Hey folks, I'm having a huge problem with my new setup that's leaving me frustrated. I'm using a Palit RTX 4070 Ti GamingPro GPU and a Corsair RM850x PSU on a fresh install of Windows 11 with all the latest updates. My BIOS is also fully updated, and I'm using separate PCIe cables without any splits. I've even forced PCIe Gen 3 in the BIOS. My main issue? I'm frequently running into DPC_WATCHDOG_VIOLATION (133) blue screens, which happen at random—during gaming and even when I'm just idling. The minidump analysis points fingers at the NVIDIA driver (nvlddmkm.sys), and sometimes the VGA debug LED on boot stays lit, suggesting a possible GPU detection issue. I've monitored temps and voltages with HWiNFO and everything appears normal. I've tried all sorts of troubleshooting: clean driver installs, updating the GPU BIOS, reseating the GPU, and even running without it to confirm stability. Now, I'm starting to think either my GPU is defective or there's a connectivity issue. Can a sagging GPU really lead to this kind of instability? Is this more likely a hardware flaw or a connection issue? Any suggestions or checks I should consider before giving up on my card? Thanks in advance!
3 Answers
To really get to the bottom of this, you should grab your minidump files. Those logs from the BSODs can tell us a lot. You can find them in C:WindowsMinidump and upload them to a file-sharing site like mediafire or catbox. More dumps mean better analysis!
It sounds like you’ve done a ton of troubleshooting already! A slight sag can indeed cause instability, especially if it’s affecting the PCIe connection. It's not super common, but worth checking if you can prop the GPU up better and see if that changes anything.
Thanks for the input! I’ll see if propping it works—can’t hurt to try!
Just a heads up—some of your dump files indicate that your motherboard might not have the latest BIOS version installed. It’s worth checking again to see if there’s a recent update that you might have missed. Updates can sometimes fix compatibility issues with newer GPUs.
I updated the BIOS to the latest version a while back, but I’ll double-check just in case. Thanks!
Good idea! I’ve been collecting a few dumps. I'll share them and see what comes back.