I'm completely new to PC gaming and recently bought this computer from a friend, who said it never had this issue. It was factory-reset before I got it. During games such as Valorant and Garry's Mod, both monitors suddenly lose their picture, but the game and PC keep running for a while. I can still hear game audio, talk to friends, and apparently move around in the game even though I can't see anything. After a short time, the monitors remain off for around 15 seconds, the PC fans suddenly speed up, and I usually have to shut the computer down and restart it. What could be causing this, and what should I check first?
2 Answers
Because you can still hear the game and communicate while both screens go dark, the computer probably isn’t completely freezing. The issue could be a graphics driver crash, an overheating or unstable graphics card, or a power problem. Check the graphics card temperatures while gaming, reinstall or update its drivers, and verify that all internal power cables are firmly connected. If the monitors’ power lights also turn off, check their power connections and try plugging them into a different outlet or power strip.
Start by testing the display connections. Try a different, known-good HDMI cable and, if possible, a different port on the graphics card or monitor. The cable does not need to be a special brand, but it should support the resolution and refresh rate you’re using. Also make sure the monitor cables are plugged into the graphics card rather than the motherboard video ports.
I haven’t tried another cable yet. I’ll test both the cables and the available ports to see whether that makes a difference.
The fact that the game continues running points more toward the display signal or graphics card than the whole PC shutting down. If replacing the cables does not help, testing the card or power supply would be the next step.