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220-1201 Practice Question: Building a workstation for video editing and need…
You are building a workstation for video editing and need to install a dedicated GPU in the primary PCIe x16 slot. After installation, the system boots but the GPU is not detected in Device Manager. The GPU works fine in another PC. What should you check on the motherboard?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap is focusing on power or physical seating when the GPU is already proven functional elsewhere — candidates must recognize that a working card in a non-detecting slot points to BIOS/configuration, not hardware failure.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
The motherboard's BIOS setting for the PCIe slot
If a known-good GPU is not detected in Device Manager when installed in the primary PCIe x16 slot, the most likely motherboard-side cause is a BIOS/UEFI configuration issue — such as the slot being disabled, the primary display adapter set to iGPU, or PCIe bifurcation/lane assignment misconfigured. The GPU itself is proven working in another PC, so the fault lies in how the motherboard is presenting or enabling that slot. Checking the BIOS setting for the PCIe slot is the correct next step.
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 PCIe slot's power delivery from the PSU
Why it's wrong here
While a PCIe x16 slot can deliver up to 75 watts of power, high-performance devices like modern video editing GPUs require significantly more power, which is supplied directly from the Power Supply Unit (PSU) via dedicated 6-pin or 8-pin PCIe power cables. If a GPU is not detected, the issue is highly unlikely to be the limited power provided by the slot itself. Instead, it would point to a problem with the direct PSU connections to the GPU or, more commonly, a data communication issue through the slot.
- ✓
The motherboard's BIOS setting for the PCIe slot
Why this is correct
Motherboard BIOS/UEFI firmware provides critical configuration options that directly control the operation and detection of PCIe slots. A specific PCIe slot might be manually disabled within the BIOS, or its PCIe generation (e.g., Gen3, Gen4, Gen5) could be incorrectly configured, leading to compatibility issues or complete non-detection of an installed device. Checking and adjusting these firmware settings is a fundamental and often necessary troubleshooting step when a PCIe device, such as a video editing GPU, is not recognized by the system.
- ✗
The CMOS battery voltage
Why it's wrong here
A low or dead CMOS battery primarily affects the retention of BIOS/UEFI settings, such as the system date, time, and boot order, when the computer is unplugged from AC power. While a critical setting related to a PCIe slot *could* revert to a default if the battery is completely dead, the battery itself does not directly disable or physically prevent a PCIe slot from being detected or functioning. Its impact is on configuration persistence, not direct hardware operation.
- ✗
The CPU fan header
Why it's wrong here
The CPU fan header is a dedicated electrical connector on the motherboard designed solely to provide power to and monitor the rotational speed of the CPU's primary cooling fan. Its function is entirely isolated to thermal management of the central processing unit. This header has no electrical or logical connection to the PCIe bus, the data lanes, or the detection mechanisms responsible for recognizing devices installed in PCIe expansion slots, making it irrelevant to a non-functional PCIe slot.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
BIOS and UEFI Settings
Key term
UEFI
UEFI (Unified Extensible Firmware Interface) is a modern firmware interface that initializes hardware and boots the operating system, replacing the older BIOS.
Key term
Peripheral Component Interconnect Express
PCI Express (PCIe) is a high-speed expansion bus standard that connects internal hardware components like graphics cards, SSDs, and network adapters to a computer's motherboard.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official CompTIA exam blueprint
This 220-1201 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the 220-1201 exam.