Question Black Screen, GPU Fans %100 randomly - In Need of Advice

[AFantasyHero]

Hi guys!

Recently I have bought a RTX 3080 ti EVGA xc3.
I have undervolted my GPU so It only uses 240w during loads and doesn't go past 68C so I can use it with my 580w PSU during the time that my new PSU gets shipped. (It will take around 2 weeks)
My PSU is about 6 years old but I've never had any problems with it when I had my previous GPU (GTX 1070 ti), which drew about 180w during loads.
I tested my new GPU with various Benchmarks and gaming loads for hours and it never crashed or overheated.

But, there has been three instances in which I got a black screen, with my GPU fans ramping up to %100, requiring a restart.

1. Once when I plugged in a USB drive
2. Once when I Alt-tabbed out of a game during loading
3. And the last time when I had my pc idling on desktop when I was taking a nap. I woke up and I saw that the fans are at %100 and the screen is black. (I don't think I had any programs running)

I examined the GPU power cables and I found out that one of them was quite not inserted entirely, and just a small bit of it was hanging out.
I haven't had any crashes in the past day. I will keep this thread updated.

I had a few questions:

1. Could that loose cable be the culprit?
2. Have I damaged my Graphics Card?
3. Can I use my PSU with the mentioned GPU/CPU undervolts and TDP limits for the next couple of days?

Appreciate any advices!

My specs are:
PSU: Green 580w-EUD (It is a very reputable brand around here) (https://en.green.ir/products/power-supply/gp580a-eud)
CPU: Intel Core i7 10700k (TDP limited to 125w) (due to my cooler being a Hyper 212 - will upgrade it later)
GPU: RTX 3080 ti EVGA xc3 (undervolted to 240w)
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
MOBO: ASUS Z490P

 

[Darkbreeze]

No, that PSU is not a "reputable brand" around ANYWHERE. It's not necessarily a complete dumpster fire, but it's far from being even mediocre. And it's WAY, WAY underpowered for an RTX 3080 ti that needs to see a VERY GOOD 750w or higher, preferably, knowing the transient spike problems these cards have, even a very good 850w unit.

It's an absolute miracle you were even ABLE to use your previous 1070 ti with that power supply. Complete dumb luck and likely you had problems you weren't even aware of. Almost certainly sky high ripple and poor voltage regulation which could ALSO be a contributing factor to any problems you are having now as those are conditions which lead to premature degradation of the capacitors on motherboards, graphics cards and other components.

I have worked with quite a few middle eastern members with Green brand power supplies who had problems and in every case, the power supply was the problem, and that was even when the model had enough LISTED capacity. Not that those units can even support their listed capacity, because they cannot.

I would REALLY consider getting a better PSU and also making sure it is much higher capacity. Not one or the other, BOTH. Better and higher capacity.

Also, once you do so, stop "undervolting" your graphics card. That is 100% contributing to any black screening or graphics errors you are having.

I would look ONLY at models that are listed in a Tier A position from the following charts, for that graphics card. Your 3080 ti is IN NO WAY comparable to what you had with that 1070 ti. Completely different power configuration and architecture. Completely different transient spike situation. Completely different power requirements across the board.

PSU Tier List rev. 17.0g - Cultists Network

PSU Tier List will help you to choose the best PSU out of hundreds of models on the market. From budget to the highest end Power Supplies.

cultists.network

Also, reading my PSU guide might be valuable to you as well.

Discussion - PSU recommendations and power supply discussion thread - Tom's hardware

Below you will find MY standard list of recommended power supplies and beyond that this thread is intended as a landing place for questions or discussions regarding specific units, platforms or related PSU tech, all of which are all welcome to be discussed here. If it's related to power supplies...

forums.tomshardware.com