220-1101 Hardware and Network Troubleshooting Practice Question
A technician is troubleshooting a high-end gaming desktop that randomly restarts under heavy GPU load. The technician has already replaced the power supply with a unit that provides sufficient wattage, verified that CPU and GPU temperatures are within normal limits, and tested the RAM with a memory diagnostic (no errors). The GPU is a high-end model that requires two 8-pin PCIe power connectors. Which of the following is the MOST likely remaining cause of the random restarts?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates assume a power supply with sufficient total wattage is enough, overlooking the critical distinction between total wattage and the current-carrying capacity of individual cables and connectors under load.
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 GPU is connected using a single 8-pin power cable with a daisy-chain pigtail for the second connector.
The random restarts under heavy GPU load are most likely caused by using a single 8-pin PCIe power cable with a daisy-chain pigtail to supply both 8-pin connectors on a high-end GPU. Each 8-pin PCIe connector can deliver up to 150W, and the PCIe slot provides 75W, totaling 375W for a card that may draw 300W or more under load. A single cable with a pigtail forces all current through one connector and wire gauge, causing voltage drop, overheating, or triggering overcurrent protection (OCP) on the power supply, leading to restarts.
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 motherboard BIOS needs to be updated to support the GPU.
Why it's wrong here
A BIOS update primarily adds compatibility for newly released CPUs/GPUs or fixes early silicon bugs. If the GPU is already recognized and functions under light load, the random restarts under heavy load strongly suggest a power-delivery or thermal fault, not a missing compatibility patch. Flashing the BIOS might incidentally improve stability but would not address the root cause of a power-supply deficiency or a weak power cable.
- ✓
The GPU is connected using a single 8-pin power cable with a daisy-chain pigtail for the second connector.
Why this is correct
A single PCIe power cable with a daisy-chain pigtail forces both 8-pin connectors to source current through the same set of wires and the same PSU modular connector. Under heavy GPU load, the combined current can exceed the wire gauge's rated ampacity, causing voltage sag, connection overheating, and even over-current protection trips inside the PSU. This results in sudden restarts precisely when the GPU demands maximum wattage. The fix is to use two dedicated cables from the PSU to the GPU, each supplying its own connector.
- ✗
The RAM is not installed in the correct dual-channel slots.
Why it's wrong here
Installing RAM in non-optimal slots reduces peak memory bandwidth because dual-channel interleaving is disabled, but the system still runs and passes standard stability tests. A random restart while the GPU is heavily loaded is much more consistent with a power/thermal event than with a memory configuration issue. Even unstable memory normally causes a blue screen or application crash, or a stuck system, not a full power-cycle, especially one triggered by GPU demand.
- ✗
The operating system power plan is set to Power Saver.
Why it's wrong here
The Power Saver plan instructs the CPU to use lower power states and caps the processor's maximum performance to reduce energy draw. It does not affect the GPU's power limits or the PSU's ability to deliver transient current, and it certainly does not generate a reset signal. If anything, Power Saver would lower the system's total power consumption, making a load-related restart less likely, not more. The random restart pattern is a hardware-level protection trigger, not an OS policy decision.
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Key term
RAM
RAM (Random-Access Memory) is volatile computer memory that temporarily stores data for quick access by the CPU.
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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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
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