I'm facing a frustrating issue with my Dell G15 5520 laptop where the GPU frequently stops responding when I play games, even on low settings. I've already tried reinstalling both gaming and studio drivers, I even did a full Windows reinstall, and surprisingly, I baked the motherboard at 385°F for 8 minutes, which provided temporary relief with 'Life is Strange: True Colors', but the problem still persists. The crashes range from 'GPU Stopped Responding' to 'Device Hung'. For example, I can play 'BeamNG' for about 5-60 minutes before a crash, and 'Life is Strange: True Colors' only lasts around 5 minutes on medium settings before it crashes too. However, games like 'Team Fortress 2' haven't crashed at all. This issue affects many other games like 'War Thunder', 'GTA 5', and 'RDR2'. Sometimes, these crashes even lead to a BSOD. My laptop's specs are a 3050 Ti GPU, an i7-12700H processor, and 16GB of RAM. Do you think my GPU is fried, or is there a fix? Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
2 Answers
Have you thought about trying a CMOS reset? Corrupted BIOS settings can sometimes mess with graphics drivers, even after they're reinstalled. If your laptop lacks a CMOS battery, disconnecting it while you've baked the motherboard should have reset it, but it's worth a shot if you haven't already done this.
It sounds like you're dealing with a hardware failure, especially if you've already tried all those software fixes. Since you mentioned baking the motherboard (which is always a bit of a gamble), it might suggest it's time to look for a replacement. But before you give up, I'd recommend checking if the GPU is properly seated and if there's any dust buildup causing overheating issues.
That makes sense. I've heard that baking can sometimes temporarily revive components, but it's not a real fix. Hope you find a permanent solution!
I did unplug the battery during the baking process, so I think the BIOS should be fine, but I’ll check just to be sure. Thanks for the suggestion!