I've been experiencing a frustrating issue where my PC suddenly goes to a black screen while gaming, especially during moments that require a lot of processing power, like in World of Warcraft. Even though the screen goes black and I see a 'no signal' message, the game audio continues, and I can still hear my friends on Discord. The only solution so far has been to restart my PC.
I ran some tests using OCCT, which successfully replicated the problem within 30 seconds during 3D visualization and power stress testing, but my CPU and RAM tests lasted over 30 minutes without any issues. My GPU temps hover around 82 degrees at most, and I haven't overclocked anything.
I've updated my drivers and BIOS, reinstalled the system multiple times, and reseated all major components like cables, GPU, and RAM. I've even replaced my motherboard and power supply. I had my GPU tested at a shop, and it passed all tests they ran. Since I replaced the motherboard, the time before the black screen appears has increased to several minutes. I'm at a loss for what to do next, so any assistance would be greatly appreciated!
3 Answers
It really sounds like your GPU driver might be crashing. Checking the event log or the reliability panel can give you clues about what's causing this. Generally, if your PC keeps running in the background during a crash, the logs should hold some information about it.
I had a similar issue with my setup. It turned out that one of my 32GB RAM sticks was faulty. I ran a memory test and identified the problematic stick, removed it, and I haven’t experienced any black screens since then.
Which memory test did you use to find the faulty stick?
Have you considered trying a different video output option? Sometimes just switching from HDMI to DisplayPort or vice versa can actually help resolve these issues.
Yes, I swapped from HDMI to DisplayPort, but I'm still hitting those black screens.
That was my hunch! I looked through the event log and noticed a critical kernel power error (ID 41), which could be due to a forced restart, and there was also an Nvidia OpenGL error saying "unable to recover from kernel exception." The reliability panel mentions a hardware error (code 141). It seems like it points toward either the GPU or PSU, but I've already replaced the PSU and had the GPU tested. It's got me stumped!