I recently helped my friend upgrade his computer by giving him some parts I had. He originally had an Intel i5 4460, a GTX 970, and 16GB of RAM, along with a 600W power supply from 2015. I provided him with a Ryzen 5 5500, an RTX 2060, a new A520M motherboard, and an extra 16GB of RAM (2x8GB), but he decided to stick with his old power supply.
Previously, while gaming on his old setup, his PC would sometimes freeze and go to a black screen. Even during these freezes, he could still hear us on TeamSpeak, but he had to restart his PC to get it working again. Now, after installing the new parts and a fresh version of Windows, he's experiencing similar issues, but they occur even faster—sometimes just navigating through game menus.
I checked the event viewer and found a Kernel Power 41 63 error. We've tried different driver versions for both GPUs and even removed the CMOS battery, but nothing has fixed the problem. I also tested the RTX 2060 on my own PC (which has a new 650W PSU), and I still encountered the same error, regardless of the RAM combinations.
At this point, I've ruled out the CPU, motherboard, and RAM as potential causes. I'm worried that either the GPU I gave him has issues identical to his old one (which I never experienced) or, more concerning, that his old PSU might have damaged both GPUs. He wants to buy a new GPU, but I'm hesitant because I think his PSU could fry it too. I'd appreciate any insightful opinions or help regarding this situation!
1 Answer
It definitely sounds like the PSU could be the culprit! I always suspect the power supply first whenever I encounter these bizarre issues. It’s crucial to rule it out because an aged PSU can cause a range of problems. Why doesn’t your friend just replace the 11-year-old PSU? Is he worried about the cost or just reluctant to spend? That’s usually a red flag for me.
It’s strange since the issue happened on both GPUs using his PSU and my new setup. I’m torn between whether the GPU is at fault or the PSU is just that old. He thinks the issue lies with the GPU I gave him, plus he’s not very tech-savvy, so he wants to buy a new GPU instead. I'm trying to show him that an old PSU could damage new parts to avoid frying another component.