220-1101 Hardware Practice Question

Answer analysis

Option-by-option breakdown

For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.

• ✗

  The GPU is not properly seated in the PCIe slot

  Why it's wrong here

  If the GPU were not fully seated in the PCIe x16 slot, the card's gold contacts wouldn't connect with the slot's pins, preventing the motherboard from detecting it. In many cases, the system would still POST using integrated graphics or a basic VGA adapter, but the GPU fans themselves would typically receive power from the slot and spin briefly during startup. The fact that the system boots and shows no display, yet the GPU fans remain completely motionless, points to a lack of auxiliary 12V power rather than a physical seating problem. A poorly seated card would usually cause a different symptom, such as a failure to POST or an audible beep code, not a silent, powered-down GPU. Therefore, the seating issue is not the root cause here.

• ✓

  The power supply does not provide enough wattage for the GPU

  Why this is correct

  A high-end GPU can draw 300W or more under load, and a 500W power supply is often insufficient—especially a lower-quality unit whose 12V rail delivers far less than its label claims. When the system boots, the GPU's power management requests high current, causing the PSU's over-current protection (OCP) to trip or voltage to sag, leaving the fans and core without power. This explains both the blank display and the non-spinning fans: the card is never receiving enough power to initialize. Even with a working Y-splitter, the PSU cannot supply the required wattage, so this is the fundamental fault.

• ✗

  The Y-splitter adapter is defective

  Why it's wrong here

  A Y-splitter adapter only divides one PCIe power cable into two connectors; it cannot create additional capacity because it still draws from the same single cable and PSU rail. If the splitter were defective—say, with a broken wire or short—the GPU might indeed receive no power, but this would be a secondary failure. The more fundamental problem is that the power supply lacks sufficient wattage and current capability, so even a brand-new, high-quality splitter would not resolve the issue. The symptoms would persist because the PSU cannot source enough power to meet the GPU's demands, making the splitter's condition irrelevant to the final diagnosis.

• ✗

  The monitor cable is not correctly connected

  Why it's wrong here

  A loose or faulty monitor cable would cause a blank screen, but it would have no effect on the GPU fans because they receive power directly from the card's power rail, not through the display output. If the cable were the issue, the GPU would still be powered, so you would hear the fans spinning or see the card heat up. Here, the fans are completely stationary, which proves the GPU is not receiving power at all—a power delivery problem, not a signal issue. The blank display is just a symptom of the unpowered GPU, so this option cannot explain the entire set of symptoms.

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