Hey folks, I'm dealing with a really annoying issue where both of my monitors suddenly go black while gaming. It's connected to my NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 Ti. Sometimes the audio keeps playing, but other times it completely cuts out and my keyboard and mouse become unresponsive. The PC stays powered on, but the fans sometimes ramp up to 100%. If I switch the HDMI from the GPU to the motherboard, I still get no display output. After rebooting, I can usually game for about 15 minutes before the same thing happens in any game I try, like Minecraft, Valheim, or Fortnite.
I've replaced my PSU to a Corsair RM850e, installed a new SSD, reinstalled Windows, and even stress-tested my GPU, CPU, and RAM. I've monitored temperatures and everything looks normal, but I'm still stuck. The issue started right after I removed my GPU to use the integrated graphics for a video editing job, during which the PC had no issues.
I'm wondering if my GPU is unstable just in this system, if there's a conflict with my motherboard and RAM, or if there's some hidden fault with my hardware. I don't have a ton of IT knowledge, so I'm really hoping for any advice or ideas on what to test or replace next!
4 Answers
Have you tried rolling back the drivers? I noticed that driver version 566.36 isn't the latest, and several users have reported issues with the newer ones for the 30 series GPUs. Also, checking the Windows Event Viewer can give you more insight into what errors specifically pop up right before a crash, which might help narrow down the issue.
Are you using any kind of GPU riser cable? If not, maybe there’s a faulty PCIe connector on the motherboard that's causing dropouts. Just something to check out!
No, I’m not using a riser cable. I’m actually a bit worried that if I replace the motherboard, it might end up being the GPU causing the issue. I don't want to end up having to buy a whole new rig.
It sounds like you're really diligent with troubleshooting. It's a good idea to check the Windows logs for errors at the time of the crashes; they might offer some clues. As for your questions, the GPU itself is unlikely to be unstable in just your setup, but the overall system could have instability. Given all the hardware changes, it's possible the motherboard or RAM could have conflicts, so you might want to reset your BIOS settings to default to see if that makes a difference.
I had a similar problem a while back. It turned out that my GPU power cable wasn't fully seated—about 95% connected. When the system was under load, the vibrations caused the connection to wobble, resulting in crashes. Just double-check that all your power cables are fully connected, it could be a simple fix!
I recently got a new PSU with new cables, so I'm hoping that isn't the issue. But I appreciate the suggestion!
Thanks! I’ll definitely give that driver version a shot.