NVidia GPU is not being detected

Question

Hi, I have an old Inspiron 14R 5421 with GeForce GT 730M. Since it was running hot from sometime, around 85-90+ degree C while playing games (the CPU), I took it to a local service shop to get it cleaned up & have new thermal paste applied. The GPU was working fine and the CPU was running around 75 degrees. I once opened it personally to clean the insides a bit more but didn't touch the CPU/GPU side. But 2 days later, I realized that the GPU is not visible anywhere anymore, like in the right-click options.

When I open NVidia Control Panel, it says, 'An NVIDIA graphics card was not detected in your system'. I tried installing the driver from both NVidia & Dell's site but they both say - 'This graphics driver could not find compatible graphics hardware'. I was able to see the GPU under display adapters but only after enabling 'Show hidden devices'. To clean install its driver, I uninstalled it but it's not visible anymore in the list. I re-opened the laptop to check if I missed something but AFAIK, these are all soldered on the board.

Is there some way to check if this a software issue or a hardware issue? Any solution to this problem?

Thanks.

DELL-Nat M · Answer

If you're experiencing this or a similar issue recently, please don't hesitate to contact our support team. You can use the Get Help Now chat feature located at the bottom right corner of the page.

The chat button is marked with a help icon for easy recognition, as shown in the image below:

ejn63 · Answer

Boot the system in safe mode (instructions below). If you do see both GPUs listed in the device manager, you likely have a driver issue.

If you do not, the nVidia GPU has failed -- you can either run the system on Intel only, or replace the system board if you must have the nVidia GPU (it's not a separate part, so it cannot be replaced other than by replacing the system board.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/start-your-pc-in-safe-mode-in-windows-10-92c27cff-db89-8644-1ce4-b3e5e56fe234

XPS_Man · Answer

Unfortunately as the machine was opened and changes were made, I can not deny the possibility of hardware failure GPU it soldered on MOBO.

Perform a flea power : Remove battery charger and hold down the power button. Put everything back and check.,

Update : What about ePSA, Tap F12 and choose diagnostics. I recall it having GPU in tested hardware list.

PalashV · Answer

I booted in safe mode but I don't see the GPU, perhaps it's failing for sure.

XPS_Man · Answer

Bad news @PalashV  Get a new Motherboard  Or use the machine with onboard graphics

PalashV · Answer

Unfortunately as the machine was opened and changes were made, I can not deny the possibility of hardware failure GPU it soldered on MOBO.

Perform a flea power : Remove battery charger and hold down the power button. Put everything back and check.,

Update : What about ePSA, Tap F12 and choose diagnostics. I recall it having GPU in tested hardware list.

PalashV · Answer

Yeah, so no occasional gaming for a while then. Replacing the motherboard is not an option, the laptop is already 8 years old, so will get a new one later. For now, I'll use it for normal tasks.

Thanks for your inputs.

Inspiron

NVidia GPU is not being detected

Was this post helpful?