Can You Turn on A PC without A Graphics Card? Will It Turn On?

Several people around the world have asked this question whether it is possible to turn on a PC without a graphics card or not. If you are thinking the same, then the answer is – yes, of course, it is possible to turn on your PC without a graphics card.

But there are some conditions that you need to follow to turn on or use your PC without any graphics card. A computer can only boot without any GPU if the CPU has an integrated graphics card.

So how you can boot your PC without a GPU? Don’t worry, everything about how to turn on a PC without any graphics card is discussed in this article.

Let’s read this article by the end to learn how you can do that.

Can You Turn On Your PC Without an Integrated Graphics Card?

As you’ve learned from the intro, you can turn on and use your PC without any GPU only if your CPU has an integrated graphics card. But what if your CPU also doesn’t have any integrated graphics? Can you still turn on your PC?

Well, you can turn on your PC without any graphics card and integrated graphics; but you won’t be able to see anything on your monitor!

It’s simply because your system can’t provide video output without graphics cards. You’ll end up seeing your blank monitor after turning on your PC without a GPU or CPU that doesn’t have integrated graphics.

As you’ll be unable to see anything on your monitor, you won’t be able to use your PC or turn it off. In that case, you need to force shut down the computer by pressing and holding the power button.

So, how you can turn on your PC without a graphics card? Don’t worry there are several ways to turn on a PC without a GPU. Let’s introduce them in the section below.

How to Turn On PC Without Graphics Card – 4 Methods Showing

Here are some ways you can turn on and use your PC without GPU:

Method 1: Use a CPU With Integrated Graphics

If you don’t have any GPU or if you don’t want to buy any GPU for your computer, then must have to choose a CPU that has integrated graphics. It’ll help to boot your system smoothly and you can get excellent performance without any GPU.

You can get integrated graphics on most Intel HD Graphics CPUs and some CPUs with AMD processors.

Method 2: Make a Proper Connection Between Motherboard and Monitor

Basically, it is recommended to connect your monitor to the GPU via HDMI cable. If you connect your monitor to the motherboard instead GPU, then you can’t get the full potential of your graphics card.

But, if you don’t have any GPU, then don’t use an HDMI cable to connect your monitor to the motherboard or CPU. In this case, it would be best to make the connection via a VGA cable.

However, if your PC doesn’t have a VGA port, then you can use the HDMI cable but it might not prove much beneficial to you.

Method 3: Use At Least 4GB of RAM

RAM is really an important component for a PC without any GPU.

If you don’t have any graphics cards, and you are using your PC with the integrated graphics of your CPU, then you’ll be able to do simple tasks on your PC, but can’t do heavy tasks or play games with it or you may face lag while working with multiple programs.

If you want to get the best performance of your PC without using any GPU, then it is mandatory to use at least 4 to 8 GB of RAM.

In today’s games, a GPU and at least 16 GB of RAM are mandatory. So, you may unable to play these kinds of games without a graphics card. But with 4 GB of RAM, you can at least run your PC smoothly without any GPU.

Method 4: Focus on the Processor

If you don’t want to use any GPU, then you need to focus on your processor as known as the CPU. This means you need a powerful CPU as a replacement for the GPU.

You may have heard that the processor is considered the brain of a computer because it processes all the data of the programs. A GPU also processes data from games and videos. When you don’t have any GPU, then all task is upon the CPU.

So, hopefully, you can imagine how your CPU will be affected without a GPU and why a powerful CPU is necessary for your PC to run without any graphics card.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What Happens if I Don’t Have a Graphics Card?

If you don’t have a graphics card, then you still can turn on your PC if you have an iGPU on your CPU. Your CPU will calculate the pixels in this case. But you’ll face lag while doing graphics-intense actions such as playing games.

If you don’t have a CPU with integrated graphics, then you won’t be able to see anything on your monitor as there’ll be no source for rendering video output to the monitor.

Can I Play Games Without Graphics Card?

Well, it depends on the category of the game you want to play without a graphics card and the availability of iGPU on your CPU. If the graphics card is mentioned as a mandatory requirement for that game, then you can’t play it without the graphics card or even with the integrated graphics of your CPU. However, if you have 8GB or above of RAM, and iGPU, then you can play light games such as GTA Vice City or similar to this.

Can I Turn On My PC without a CPU?

No, it is impossible to turn on a computer without any CPU. CPU is the brain of a computer. As no living thing can survive without a brain, a computer also can’t boot or run without a CPU. Though it can be turned on without GPU; without CPU, it is beyond imagination.

Can I Boot My System with a CPU that hasn’t Integrated Graphics?

Yes, you can turn on your computer with a CPU that hasn’t iGPU. But you need a graphics card to run your computer. Because if you don’t use a graphics card or a CPU without integrated graphics, your monitor will be unable to output video on the screen.

Conclusion

I hope you’ve now understood after reading this article how you can turn on your PC without any graphics card. You can turn on your computer without any graphics card but you can’t use it without a graphics card. So, the only solution is, you need a CPU that has an integrated graphics card to use your PC without any graphics card. If you are facing any issues regarding this topic, then feel free to tell us in our comment section below and we will try to reach you as soon as we can.