Workstation PC Faults Checklist
Device Identification
Provide desktop workstation details for system analysis:
- System Model/Serial:
- CPU & Motherboard Chipset:
- Memory (ECC/Capacity/Speed):
- GPU Configuration (Multi-GPU/SLI/NVLink):
- PSU Rated Wattage:
How to find:
- Check sticker on chassis (Side/Rear)
- Run “dxdiag” or “msinfo32”
- View hardware details in BIOS/UEFI
BIOS, UEFI & Firmware
- Boot drive not recognized (CSM/UEFI mismatch)
- CMOS battery failure (Clock reset)
- Secure Boot / TPM initialization failure
- USB/Thunderbolt port disablement in BIOS
Cooling & Airflow
- AIO/Liquid pump failure (Gurgling/High temps)
- Case fan bearing noise / Vibration
- Dust buildup in radiator fins
- Positive/Negative pressure imbalance
Expansion & PCIe Cards
- 10GbE/Networking card dropouts
- Audio interface / PCIe sound card interference
- Capture card signal latency
- PCIe lane bottlenecking (Bandwidth issues)
Graphics & Display Output
- Artifacting during CUDA/OptiX renders
- DisplayPort “No Signal” after sleep
- GPU sag causing PCIe slot stress
- Multi-monitor alignment / Flickering
- Pro-driver (Quadro/Radeon Pro) conflicts
Liquid Damage & Environment
Has the unit been exposed to liquid or high humidity?
Describe traces of corrosion or spills:
Memory (RAM)
- Blue Screen (BSOD) under heavy memory load
- ECC Correctable/Uncorrectable error logs
- Memory training failure on cold boot
- XMP/DOCP profile instability
Physical Chassis & External I/O
- Front panel USB/Audio port damage
- Power button mechanical failure
- Rear I/O shield grounding issues
- Side panel / Mounting screw stripping
Power Supply (PSU)
- Coil whine under GPU load
- Intermittent shutdowns (OCP/OTP triggers)
- PSU fan failure / Grinding
- Surge protector / UPS compatibility issues
Storage (SSD/HDD/RAID)
- M.2 NVMe thermal throttling
- Mechanical HDD clicking / Head park
- RAID controller (Hardware/Software) rebuild errors
- SMART health status warnings