Computer - No VGA Post - Strange problem

The other day while I was in the middle of playing World of Warcraft, my monitor randomly shut off while my computer continued to run. I thought it was a video card temperature issue immediately because I caught the scent of that hardware burn most of us know. After it powered down, I leaned over and tried to sniff out the culprit of the burn, but couldn't really find it.

The computer would still boot up - but the monitor wouldn't respond and there were no beeps. It wouldn't load into Windows either. Eventually I was able to boot up twice into BIOS, but both times the monitor would stop responding after a few seconds and it would revert back to where it is now.

Currently it will not beep, load windows, or get any sort of display. The video card has one LED that shows "CTF" or Critical Temperature Fault. It is an HD 4890. I've taken steps to check it though; I tried a different video card and received the same results. I swapped the RAM sticks out. I cleaned out the case and checked for loose wires or screws underneath the mobo, but nothing.

The last thing I did, in an attempt to double down on checking the ATI, was put a completely different MOBO in there - different RAM, different CPU - same PSU and VGA. Got the same thing. So I swapped out the VGA for the other one. Same thing.

Could this be some sort of power issue? The PSU powers on and the fan spins, but is it possible that the channel that controls GPU burnt out? If not, what is a likely problem considering the extensive diagnostics I've attempted?

Thanks

 

Greetings, Deth7...

Yes, I guess it could be a PSU problem, since there are specific requirements for the HD 4890 (500-watt or greater power supply with two 75W 6-pin PCI-E power connectors)...those 6-pin circuits may have failed...

Sure would be nice if you could get your hands on another monitor, just to verify that it's not a monitor problem...

 

my thoughts as well, did you see if that smell was coming from the monitor?

 

Just tried a different monitor - same issue.

Also, I tried some six-pin adaptors to no avail.

 

Well, like you said: you've gone through the most likely first troubleshooting steps...you might want to consider swapping PSUs, as this could very well be your problem...