Question Computer Crashes whenever I play a game

[ScottyKarate121]

Hi,

Wondering if anyone has any insights about issues I’m having with my computer crashing when playing games and sometimes when running regular applications. Typically the monitor will go black and lose connection and restart. Also sometimes the computer wont post after this happens. If I switch out the Ram in the dImm slots that resolves it for running the computer normally, but not playing games.

I initially had similar issues and replaced the ram and got a new kit. That seemed to have fixed it for a few months but it’s back now.

Right now I can play games about 5 to 10 minutes before the screen turns black and I have to restart.

I updated the bios and ran memtest on the ram and didn’t get any errors. Bios update didn't fix issues.

My CPU has a small overclock and my videocard isn't overclocked. Ive had issues before when ive overclocked those too much, but the errors those give me are different than the ones im getting now.

I’m thinking it’s the motherboard and maybe the dimm slots are bad. Just checking if anyone else has ideas before buying a new one.

Specs:
Asus prime z390-a lga 1151
I7 9700k
Corsair vengeance lpx 32gb 2x16 ddr4 3600
Corsair Professional Series Gold AX1200 Watt Power Supply (had since 2012)
Dual Monitors - 27 inch 1440p ASUS and a AGON 27 inch 1440p
GeForce 3080TI

 

[Lutfij]

You might want to source a donor PSU that is reliably built and has at least 850W of power for the entire system, sourced from a friend or neighbor and see if the issue crops up as stated above. What did the AX1200 unit power prior to the system listed above? BIOS version for your motherboard? OS used? If Windows 10, what version(not edition) of Windows 10 are you working with?

Also sometimes the computer wont post after this happens. If I switch out the Ram in the dImm slots that resolves it for running the computer normally,
That is a sign of a grounding issue or a PSU issue as well. Might want to relocate to another wall outlet and see if the issue alleviates.

 

[Eximo]

Have you been monitoring temperatures? CPU/Motherboard VRMs, Chipset, lots of things could be overheating if you aren't paying attention.

Power supply is older, might be nearing the end of its useful life, particularly if you have used it heavily in the last 9 years. 3080Ti can have large power spikes, up to 450W, which might be overloading one of its protections. You fiddling with the memory could just be giving the PSU time to recover.

Might be time to try re-seating the CPU if you are having a lot of memory issues.

Run some benchmarks. Memtestx86, Cinebench, 3DMark Timespy/Fire. See if the system crashes. That will separate out memory, CPU, and GPU related issues.

GPU related issues could be power related, but also some 3080Ti are prone to crashing when they boost too high. There should be vBIOS updates to take care of that.

 

[ScottyKarate121]

It powered the same items listed except a 2080 instead of 3080 a few months ago. Im using Windows 10 and running all the updates and optional driver updates right now to see if that fixes it. Asus Bios version is 1903 which was released on August 11 2021. I saw they just updated to a new version on 12/6 so I'll install that. I'm also uninstalling graphics drivers with DDU and reinstalling to see if its a video card issue.

 

[Eximo]

It powered the same items listed except a 2080 instead of 3080 a few months ago. Im using Windows 10 and running all the updates and optional driver updates right now to see if that fixes it. Asus Bios version is 1903 which was released on August 11 2021. I saw they just updated to a new version on 12/6 so I'll install that. I'm also uninstalling graphics drivers with DDU and reinstalling to see if its a video card issue.

Graphics card has a BIOS as well.

Not sure about the over current protection scheme on the AX1200, though you would think it would be high enough. If you draw too much from a cable it might not like that.

 

[ScottyKarate121]

Updated the Vbios for my Asus TUF 3080TI from the ASUS website and finished uninstalling and reinstalling the graphics drivers, and any outstanding updates to Windows 10 x64. Also plugged my power strip into a different wall outlet. I tried playing a game after this and the screen went blank after 5 minutes and had to restart. It didn't initially post, so I waited a few minutes and it posted after. So maybe reseating the RAM doesn't have anything to do with it.

Already ran Memtest yesterday and didn't have any errors there
Ran Unigine Heaven Benchmark 4.0 and that completed without errors or artifacts
Ran Intel Extreme Tuning Utility for a CPU stress test for 15 minutes. Completed without issue.

So it seems the PSU is likely the culprit and not the Motherboard? I don't have a donor PSU but I can look into getting one from a friend. May be easier to get a new PSU since its almost a decade old anyway.