New PC Build No Display – 9 Reasons Why and How I Fixed It

Don’t worry if you get no visual signal on your monitor from your first PC build. It’s a common scenario among amateur PC users. 

This mainly happens because of improper cable management, using incompatible or broken parts, outdated programs, and faulty components. Though these may sound like heavy words, it’s quite simple to fix all these issues. 

You have to know specific methods to deal with the problems. This article shows you just that. Follow these easy-to-do steps, and you will get your monitor’s display back on again. 

The best thing about these methods is that you don’t need deep knowledge or expertise to fix the fix. So, let’s check out the reasons and solutions why your new build doesn’t have any display. 

Why Does Your New PC Build Has No Display, and What Can You Do to Fix It?

Keep reading to find out all the nine reasons and solutions for a new PC that doesn’t have a display.

Reason 1. The monitor is probably not plugged in properly

First-time PC builders make their first mistake with the cables. Not getting any visual signal on the monitor can mean that the PC wires are loosely connected to the display device. 

Or the plug cannot be connected at all. Another common mistake is putting the plug into the wrong monitor input. All these things result in a blank display.

Solution: Make sure all the plugs are perfectly Inserted into the Socket

All you need to do is make sure all the plugs are properly connected to their respective ports. 

The plugs must be tightly secured on both ends and in the right place. If this arrangement doesn’t fix anything, see if the wires are all right. Damaged or torn cable won’t work at all. In this case, you have to use a new set of wires. 

However, if the cables are fine, the problem is with the port. See Reason 7 to know more about it.

Reason 2. The Cables are Probably Not the Right Ones

You have probably just set up your new PC, and once you turn it on, everything lights up except for the monitor. So if you think everything is on point and in its place, but there’s still no picture, the reason is probably in the cables. 

Is your monitor connected to the PC with a VGA cable? That’s the issue here. 

Solution: Use a DVI Cable or Install a VGA Driver

As you have just built the PC, there’s basically nothing on your computer. But, to run the monitor with a VGA cable, you need to have a VGA driver in the computer system. 

You will have to install the VGA driver to run your monitor with the VGA cable. How are you going to do that if you have no view? Use a DVI to connect the monitor to the GPU. Once you get the display, install the BIOS and VGA driver. This should fix your issue for good.

Or you can leave your VGA cable and use the DVI instead. This works perfectly fine as well. 

Reason 3: The Components You are Using May not be Compatible with Your PC

Your PC depends on tons of different components. All these parts work together to offer the main functionality. However, this process is quite delicate. Even if a single component doesn’t work or isn’t compatible, the whole system will collapse. 

In other words, using the wrong devices or tools will make your PC useless.

Solution: Hook Up Compatible PC Parts

As a beginner builder, it can be challenging to understand which part is ideal for your PC and which is causing the display issues. Fortunately, some websites help you understand whether you are using the correct parts for your computer. 

For example, the popular pcpartpicker.com has a feature that tells you whether you are using any wrong part. 

Just go to the website and click on Start Your Build. On the next page, you have to insert the names of all your PC components, such as the GPU, Motherboard, etc. 

After the selection, the website will show you which of your picks are incompatible with the PC. Not only this, pcpartpicker.com will even tell you what the ideal parts can be. In a word, this is the complete package.

Follow what the site suggests and purchase those ideal parts. Then, hooking them up to your PC should get your computer smoothly running.

Reason 4: There’s no Graphics Card on Your PC

You won’t get good video feedback without a graphics card. In other words, the monitor of your computer will show that there isn’t any signal if your PC doesn’t have any built-in or external graphics card. 

Solution: Help Your PC with a New Graphics Card

Look up your processor on google and see if it has any integrated graphics features. If it doesn’t, the solution is to buy a new graphics card. You can’t build a PC without this component. In other words, there’s no other way for you.

Reason 5: Perhaps the Motherboard BIOS Needs an Update

An outdated BIOS is as useless as a dead computer. If your computer Motherboard’s BIOS is not updated, it won’t work with your latest CPU. In other words, your computer will not work at all. Even if it turns on, you won’t see any display. 

Solution: Update your BIOS

As outdated BIOS is the main issue, you must update it to deal with it. 

Updating the BIOS is a piece of cake. You can do it yourself. You must first press Windows + R and access the “RUN” command. In the dialogue box, type in “msinfo32“. This will show you the current BIOS version you are using.

Now you have to go to your computer manufacturer’s website and download the EXE file of the BIOS update. Once the file is downloaded, install it on your PC.

But, before you do so, you must remember a few things. First, your Motherboard will die if there is a power cut during the update. In other words, your PC will be gone for good. 

So, ensuring you will have a consistent electricity supply to your computer throughout the installation process is crucial. This is why it’s wise to take your PC to a professional workshop to update the BIOS. 

However, update the BIOS on a laptop with a healthy battery backup. Then, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. 

Reason 6: The PSU (Power Supply Unit) is not the Perfect Match

The PSU, or the power supply unit, provides the perfect amount of power to the computer system. If this part gets damaged or can’t supply the required voltage, your PC components may not work. 

This is likely to happen if you have installed a powerful GPU. 

Solution: Get a Compatible PSU

The PSU you are using probably fails to supply the needed energy flow. So, it would be best if you got a new PSU that is more powerful enough to feed all the PC’s components.

But how do you know which PSU is ideal for you? First, check the requirement of your GPU, or ask a professional. They can suggest the perfect PSU for your device.

Reason 7: The Ports are Likely to be Damaged

It’s no secret that your computer display will light up only if it gets the proper signal. However, any interruption of this signal will cause the display to go out.

By now, you know that a faulty wire is why the input module of the monitor may not get the signals. Apart from this, the signal receptor port can be a culprit too. 

If the plug’s port is damaged, it will prevent your display from turning on. As a result, you will be left with a blank monitor. 

Solution: Replace the Damaged Ports with Working Ones

As the ports are the root of this problem, replacing them is the only solution. However, it’s better to leave this task in the hand of a professional. 

Reason 8: Is the RAM Module Compatible with the Mew Motherboard?

Your PC components won’t work unless the RAM module of your build is compatible with the Motherboard you are using. If the RAM and the Motherboard are not in sync, the PC won’t boot up. In other words, you won’t get any display on your new computer.

Solution: Get a Compatible RAM Module

Make sure you are using the suitable RAM module for your computer. It should match the Motherboard. However, sometimes the correct RAM may not work too. In this case, the reason is defective RAM.

Take the whole PC to the workshop and take their advice on which RAM you should choose.

Reason 9: Your Monitor is Probably Running on the Wrong Configuration

The functionality of your computer’s hardware directly depends on the configuration of your computer’s system. Nothing will work if your computer can’t recognize the input/output signals coming and going out. 

Solution: Configure Your PC with the Correct Settings

Here you have to set up the computer settings to match your hardware arrangements. For example, if you use a VGA cable to connect your monitor to the PC, make sure your computer knows about it. Set the display mode to VGA instead of HDMI or DVI.

My Final Thoughts 

First-time PC builders make a few mistakes, and it’s alright. You don’t have to be perfect because there’s always the chance to fix the faults and get the whole device back to working just fine. 

Having a blank display on a newly built PC is not very pleasant. But don’t be demotivated because the mistakes you’ve made can be easily fixed. 

This article showed you all the possible ways the issue can be solved. Follow all the problems one by one and see which of these reasons is the culprit, then perform the fix accordingly. This should be easy to do if you are attentive enough.