Black screen issue with my GTX 960, drivers? Dead GPU?
Kadeiss
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Kadeiss Posted messages 6 Status Member -
Kadeiss Posted messages 6 Status Member -
Hello, good evening,
Before starting the lengthy wall of text that awaits you, please arm yourself with food and drink; only the bravest will make it to the end!
The problem is simple: when I connect my screen to my GTX 960 graphics card, everything goes well at startup, but from the moment I need to enter my password, I have an unpredictable delay that varies between 5 seconds and 3 minutes, during which my PC screen turns off.
To give some context,
I bought a second-hand computer (a HP tower) with these components:
-Motherboard: Pegatron IPMMB 2ab5 freshly updated (8.21)
-RAM: 2x8 GB DDR3 x-fury with integrated cooler
-Processor: intel core I7 3770 [3.4GHz]
-Battery recently changed to 1000W
-Geforce GTX 960
-HDD 1TB
-SSD 256 GB
All of this for the modest sum of €200; however, the guy explained to me that sometimes he experienced black screens while playing games. I still jumped at the opportunity...
So here I am, with my brand-new tower, reinstalling everything. I wiped everything that was on the PC and installed Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on it.
I did everything as it should be, I got acquainted with this new acquisition, etc.
I installed League of Legends, Rainbow Six, Rocket League, etc., in short, my entire game lineup. Everything was working super well, I played for 2-3 days without any problem with the graphics maxed out.
First Problem: And then, in the middle of a game, my screen turns off. Hmm? Strange? Nothing for an entire day. Then, it turned off again. Only in-game and only in-game... Well, after all, I was warned; I looked a bit into what could be causing it. After extensive checking, my graphics card was at 85 degrees. I then thought that the problem came from there. The fans of the GPU were only running at 25%, once I increased it to 60%, the GPU no longer went above 45 degrees in heavy games.
I also took the opportunity to reapply thermal paste on the CPU. Just to be safe for a while. After that, no issues for another 2 days, when I was playing, I had nothing unusual (in very good quality on all games).
Second Problem: It continues to turn off from time to time when I was playing. I then thought that I was asking too much from my machine, so I greatly reduced the quality of all the games. From then on, no problems for another 2 days. And then, it started again.
It started again, and more and more frequently. The shutdowns that initially happened once a day now occurred 2, 3, 5, 9 times a day... it continued to evolve like this until it turned off, no matter the game, no matter the time. Sometimes I would play for 1.5 hours until the screen crashed, sometimes only for 3 minutes. It was way too unpredictable.
I did several tests to eliminate possibilities: Waiting for a crash with the temperature of each of my components next to me (Thanks HWMonitor): And there, boom, I crash on Rainbow Six, which was quite demanding, but none of the temperatures were really alarming:
45 degrees GPU
40 degrees motherboard
40-45 degrees CPU..
It wasn't the temperature.
I tested Memtest, I dusted off my entire PC, it found nothing. So I decided to run an OCCT; nothing for the CPU, crash on the GPU after an hour, crash on the POWER SUPPLY after 30 seconds.
I then thought that the power supply was nearing the end of its life (at that time it was a 600W which I changed for a 1000W)
Everything seemed good... Except that with the new power supply now connected, I played a little, but not too much for 2 days (occasionally some Fortnite or R6 matches, but nothing excessive) and there was bliss, nothing at all for those 2 days. Only after those 2 days, it started again while I was playing.
I thought it might be a driver issue? I just updated the latest driver for my Geforce GTX 960 (436.30) to see if it resolved the problem: it worsened. Now I have this issue even outside of games and I can't spend more than 10 minutes on my desktop before it shuts off...
Naturally, I tried to install the previous version and go back on my mistake, but nothing worked! I now have the problem all the time! So, I tested several different drivers (353, 352, 409, etc.) and it worsened; now, I can't last more than 3 minutes before this problem.
However, in Safe Mode, there are no issues (I go through there to disable the drivers properly to try others...)
I thought there might be a compatibility problem with my BIOS, but TADA, there were no BIOS updates available for Windows 10; my BIOS was at version 8.13 while Windows 8 updates were at 8.21. I saw somewhere that I might have to revert.
So I reformatted my PC, I put it under Windows 8 (which strangely does not detect either my Wi-Fi card or my graphics card) and I updated my BIOS.
I then reformatted and went back to Windows 10. I'm currently at this stage, the situation hasn't changed (the BIOS update did not change anything; I still have the same problem.)
So I find myself with a PC that initially worked very well, and now I'm forced to rush to disable my graphics card in the devices to prevent my screen from turning off. I should clarify that it's only a graphical problem because when the screen is off, the PC is still on. If I disable my GPU, I have no problems, but my resolution is terrible, and that's not really the goal...
So there you go, I'm sorry for this huge wall of text (by the way, hi to those who are still here) but I had to explain everything to you... I think I've tried everything, and I greatly need help before I end up depressed lol.
So I'm counting on you, CCM! Thank you in advance!
Before starting the lengthy wall of text that awaits you, please arm yourself with food and drink; only the bravest will make it to the end!
The problem is simple: when I connect my screen to my GTX 960 graphics card, everything goes well at startup, but from the moment I need to enter my password, I have an unpredictable delay that varies between 5 seconds and 3 minutes, during which my PC screen turns off.
To give some context,
I bought a second-hand computer (a HP tower) with these components:
-Motherboard: Pegatron IPMMB 2ab5 freshly updated (8.21)
-RAM: 2x8 GB DDR3 x-fury with integrated cooler
-Processor: intel core I7 3770 [3.4GHz]
-Battery recently changed to 1000W
-Geforce GTX 960
-HDD 1TB
-SSD 256 GB
All of this for the modest sum of €200; however, the guy explained to me that sometimes he experienced black screens while playing games. I still jumped at the opportunity...
So here I am, with my brand-new tower, reinstalling everything. I wiped everything that was on the PC and installed Windows 10 Pro 64-bit on it.
I did everything as it should be, I got acquainted with this new acquisition, etc.
I installed League of Legends, Rainbow Six, Rocket League, etc., in short, my entire game lineup. Everything was working super well, I played for 2-3 days without any problem with the graphics maxed out.
First Problem: And then, in the middle of a game, my screen turns off. Hmm? Strange? Nothing for an entire day. Then, it turned off again. Only in-game and only in-game... Well, after all, I was warned; I looked a bit into what could be causing it. After extensive checking, my graphics card was at 85 degrees. I then thought that the problem came from there. The fans of the GPU were only running at 25%, once I increased it to 60%, the GPU no longer went above 45 degrees in heavy games.
I also took the opportunity to reapply thermal paste on the CPU. Just to be safe for a while. After that, no issues for another 2 days, when I was playing, I had nothing unusual (in very good quality on all games).
Second Problem: It continues to turn off from time to time when I was playing. I then thought that I was asking too much from my machine, so I greatly reduced the quality of all the games. From then on, no problems for another 2 days. And then, it started again.
It started again, and more and more frequently. The shutdowns that initially happened once a day now occurred 2, 3, 5, 9 times a day... it continued to evolve like this until it turned off, no matter the game, no matter the time. Sometimes I would play for 1.5 hours until the screen crashed, sometimes only for 3 minutes. It was way too unpredictable.
I did several tests to eliminate possibilities: Waiting for a crash with the temperature of each of my components next to me (Thanks HWMonitor): And there, boom, I crash on Rainbow Six, which was quite demanding, but none of the temperatures were really alarming:
45 degrees GPU
40 degrees motherboard
40-45 degrees CPU..
It wasn't the temperature.
I tested Memtest, I dusted off my entire PC, it found nothing. So I decided to run an OCCT; nothing for the CPU, crash on the GPU after an hour, crash on the POWER SUPPLY after 30 seconds.
I then thought that the power supply was nearing the end of its life (at that time it was a 600W which I changed for a 1000W)
Everything seemed good... Except that with the new power supply now connected, I played a little, but not too much for 2 days (occasionally some Fortnite or R6 matches, but nothing excessive) and there was bliss, nothing at all for those 2 days. Only after those 2 days, it started again while I was playing.
I thought it might be a driver issue? I just updated the latest driver for my Geforce GTX 960 (436.30) to see if it resolved the problem: it worsened. Now I have this issue even outside of games and I can't spend more than 10 minutes on my desktop before it shuts off...
Naturally, I tried to install the previous version and go back on my mistake, but nothing worked! I now have the problem all the time! So, I tested several different drivers (353, 352, 409, etc.) and it worsened; now, I can't last more than 3 minutes before this problem.
However, in Safe Mode, there are no issues (I go through there to disable the drivers properly to try others...)
I thought there might be a compatibility problem with my BIOS, but TADA, there were no BIOS updates available for Windows 10; my BIOS was at version 8.13 while Windows 8 updates were at 8.21. I saw somewhere that I might have to revert.
So I reformatted my PC, I put it under Windows 8 (which strangely does not detect either my Wi-Fi card or my graphics card) and I updated my BIOS.
I then reformatted and went back to Windows 10. I'm currently at this stage, the situation hasn't changed (the BIOS update did not change anything; I still have the same problem.)
So I find myself with a PC that initially worked very well, and now I'm forced to rush to disable my graphics card in the devices to prevent my screen from turning off. I should clarify that it's only a graphical problem because when the screen is off, the PC is still on. If I disable my GPU, I have no problems, but my resolution is terrible, and that's not really the goal...
So there you go, I'm sorry for this huge wall of text (by the way, hi to those who are still here) but I had to explain everything to you... I think I've tried everything, and I greatly need help before I end up depressed lol.
So I'm counting on you, CCM! Thank you in advance!
2 answers
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Hello,
Do power supplies have 80+ certifications? If so, which ones?
Have you tested it with an uninterruptible power supply?
Best regards.
--
I excel as a spreadsheet. -
Hi,
What model is the old power supply? The new one?
Since it seems complicated to establish a direct solution, I advise you to do the following:
- Clean the components well if necessary
- Check that the PC assembly is done correctly
- Update your BIOS via the motherboard manufacturer's website, do not rely on Windows Update.
- Clear the CMOS, then reconfigure the BIOS with the most optimal settings.
- Try using the PC with the minimum connected (no USB peripherals, just keyboard & mouse). Also try with a single RAM stick.
- Try using the PC with the video output of the motherboard to see if the problem persists.
- Install Windows using the ISO file from the official Microsoft utility.
- Try Windows with another SSD.
And most importantly:
- After reinstalling Windows, do not manually install the graphics driver, let Windows Update handle it by itself.
-
Hi and thank you for your response!
The old one was a Corsair CX600 80+ bronze and the second one, but I doubt that's the problem.
I've already done most of the things listed here, but starting over doesn't cost anything, I'll get back to you below this post after my analysis!
Thanks again for your responses! :) -
- All the components are fine
- I assembled it with two different power supplies (one modular and another that isn't) and I get the same result, so I doubt that's where the issue is
- The BIOS is already up to date
- The BIOS was reconfigured no later than yesterday
- I still only have the bare minimum connected to the PC (keyboard and mouse)
- I had already tested the RAM (once with a Windows utility and the other with Memtest), but I think I would get a shutdown if that was the problem, or at least an error message..
- This is where it gets interesting: When I connect my video cable to the motherboard, there is no image.. Whereas when I plug it into my GPU, I get an image.
- Done that, I tried a total of 3 ISOs thinking it might be an incompatibility with my motherboard, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
- I had already tried to install it on my drive, same problem..
Finally, Windows Update finds the latest version and installs it: Same problem.
It is important to understand that graphically, it's the problem, it's just my screen that turns off.
Specifically, when I disable my GPU in the devices, I have a terrible resolution but it works great, I have no problems.
So to summarize: My screen only wakes up when I plug it into my GPU, which would imply a motherboard issue... On the other hand, even plugged into the graphics card, if I don't disable it, I have a black screen within the next 30 seconds, which would imply a graphics card issue..
I confess that I'm a bit lost.. -
It's normal that you have no display on the motherboard.
Because for you to have one, there needs to be no graphics card connected. Try removing the GPU from the PC.
And if you still have no image, perform a CMOS clear.
Do you have another graphics card, no matter which one, that would allow you to simply test if that's the issue?
Otherwise, it could be a failure of either the motherboard or the graphics card.
But one question: when you say that it's just the screen that goes off, do you still have sound? If so, does it work through the motherboard's headphone jack, the GPU output, or just one of the two?
Is the keyboard still functioning? (Does the caps lock LED work?)
Have you tried all the video outputs on your GPU? Tried with another video cable? Another screen? -
Thank you for your really quick responses!
Unfortunately no, I don't have a second graphics card to test, which I admit would already eliminate a big problem.
Again, I don't think it's the power supply because I just changed it..
Yes, I have sound and my keyboard and mouse are all lit up.
I could have made a small clarification that I think is important: Before changing the power supply, there were indeed restarts, but now, my PC is properly powered on, however, my screen no longer receives a signal.. Everything works except that. -
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