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To check whether a GPU is working properly, verify more than whether Windows can see it: confirm its connections and driver, make sure the intended GPU handles a real workload, monitor temperatures and clocks, then test stability at default settings. Detection, basic function, normal performance, and sustained stability are separate checks—a card can pass one and fail another.
1. Start with a safe baseline
Before changing drivers or running a stress test, note the GPU model, whether it is integrated or discrete, Windows version, driver version, idle temperature, and any recent crashes or artifacts. For a desktop, note the power supply (PSU) model and how the card is connected. For a laptop, note whether the problem happens on battery, on AC power, or both.
Restore GPU clocks, voltage, memory settings, and fan settings to their defaults before testing. A failure while overclocked or undervolted shows that the current configuration may be unstable; it does not by itself show that the GPU is defective. AMD notes that its Adrenalin software can reset tuning settings after a stress-test crash or reboot (AMD’s Stress Test guidance).
2. Check the physical connections
For a desktop PC, shut it down and disconnect power before touching internal components. Check that the GPU is fully seated in its PCIe slot and that every required GPU power connector is firmly attached. Look for loose plugs, visible damage, or scorching. Make sure the monitor cable is connected to the graphics card’s output—not the motherboard’s video output—when you intend to use a discrete card. Check the monitor’s selected input, then try another cable, GPU port, or display if available.
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Confirm that the PSU meets the card maker’s requirements and that the power cables are arranged as the manufacturer specifies. A crash that happens only under load can result from inadequate or failing power delivery, a loose connector, or cooling trouble as well as from the GPU itself. Clear dust from obstructed fans and heatsinks. Some cards stop their fans at low temperatures, so fans not spinning at idle are not automatically a fault; check the card’s documentation and its temperature under load.
For a laptop, do not try to reseat the GPU: it is commonly integrated into the system board. Connect AC power, use the laptop’s performance mode if available, and test whether the application is actually using the discrete GPU. Prefer the laptop maker’s graphics driver when it customizes graphics switching, display routing, power management, or firmware support. AMD likewise cautions that OEM drivers may be needed for full compatibility on laptops and all-in-one PCs (AMD driver installation guidance).
3. See whether Windows detects the GPU
Check Device Manager
- Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
- Expand Display adapters and look for the expected GPU model.
- Open the GPU’s Properties. Review Device status and the Driver tab. Note any warning icon or error code.
If the GPU appears by name and Windows says “This device is working properly,” that is useful evidence of detection and initialization—not proof that it will perform reliably in a game. A Code 43 message means the device or its driver reported a problem; Microsoft says the cause may be hardware or the driver/software stack. Its recommended remedies include updating, rolling back, or uninstalling and reinstalling the driver, then checking Device Manager again (Microsoft’s Code 43 troubleshooting steps).
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Generate a DirectX diagnostic report
- Press Windows + R, type
dxdiag, and press Enter. - Accept a driver-signature prompt if one appears.
- Open the relevant Display or Render tab. Review the GPU name, driver details, DirectX features, and any Notes.
- Select Save All Information to save a text report if you need to share details with support.
The report is useful for identifying the installed graphics device and driver, but it is not a hardware stress test. Intel documents dxdiag as a way to collect graphics, driver, and system information (Intel’s report instructions).
4. Confirm that the intended GPU is doing work
Open Task Manager with Ctrl + Shift + Esc, select Performance, and inspect each GPU listed. Note utilization, dedicated and shared memory, and any engine or video encode/decode activity Windows exposes. Start a game or GPU-accelerated application and check whether the expected GPU becomes active. Task Manager’s available readings vary with Windows build, driver, hardware, and workload; a 0% reading at idle is normal.
For a more useful test, run a familiar game with a built-in benchmark, a graphics benchmark, a GPU rendering task, or another application suited to the GPU. Watch for utilization and clocks to rise from idle, memory use to change, and temperature to increase and then settle. The image should remain clean, and the workload should finish without a driver reset, crash, or reboot.
Do not expect utilization to reach 100%. It may stay low if the game is CPU-limited, capped by a frame-rate limit or vertical sync, running at low settings, sitting in a menu, waiting for data, or using another GPU. A video encode/decode workload may use a different engine than 3D rendering. Raising resolution or graphics quality can help show whether the GPU is participating: under a more demanding graphics load, utilization or power draw should generally respond, though results depend on the application and system.
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On laptops with hybrid graphics, the discrete GPU can render an application even when the display output is routed through integrated graphics. Do not infer failure just from which GPU appears connected to a display path. Instead, observe GPU activity while the specific application runs.
5. Monitor temperature, clocks, power, and memory
During a workload, track GPU utilization, clock speed, core temperature, fan speed, power draw, and VRAM use. If available, also watch hotspot or junction temperature and memory temperature. These sensor readings describe different parts of the GPU and are not interchangeable. There is no universal temperature number that proves every model is safe or faulty: limits depend on the GPU, firmware, cooler, laptop chassis, ambient conditions, and sensor.
A gradual temperature rise followed by a stable reading is generally more informative than a brief peak. Investigate temperatures that keep climbing, sudden shutdowns, fan failure, black screens, or a major clock drop that coincides with instability. A large gap between core and hotspot readings can be worth investigating for a particular card, but there is no universal pass/fail difference that applies to every model.
NVIDIA: Open NVIDIA Control Panel and select Help → System Information, or choose System Information at the bottom-left. Confirm the GPU model and driver version. The panel also reports DirectX and feature information (NVIDIA Control Panel help). Some supported NVIDIA systems also provide nvidia-smi in a terminal; nvidia-smi and nvidia-smi -q can report device and sensor information, but the utility is not available on every desktop setup and its output varies by driver and hardware.
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AMD Radeon: In AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition, search for Performance Metrics to choose readings, show an overlay, or log data while a workload runs. AMD lists metrics such as utilization, clocks, board power, current and junction temperatures, fan speed, memory use, and frame-time information. Its documented default logging folder is %LOCALAPPDATA%AMDCN; default hotkeys are Ctrl + Shift + L for logging and Ctrl + Shift + O for the overlay. Options vary by system and software version (AMD performance-metrics guidance).
6. Test stability in stages
First, run a real workload
At default settings, run a familiar game or graphics application for 10–20 minutes. Look for flickering polygons, colored blocks, checkerboards, corrupted textures, black screens, driver timeouts, application crashes, or a full system reboot. If the first application fails, try a second one using a different game or graphics API where possible. One application’s failure may be a game, driver, or settings problem rather than a bad GPU.
Artifacts are clues, not a diagnosis. They can come from the GPU core or VRAM, but also from an unstable overclock, heat, a driver, an application bug, a damaged cable, a connector, or a monitor. Artifacts visible before Windows loads raise more concern about the card or signal path than artifacts limited to one game, but still check the display and cable.
Then consider a short stress test
For a supported Radeon card, AMD Software’s built-in Stress Test is in the performance-tuning area. AMD documents a default duration of 60 seconds and says the duration can be selected. A crash or reboot may trigger a reset of tuning settings (AMD Stress Test details).
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Do not make an extreme stress test your first check. NVIDIA warns that FurMark can draw unusually high power compared with many real applications and may trigger over-temperature or over-current protection. Do not disable thermal, power, or driver protections; NVIDIA warns that doing so can cause permanent damage and may affect warranty coverage (NVIDIA’s FurMark guidance). Stop any test if temperatures rise abnormally, cooling fails, artifacts appear, or the system becomes unstable.
A test pass only shows that the GPU handled that particular workload for that period. It cannot certify every game, API, VRAM pattern, encoder, or compute task. A failure is not automatically a defective GPU either: power supply, cooling, case airflow, driver, and custom tuning can all matter.
7. Fix driver or configuration problems before calling the GPU faulty
If Windows detects the device but reports an error, write down the exact code. Reboot, then try the driver from the GPU maker or (on a laptop or all-in-one) the system maker. If the trouble began after a driver update, use Device Manager → Display adapters → [GPU] → Properties → Driver → Roll Back Driver if the option is available. Otherwise update, or uninstall and reinstall the driver; reboot and check Device Manager again. Microsoft also recommends scanning for hardware changes in its Code 43 guidance.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesRestore default GPU tuning, then repeat the same workload. Check Windows Event Viewer for display-driver resets or hardware errors around the time of a crash, and record the application, driver version, and temperature. If only one title fails, test another application before changing multiple system components at once; changing one thing at a time makes results easier to interpret.
8. Interpret the results
This table is diagnostic guidance, not a definitive fault tree. Several causes can produce the same symptom.
| What you observe | What it may mean |
|---|---|
| GPU absent from Device Manager | Check seating, power, PCIe slot, firmware or device settings, and detection. Hardware failure is possible but not established. |
| GPU appears with a warning icon or error code | Investigate driver installation and initialization; use the exact code to guide troubleshooting. |
| Desktop works, but a game crashes | Possible causes include the game, driver, GPU, PSU, heat, system memory, CPU, or overclock. |
| 3D workloads fail while basic display works | Check driver, power delivery, cooling, VRAM, GPU, and application or API issues. |
| GPU use is near 0% in a game | May be normal if the game is capped, CPU-limited, idle, or using another GPU. |
| GPU use reaches 100% | Not inherently a fault; it can be normal in an uncapped graphics workload. |
| Fans do not spin at idle | May be normal fan-stop behavior. Check temperature and the card’s expected fan mode. |
| Artifacts appear in several places, including before Windows loads | Raises concern about the card, VRAM, cable, connector, or display signal path. |
| Artifacts appear only in one game | Check that game, its settings, driver, shader cache, and API before blaming the GPU. |
| A short test passes, but longer play fails | Consider heat buildup, power delivery, marginal stability, or a workload-specific fault. |
| GPU works in another computer | Points toward the original PC’s PSU, motherboard or slot, cabling, driver, or software. |
| GPU fails in multiple known-good computers | Strengthens the case for a card fault, especially if failures reproduce at stock settings. |
9. Isolate the fault before seeking service
Escalate from low-risk checks to hardware swaps only as needed:
- Verify monitor input, cable, and GPU output; check Device Manager,
dxdiag, and activity under load. - Repeat at stock settings in another application. Update or roll back the driver if symptoms suggest a software change.
- For a desktop, check GPU seating, power connectors, PSU requirements, and cooling. If supported, try another PCIe slot or a known-good PSU.
- When possible, test the suspect GPU in another compatible PC, or test a known-good GPU in the suspect PC. Change one part at a time and use a known-good display cable.
A card that reproducibly fails at stock settings in more than one known-good system is more suspicious than one that fails only in a single game or PC. Before contacting the card maker or system manufacturer, save the exact error code, driver version, event details, temperature readings, screenshots or logs, test settings, and whether the problem reproduced elsewhere. Ask the applicable manufacturer about service and warranty options; coverage depends on the product and its terms.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- Correct display cable, GPU output, and monitor input confirmed
- GPU appears in Device Manager; status and any error code recorded
dxdiagidentifies the expected GPU and driver- Expected GPU becomes active in a real workload
- Temperature, clocks, fans, and memory readings behave plausibly
- No persistent artifacts, driver reset, crash, or reboot
- Test performed at default GPU settings
- Desktop power connectors, PSU, and cooling checked—or laptop tested on AC power
- Symptoms repeated in a second application when necessary
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