I've had this computer for almost a year, and I'm dealing with two serious problems. Every three to five hours, it restarts with a blue screen. The error messages vary, including memory-related errors and "System Thread Exception Not Handled." I've updated my graphics drivers and used several tools to check for corrupted files, but nothing has fixed it.
Some games also display incorrect shading: dark shadows may appear red, while bright areas sometimes turn green. I've noticed it in Destiny 2, Dead by Daylight, and Silent Hill F. I'm not sure whether the graphics problem and blue screens are connected, but I'm worried that a hardware component—possibly the GPU or RAM—is failing.
5 Answers
A clean Windows installation could help rule out damaged system files or driver conflicts. Back up important files first, then reinstall Windows and install the motherboard BIOS, chipset drivers, and graphics drivers from the manufacturers. If the crashes and graphical artifacts remain afterward, that points more strongly to hardware.
The exact blue-screen causes are easier to identify from Windows crash dumps. Check the Windows Minidump folder for recent files and analyze several of them with a crash-dump tool. Different errors can still come from one underlying problem, such as unstable RAM, a bad driver, overheating, power delivery, or a failing GPU.
The graphics card is the most suspicious component because visual artifacts and different blue-screen errors can both happen when a GPU is failing. Check whether it is still under warranty before opening it or attempting repairs. Also watch the GPU temperature while gaming and see whether the artifacts appear in other games or stress tests.
Graphical glitches followed by blue screens can be an early sign that a graphics card is deteriorating. If the artifacts show up in screenshots, happen across multiple games, or remain after a clean driver installation, try another GPU if possible. If the replacement fixes everything, the original card is likely defective.
Start with the likely hardware causes: clean dust from the GPU and case, confirm the fans are working, and check temperatures. A failing power supply can also cause random restarts and graphical corruption. Reseat the RAM and graphics card, then run a proper memory test such as MemTest86. Test the RAM sticks individually if errors appear.
I'm not sure about the warranty, but I'll check the purchase details and test the temperatures.