I've been experiencing a frustrating issue with my Windows 11 PC where it randomly crashes to a black screen. Initially, everything was running smoothly, but then performance dropped suddenly. Here's my setup: Intel Core i7-14700K, MSI Z790 Tomahawk (WiFi), NVIDIA 4070 Ti Super, 32GB Corsair Vengeance RAM, and two Samsung 990 Pro SSDs of 2TB and 4TB, all powered by a Corsair RMX1000 PSU. I've ensured that there are no overclocks and that my BIOS is up to date. Most of the crashes happen when my PC is idle or downloading games. I've troubleshot extensively—I reseated cables, updated drivers, performed several tests including SFC and memtest, and even replaced the CPU and RAM. While some performance was restored after a fresh Windows install, the crashes persist after random intervals. I've also swapped out the PSU but to no avail. I suspect it might be a motherboard issue but am unsure how to test it. Any insights or suggestions on what else to try would be hugely appreciated!
3 Answers
It sounds like there might be a hardware issue. Since your BIOS is updated and you've already tried different RAM sticks, I'd recommend testing with just one stick of RAM to rule out any issues there. Sometimes, even if memtest shows no errors, it can be a compatibility issue with certain motherboards. You could also check if your GPU drivers are fully updated; if they recently changed, that might have contributed to the problem.
Make sure to keep an eye on the Event Viewer for any critical errors that might pop up before the crashes. You mentioned Kernel-Power 41; that usually indicates a sudden loss of power. Since you’ve swapped the PSU and still have issues, perhaps check for any loose connections or thermal issues that might not have been caught during initial troubleshooting.
I’ll definitely check the Event Viewer again and see if there are any other consistent errors! Appreciate the advice.
I had a similar black screen issue that got worse after the latest NVIDIA update. It turned out to be a problem with the Windows update—reverting back to Windows 10 resolved it for me. If you're comfortable with that switch, it might be worth a shot to see if it stabilizes your system.
That’s interesting! I hadn’t thought about uninstalling the update. It might work for others, too, since it seems many people are facing issues after recent updates.
Thanks for the tip! I haven’t tried just one stick yet, that’s a good idea. I’ll also check the GPU drivers again.