My RTX 3080 Founders Edition and Corsair SF750 worked perfectly for years, including during demanding games such as Cyberpunk 2077. Recently, the PC began losing power after 5–10 minutes of gaming. There is no blue screen or error message; Windows only records Kernel-Power Event 41 after reboot.
I initially suspected the PSU and had it replaced under warranty, but the problem remained. I have reseated the cables and RAM, cleaned the system, and tried lowering the GPU power limit in the NVIDIA app. A 90% limit helped temporarily, but the crashes returned, even at 85% and 80%. The latest failure involved a frozen screen, fans suddenly ramping to full speed for around 10 seconds, and then the system powering off.
Just before that crash, the GPU was at 78°C, 98% utilization, and about 275W. The CPU was at 61°C, 22% utilization, and 48W. The system uses an ASUS ROG STRIX B560-I Gaming WiFi motherboard, an Intel Core i5-11400F, and 32GB of Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4. Could the graphics card be failing, or is there another likely cause?
3 Answers
Kernel-Power Event 41 only confirms that Windows did not shut down normally; it does not identify the failing component. A PSU replacement makes the PSU less likely, but it does not completely rule out a cable, connector, motherboard power issue, or transient GPU fault. Testing with another graphics card is the quickest way to narrow it down.
Try a very low frame-rate cap, such as 30 FPS, and see whether the crash still occurs. That reduces sudden power spikes more effectively than simply looking at the average wattage. Also make sure the 3080 is powered with separate PCIe cables rather than using one daisy-chained cable, and check the connectors for damage or looseness.
The combination of a frozen display, fans suddenly running at full speed, and then a shutdown can point to the GPU or its power delivery failing. Since the replacement PSU behaves the same way and the temperatures look normal, the graphics card is a reasonable suspect. If possible, test the 3080 in another system or test a different GPU in this one before concluding that it is dead.
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