Question Computer Restarting Randomly After Installing New Graphics Card

Feb 15, 2023
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Hello,

After installing a brand new graphics card my computer has begun restarting itself at random times. I'm not seeing any blue screen, just a hard restart as if I had just told the computer to restart from the power options menu (screen goes black, then restarts to the Windows login screen). There doesn't seem to be any particular event or time of day that triggers this. Sometimes I can go a whole day without it happening, other times it will happen twice within 30 minutes, but I'd say the average is once a day. It has happened while doing higher intensity tasks like play games, and also while simply browsing the web with no other windows open. I bought the computer about 6-7 years ago premade from Dell, but have since upgraded the PSU, GPU and added a SSD. Below are my specs:

Operating System: Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU: AMD Ryzen 3 1200
RAM: 8.00GB Single-Channel DDR4 @ 1197MHz (17-17-17-39)
Motherboard: Dell Inc. 0477DV (AM4)
Graphics: 2047MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER (ZOTAC International)
Storage: 931GB TOSHIBA DT01ACA100 (SATA )
465GB Samsung SSD 970 EVO Plus 500GB (Boot Drive)
931GB PHD 3.0 Silicon-Power SCSI Disk Device (USB (SATA) )
PSU: Fractal Design ION+ 660P (bought it used about 1 month ago, was told it was never used)

Things I've tried:
  • Updated Drivers for GPU and Motherboard Chipset, updated Bios for Motherboard.
  • PSU: I bought a brand new Corsair RM750x from Newegg and tried it. The problem persisted so I returned it and kept my current one.
  • Checked temps with HWiNFO64 and everything looks good
  • Swapped graphics cards with my brother (he had the exact same model), no dice
  • Disconnected HDD, still restarted
  • Bought a new SSD (the 970 EVO Plus) and cloned old SSD (including Windows) onto it, still restarted. Old SSD is currently disconnected so not listed in specs.
  • RAM: Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic Test, no issues found
  • Took computer in to a local repair store. Couldn't find any problems, said they ran tests on my CPU, GPU, RAM, Drives.
  • Turned off fast startup from Windows Power settings
  • Read a lot of forum posts. Similar issues were either not exactly the same or the poster never said what resolved the issue.
At this point I'm thinking maybe a motherboard issue? Really not sure what to do at this point, any help would be greatly appreciated, thank you!
 
Last edited:

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Motherboard: Dell Inc. 0477DV (AM4)
Which BIOS version are you on for your motherboard?

Took computer in to a local repair store. Couldn't find any problems, said they ran tests on my CPU, GPU, RAM, Drives.
Did they encounter the reboots as you've stated? If not then your likely culprit can be the source of power from the wall. A reboot could also be caused from a grounding issue, have you tried relocating to another wall outlet in your crib?

At this point I'm thinking maybe a motherboard issue?
The system was originally an Inspiron prebuilt, if you swap the motherboard out, you've essentially built yourself a new system...albeit with the intention of resolving a problem/while troubleshooting.

Did you also try a reinstall of the OS after creating your bootable USB installer using Windows Media Creation Tools?
 
Feb 15, 2023
3
0
10
Welcome to the forums, newcomer!
Thank you!

Which BIOS version are you on for your motherboard?
1.5.0

Did they encounter the reboots as you've stated? If not then your likely culprit can be the source of power from the wall. A reboot could also be caused from a grounding issue, have you tried relocating to another wall outlet in your crib?
No, the tech never saw the reboot happen. They only had it for 2 days, and I don't know how long they actually had it up and running during that time, so I do think it's possible that it just happened to never have booted while they had it. It has run without reboots for over 2 days of usage. I took my computer to my brother's house about a month ago and the restarts did happen there as well. I will try other outlets in my house just to be sure, but I checked the outlet my comp is currently hooked up to with a multimeter and it is grounded. I have a surge protector as well that my rig is hooked up to and it has a light indicating that it is grounded for what that's worth.

The system was originally an Inspiron prebuilt, if you swap the motherboard out, you've essentially built yourself a new system...albeit with the intention of resolving a problem/while troubleshooting.
Given the age of the computer and the problems I've had with it (this has not been the first major issue) I wouldn't mind honestly.

Did you also try a reinstall of the OS after creating your bootable USB installer using Windows Media Creation Tools?
I have not, but I will try that next.

Forgot to mention before, but I also swapped graphics cards with my brother and the reboots still happened. Also not sure if this is relevant but when I bought my new GPU I switched from AMD to Nvidia. I did use DDU to fully uninstall the AMD GPU drivers.
Also thank you so much for the rapid response, it is greatly appreciated!