220-1101 Hardware Practice Question
A technician is upgrading a workstation by adding a second high-end graphics card for a rendering application. After installation, the system powers on but displays no video output from either card. Both cards were working previously in other systems. Which of the following is the MOST likely cause?
⚠ Common exam trap
CompTIA often tests the misconception that a second PCIe slot is incompatible or that BIOS settings are the cause, but the real trap is that candidates overlook the power supply's capacity as the root cause when multiple high-power components are added.
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 power supply unit does not have sufficient capacity for both cards.
When a second high-end graphics card is added but neither card produces video output, the most likely cause is insufficient power supply capacity. High-end graphics cards can draw 250W or more each under load, and the system may lack the combined wattage or the necessary PCIe power connectors. Without enough power, the cards may initialize partially or not at all, resulting in no video output from either slot.
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 second PCIe slot is incompatible with the graphics card.
Why it's wrong here
Both cards worked elsewhere, so slot incompatibility is unlikely; the symptom of no video from either card points to shared power or PCIe lane allocation. It is tempting because slot generation mismatches do occur, but that would affect only the new card, not the original one.
- ✓
The power supply unit does not have sufficient capacity for both cards.
Why this is correct
Two high-end graphics cards draw substantial wattage under load, and an inadequate PSU cannot sustain both during initialisation, causing the system to power on briefly with no video. Both cards work elsewhere, ruling out faulty GPUs.
- ✗
The system BIOS is configured to disable the second PCIe slot.
Why it's wrong here
A BIOS setting disabling one slot would leave the original card outputting video, so it cannot explain loss of display from both cards. It is tempting because BIOS slot configuration is a real cause of a single dead slot, but the stem shows a system-wide failure.
- ✗
A driver conflict exists between the two different graphics card models.
Why it's wrong here
Dual-GPU driver conflicts cause rendering faults, not total loss of video from both cards at POST. The BIOS initialises display before any OS driver loads, so a driver issue cannot explain a blank screen. Driver conflicts are tempting when mixing GPU models, but they manifest once the OS is running.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This 220-1101 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 220-1101 exam.