I recently replaced the fan on my ASUS Phoenix GeForce RTX 3060. The card worked normally before I separated the heatsink from the PCB, but now the display cuts out shortly after Windows loads. The screen sometimes flickers first, and the GPU fans ramp up when the signal is lost. I replaced the thermal paste twice, the thermal pads looked intact, and the temperature was still at idle when I checked it before the shutdown. The problem also occurs in Safe Mode and Recovery Mode, although the fans do not ramp up there. What should I check to determine whether the card was damaged or reassembled incorrectly?
2 Answers
The fan ramping up when the display disappears can mean the GPU is crashing or losing control, not necessarily that it is overheating. Avoid repeatedly running it until you check the cooler mounting and fan connection. If the problem remains even with the cooler correctly installed, professional board-level repair or replacing the card may be the realistic next step.
Since it also happens in Safe Mode and Recovery, this probably is not a normal graphics-driver problem. Because it started immediately after the fan and heatsink work, I would inspect the card again carefully. Make sure the heatsink is sitting flat, the thermal pads are the correct thickness and not preventing contact, the fan cable is fully connected, and no paste or debris has reached the PCB or connector. Also reseat the card and its PCIe power cable, then test a different display cable and output. If possible, test the computer with another graphics card or test this card in another system. If the signal still disappears, the card may have suffered a damaged component, connector, or PCB trace during disassembly.
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