GPU causing computer to randomly restart

[Plated Sorok]

Lately my pc has been randomly restarting and I think I've finally narrowed down the problem to being my gpu. I am currently using an EVGA GeForce GTX770 superclocked card. The card is about 4 years old now and I haven't had any issues with it until now.

Several weeks ago my computer started randomly restarting whether it was during gaming or just sitting idle doing absolutely nothing. This would happen anywhere from 20 minutes to almost 2 hours. After troubleshoot after troubleshoot I finally decided to just take the card out and low and behold no restarts. I put it back in and boom it restarted in about 20 minutes. I've monitored the temperatures of the card and it reaches about 31C idle and a max of 80C under 100% load, so I don't believe overheating is an issue especially since it restarts while idle. Could it be a driver issue?

Im wondering if the problem could possibly be my psu however I've tested it using a method I saw online and it worked perfectly fine. Plus the computer works fine with no restarts when the gpu is not in, so I'm not positive the psu is a problem.

This card has worked great for me in the time I've had it, just wondering if the problem could be caused by something else or if it's time to buy a new gpu.

Specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K 3.4 GHz
Gpu: EVGA GeForce Gtx 770 superclocked edition
Mobo: Gigabyte Z87X-UD3H
Ram: corsair vengeance 8Gb
Cooler: Cooler master hyper 212
Evo
Psu: XFX pro850W

This problem has harrassed me for weeks now, so any help would be appreciated.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... 1) Try cleaning the GPU/video card connector with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab, and re-seating the Card.
2) Try a Older/different driver for the card... Typically I run older or the Original drivers for some 700 series cards... but if your WIN10 this might or can not be possible.
3) Make sure your running a Nvidia driver and Not a Microsoft substitute/update.
4) Sometimes the Thermal paste can dry out over time... it needs to be moist and wet to work best... might be time for a re-paste.
5) Sometimes the Fans wear out on these older cards too, and can be causing electrical problems to the card.
6) Power Supply's can and do wear out over time (capacitors)... and having/trying a different/spare PS is a quick easy Test.

 

[Plated Sorok]

Hi, unfortunately I don't have a spare psu so maybe at some point I'll pick one up. How would I go about going back to older drivers or checking to make sure im running an nvidia driver? Oh and didn't mean to vote your answer down. I'm still figuring out how to use the forum. By the way I am running windows 10.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... You would go to control panel-device manager... click on display adaptors... right click GTX 770-properties-driver. This will provide info on the driver version and owner.

Basically you need to first DL some other versions to try... un-install the current driver and reboot Windows... and use the NVidia app "Custom install" to just install a different Video Driver*... and reboot.

*There are basically two drivers that the OS Needs, the Video and HD audio driver... just install different video drivers for your current tests.

You should be able to up vote me again? Or a mod may needed to be summoned to fix this... I can not change or vote for myself... B )

 

[Plated Sorok]

I am running an nvidia driver back from 12/11/2016. I can't remember exactly when the problem started occurring but it may have been somewhere around this time. I'll try rolling back to a previous driver to see if that fixes it. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be letting me vote you back up, my apologies.

 

[Plated Sorok]

Rolled back to a previous driver and what do you know no restarts. Wish I would've asked on here sooner since it was such a simple fix. Thank you.

 

[Ironsounds]

Hello... I have learned along time ago... "if it ain't broken... Don't try and fix it!!!" Update fever can be a cause of a lot of problems... B )

Typically in the OLD days... an Update were needed to addressed a situation between hardware and the Software, thus if your Situation didn't involve that hardware or software, it didn't apply to you and was not needed.

I feel these updates are flying out of Nvidia and "others"... and have become a weekly-monthly thing to do B / ...and the reason or logic to do the update is not provided... thus I stay with the "if it ain't broken... Don't try and fix it!!!" philosophy and still have the same stable system, that Boots and runs like the day I installed it. B /

 

[DjangoZ]

Rolled back to a previous driver and what do you know no restarts. Wish I would've asked on here sooner since it was such a simple fix. Thank you.

So what exact driver are you using now? i have the gtx 770 to, it seems everyone with a 770 have this problem.

 

[Urfael]

Rolled back to a previous driver and what do you know no restarts. Wish I would've asked on here sooner since it was such a simple fix. Thank you.

I would also like to know which driver you are using. I have a GTX 970 and am experiencing the same problems. I tried installing May of 2017's driver, as everything worked fine then, but I am still experiencing trouble

 

[Plated Sorok]

Rolled back to a previous driver and what do you know no restarts. Wish I would've asked on here sooner since it was such a simple fix. Thank you.

So what exact driver are you using now? i have the gtx 770 to, it seems everyone with a 770 have this problem.

 

[Plated Sorok]

My apologies I probably should have updated this post long ago. Around 2 weeks after I rolled back the driver the restarts started up again. I went and just purchased a new power supply and have not had a problem since. I guess somehow rolling back the driver put a stop to it temporarily for who knows what reason. All in all, the problem was a faulty power supply. I've continued to update my drivers normally now with no issues.