I recently purchased a gaming PC equipped with a Ryzen 5 5600X, an RTX 3070, a 512 GB SSD, and 16 GB of RAM. Unfortunately, it keeps flickering to a black screen and then back again—not just while gaming but also in Windows and even in the BIOS. Initially, I thought it was a hardware issue, possibly with the graphics card or the SSD, so the seller exchanged it for a different setup. The replacement features a new motherboard, an RTX 4060, a non-X Ryzen 5 5600, and a 650 W power supply instead of the previous 600 W model. It now includes a water cooler, runs cool, and is quiet, but the black screen issue persists. I'm unsure if the problem lies with the HDMI cable, my TV, or perhaps even the power outlet. I doubt it's the outlet since I tested it with a cheap power strip and the problem remained. The HDMI cable is version 1.5, and I'm concerned it might be the cause because on my other PC, my friend's monitor also experienced similar blackouts. I'm at a loss as to what might be causing this.
4 Answers
You should definitely try a newer cable or even a better format, if yours supports it. It sounds like a case of a loose connection or a refresh rate mismatch with your TV or monitor settings.
It sounds like your TV might not be syncing properly with your PC's resolutions. Try changing the display resolutions until you find one that works without the black screen.
If you manage to fix this, you might want to talk to your seller. Honestly, the replacement build doesn't seem as good as the first one you had. Maybe you should check on the value of the new components compared to the old.
However, the old RTX 3070 was from a Chinese brand, and this new one is from Gigabyte. Which do you think is better? Did I get the short end of the stick?
Before switching PCs, did you think about trying a new HDMI cable first? Always good to check that. Also, make sure the HDMI is plugged into the GPU, not the motherboard. And keep in mind, power strips won’t usually fix electrical issues.
It’s plugged into the graphics card.
I will do this.