Glossary → Desktop PC Repair Terms
What Is a GPU?
The graphics processor behind everything you see on screen.
Definition: The GPU (graphics processing unit) turns data into the images on your display. In gaming PCs it’s usually a separate graphics card; in many laptops and office PCs it’s built into the processor or soldered to the motherboard.
Signs of a GPU problem
Coloured lines, blocks or flickering (“artifacts”), the screen going black while the PC keeps running, driver crashes during games, or very loud graphics card fans. No display at all can also be a GPU fault, though RAM and the motherboard are checked too.
It isn’t always the card
Many “GPU problems” are really overheating, an under-powered PSU, a loose power connector, or a bad driver. That’s why we test before replacing anything expensive.
GPU cooling
Graphics cards collect dust and their thermal paste dries out just like a processor’s. A clean and service can bring temperatures and fan noise back down and stop throttling in games.
Related terms
→ PSU — a weak power supply can make a good GPU crash
→ BSOD — graphics driver faults often show up as blue screens
Artifacts or crashes in games?
Free diagnosis to pin down the GPU, power or cooling fault.