My computer has an RTX 2080 Ti and an Intel i7-9700K, and it's about seven years old. It works normally for everyday use, but shortly after I launch a game, the screen goes black and the fans suddenly ramp up to full speed. The system doesn't feel unusually hot when this happens. I already performed a factory reset, but the problem continues. Could this be caused by the graphics card, power supply, or something else? Would removing and cleaning the graphics card be worth trying, and would replacing the power cable help? I'm not very experienced with PC hardware, so I'd appreciate beginner-friendly troubleshooting steps.
3 Answers
Cleaning the card and reseating it is reasonable, especially in an older PC, but use compressed air and avoid touching the contacts. Check for dust in the GPU cooler, make sure the card is fully locked into the PCIe slot, and verify that all required PCIe power plugs are connected directly from the PSU. Since a factory reset didn’t help, this is more likely to be hardware, power delivery, overheating, or a driver-level issue than ordinary Windows clutter.
The i7-9700K has integrated graphics, so you can remove or disconnect the 2080 Ti and connect the monitor to the motherboard’s video output as a basic test. If the game runs without crashing, that points toward the graphics card or its power delivery. If the problem remains, the PSU, motherboard, memory, or another component becomes more likely. Also monitor CPU and GPU temperatures while gaming, because the system may shut down before the case feels hot.
The power supply means the internal PSU, not the detachable power cable. A failing or aging PSU can crash the computer as soon as the graphics card starts drawing much more power. The 2080 Ti is also a demanding card, so check that its power connectors are firmly seated and that the PSU is suitable for it. A different wall or power cable usually won’t fix this unless the cable is visibly damaged.
Got it—I was thinking of the external cable. I’ll check the internal connectors and find out what wattage and model the PSU is.