Question Artefact in Bios and Desktop - GPU Issue? Help

[Kazin76]

Long time reader, first time poster. I am an experienced PC builder but this issue has me baffled. Any advice, help in trouble-shooting a potential GPU issue? But could it be something else?

PC specs
CPU - Intel 10900K
Mobo - ASUS Hero Z590
GPU - EVGA 3090TI
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 32 GB
PSU - EVGA 1600W T2
Storage - Samsung 1TB and 2TB 970 EVO's NVME
Monitor - BENQ - 4K resolution
OS - Windows 10 (current at time of writing) )Version 22H2
GPU Drivers - NVIDA Driver version 576.40 (current at time of writing) also tried one from 6 months ago 572.16
BIOS version – ASUS 2203 (2024/03/05) not the latest which is 2302 (2025/01/06)

PC has been rock solid for years, since being built. Then started artefacting or defaulting to 800x600 safe mode resolution upon startup to windows 10 desktop. This is intermittent and would also occur after waking from sleep. Wallpaper would be stretched and icons all pixelated. Screen and Icon photos here. I also noticed artefacting in the BIOS screen (again intermittent) where the text would be all blurred and excessive pixlelation. I could obviously not get a screeenshot of that. This made me suspect more of a hardware related problem e.g. GPU

As this is an frequent but intermittent problem (happens 70% of the time ) I have done multiple tests / restarts of each step below. I have not updated the BIOS yet, but please keep reading.

What I have done to troubleshoot:
- Reinstalled Drivers. Multiple times. Including using DDU, and using a older version from NIVIDA's site
- Clean install of Win 10 both from the “reset this PC and clean install from USB/creation media tool
- Temperatures are all ok. The system is completely water cooled. GPU Memory temps are in 30's, core does not get over 40C
- System is overclocked but has been a stable OC for years. I nevertheless defaulted to stock and problem remains
- Swapped monitors, monitor ports and cables. At testing the problem appeared to only occur using display port. Any display port on the 3090TI GPU or 4K Monitor would give the artefacts. HDMI or a alternative 1080P monitor did not give the artefacts.

I was able to get an older PC from a mate and wanted to at least try to rule out a GPU issue. However when swapping GPU’s, both systems work perfectly! Both under load and on idle, I have tried like 50 restarts / wake ups and not been able to repeat the issue on either setup!

If needed - the Older PC 2 specs are following:
CPU - Intel 7700K
Mobo - ASUS RANGER Hero Z170
GPU – MSI 1080 ---> swapped out with EVGA 3090TI from above
RAM - Corsair Vengeance 16 GB
PSU - EVGA 850W G2
Storage – Toshiba HDD
Monitor – Same as above
OS - Windows 10- Same as above
GPU Drivers - - Same as above
BIOS version – latest for that ranger mobo

The last piece of the puzzle and may not be related is under "device manager" there are errors under PCI memory controller, SM bus controller and VGA compatible. These remain irrespective of driver version and are on both PC's device manager, irrespective of GPU installed. . Picture Here

I am at a lost at what could be the wrong or where to go from here. Don't really want to rebuild without confirming what if any issue remains? Any ideas or help would be appreciated.

Thankyou

 

[Lutfij]

PC has been rock solid for years, since being built. Then started artefacting or defaulting to 800x600 safe mode resolution upon startup to windows 10 desktop. I also noticed artefacting in the BIOS screen (again intermittent) where the text would be all blurred and excessive pixlelation.
That would indicate an issue with the VBIOS on your GPU. What does GPU-Z show you the moment the pixelation in OS GUI show up?

Clean install of Win 10 both from the “reset this PC and clean install from USB/creation media tool
Installing the OS in offline mode? Installing all relevant drivers in an elevated command, i.e, Right click installer>Run as Administrator, while in offline mode?

Reinstalled Drivers. Multiple times. Including using DDU, and using a older version from NIVIDA's site
You're advised to use DDU to remove all GPU drivers(intel, AMD and Nvidia) in Safe Mode then manually install the latest driver sourced from Nvidia in an elevated command. You could use driver version 566.36 instead of the latest version.

You speak of having an RTX 3090 Ti, was the firmware for the GPU ever updated? On second thought's;
GPU - EVGA 3090TI
got a link to the card you own?

PSU - EVGA 1600W T2
How old is the PSU in your build?

BIOS version – ASUS 2203 (2024/03/05) not the latest which is 2302 (2025/01/06)
Did you clear the CMOS after verifying your BIOS was successfully flashed to the latest version?

under "device manager" there are errors under PCI memory controller, SM bus controller and VGA compatible.
Are all chipset and MEI drivers installed on your platforms? Then again, it looks to me like the GPU's on it's way out, if a VBIOS flash doesn't help it.

 

[Kazin76]

Thanks Lutfij for the response. Answers to your questions below:

3090Ti firmware has never been updated. I bought 2nd hand about mid 2022. GPU-Z states the VBIOS version as 94.02.A0.00.63. Product page link is Here

I have not updated the BIOS to the latest version yet. I last updated this about a year ago. Has been fine since. I acknowledge I will try this. However when swapping GPU's the artefacts have not repeated on either system. Which may me think it is not the BIOS?

Edit - PSU is 2 years old

Yes ME drivers are installed. But I never did a reinstall of them recently. I will try that.