this post was submitted on 08 Aug 2023
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Looking for recommendations on how to diagnose this weird issue I had for the second time today while playing Baldur's Gate. Previous time it happened was playing wow.

Anyway, what happens is my screens all go black but the game is still running, just no video output. I can still hear discord, the game running, music going etc. Just no video out.

My GPU seems to run hot for my taste (80C max) during intensive times playing games but from what I read that is a totally safe temp for a 3080. Generally around 50-65 though during normal play

For reference, I had this card for a while but just rebuilt most of my PC with a new processor, motherboard, 1000W PSU, new ram and case that I put extra fans in. This happened once in my old build and now a second in my new one.

Is this an issue with the card, the power going to it not being sufficient or something else... I am well under the wattage rating for my PSU so unless its an issue with the power in my apartment I am lost. 0 other issues with gaming or heat.

Please give any advice how to diagnose or what to do

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[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If everything else seems to still be running, it might be the graphics card driver that's crashed. When it happens, hold down the windows key, ctrl, and shift, then press B. That should restart the driver and hopefully let you see if anything else is happening.

If restarting the driver works, it's worth trying a different version before swapping hardware.

Good luck 👍

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wow that’s an awesome tip I had no idea that was a command.. It was more than a month between occurrences but I’ll keep this in my back pocket for next time. Thanks

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Nvidia often ships drivers that crash, so using a different version is a good idea. I usually recommend downgrading to something from 3-6 months ago, but baldurs gate 3 is a new game and will probably work better with newer versions, so check for updates regularly.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

For reference, I had this card for a while but just rebuilt most of my PC with a new processor, motherboard, 1000W PSU, new ram and case that I put extra fans in. This happened once in my old build and now a second in my new one.

I think you just answered your own question. Assuming you reformatted when you got the new hardware, something is wrong with your GPU. Even if you didn't, that's really suspect.

When you submit your RMA, make sure to tell them you tried it in a completely different computer rather than complicating the story.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I have all new drives and a fresh windows install obviously. Literally the only thing from the old to the new guild was my gpu.

Do you rma through nvidia or through the card manufacturer. I’ve never had to do it before. What’s the typical experience if you know off hand?

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

It depends on how long you've had the card and what their warranty period is. The typical warranty period is 1 year limited warranty. Contact support and check warranty status with your card manufacturer. You may be outside of the warranty period and up the proverbial creek.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Is your GPU sagging at all?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Very slightly in this build but wasn’t at all in my previous

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

So there are a few things to check. It is possible your new power supply is not compatible with the gpu, or not actually putting out the wattage they claim, or the connection to your gpu is bad, or its just having issues. Or maybe the new motherboard has a compatibility issue with the gpu or a technical issue with the port. Could need a bios update or maybe a driver update. It could also be overheating due to the change of fans causing poor airflow. Just throwing a few things out there, happy troubleshooting.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I appreciate the thoughts. It was a brand new psu with plenty of extra wattage. My old 750 was sufficient but went bigger just to be sure in this build. I’ll check on bios and drivers. I know my gpu drivers are up to date but not sure on bios. It’s happening with 2 different builds though where the gpu is the only common factor. I feel like that rules out most everything else component-wise

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Yeah it sounds like the GPU is likely the issue. Do you have another one you can use for testing?

[–] echutaa 2 points 1 year ago

I had a similar issue with mine that ended up being a bad riser. If you can try a different pci slot and see if it continues.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Try reseating the RAM.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Had the same symptoms - namely the graphic card "crashing" under load - on a 2080Ti. Temps were reported as high in OpenHardwareMonitor, but nothing worrying. Turns out the thermal paste had been badly/inconsistently applied on the GPU from factory. Re-applied thermal paste correctly, and the card has been running perfectly ever since. I'm not saying it's the same for you : it can be a lot of other things. But i would never have thought of a thermal paste issue on a new card, and this issue had been bugging me for weeks, and of course it's the last thing I tried.