherboard or not, can you try remove everything including cpu and boot it and see if it's indicating that there's cpu issue or still white led showing That is if you read manual which color or flashing led is indicating cpu issue. Strange behaviour if you ask me.
It’s quite unlikely this happened by chance. There might be damage or shorts during installation. Could you check your board carefully?