Question GPU Problem? Games crashing to desktop

Sohaib

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Mar 6, 2007
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First of all to mods, i couldn't figure out the right place to post this so i decided to post in the GPU section because 'I Think' problem is maybe with my GPU. If its not in the correct section then please move it to the appropriate place.

My computer Specs:
Gigabyte Z370 Aourus Gaming 7 Mobo
Intel 8700k @ stock speeds
Zotec GTX 1080 Ti AMP Extreme
Corsair 16 GB DDR 4 @ XMP profile 3000 MHz
Corsair TX 750M PSU
8 3.5" HDD
2 SSD (1 sata 1 nvme)
1 soundcard (creative x-fi titanium)
1 PCI 4 port SATA card
Win 10 Pro latest edition (Always patched to latest version)
NVIDIA drivers always latest. Current version at the time of posting this topic is: 441.12

Ok so now to the problem which is making me pull my hair. I have been having this problem for quite some time now. So i am having this problem where my games would simply crash back to desk with no error code. I don't see any artifacts in games or any other abnormal graphics problem, just crash to desktop. It has been happening with every game but it wasn't so severe because i wasn't gaming excessively but with the release of RDR 2 i am playing it more and the crashes are severe. YES i know game has problems but my problem is that its not specific to RDR 2, it would happen to almost every game.
It happened in recently released "The Outer Worlds", Civilization VI in which i have over 500 hours and never crashed before also been crashing. Total War: Warhammer 2 you know it. Basically if its a 3D game and if i play it enough it will crash at some point.

This only happens in games, i could use my pc for web browsing/youtube/watching 4k videos all day and there won't be a problem.

Things i have already tried

  • Run memtest, all 4 passes and 0 errors so we can rule out a bad RAM. Screenshot attached if you are interested.
  • Monitor GPU Temps with HWMonitor and logging, the max GPU temp reaches during gaming Marathon's is 78C which is fine for GTX 1080 Ti AMP Extreme i think considering its one of the most over-clocked 1080 Ti out there.
  • CPU temps are waaay within limits during games not reaching 70s
  • Running Valley benchmark test for like 15 minutes. No artifacts or crash
  • Using High performance power mode, ensuring Link state Power management setting is turned off in advanced settings.
  • Tried all power settings in Nvidia control panel, adaptive/prefer maximum perfornamce.
So i am simply at an impass here, i couldn't figure out what the problem is (if it is indeed a hardware problem and not windows 10 acting up). My crashes are always soft. I don't have to reset my PC or even have to restart windows, i can simply jump back into game and it will work until it crashes again (which can be 10 mins or 2 hours). My first guess was RAM but since that turned out to be fine i am thinking maybe my GPU is dying. Its over 2 years old after all. Could it also be perhaps my PSU? I replaced it 3 years ago when my Corsair AX1200i died. I do have lots of stuff inside my CPU, 10 drives (8 of them 3.5) and a 4 port SATA PCI card.

Is there a utility which can REALLY stress my GPU so i could get a firm understanding if that's the culprit? It would suck if i have to replace GPU because my only option would be to get a 2080 Ti and i really don't have extra funds to get it right now.
I have posted memtest screenshot and a device manager screenshot to show what i have that might narrow down the problem for some of you geniuses.

https://ibb.co/6D1X8qH
https://ibb.co/4Pr9SQp
 
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Well it sounds software related more than hardware related. Have you tried DDU?
 

Sohaib

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Well it sounds software related more than hardware related. Have you tried DDU?
I didn't change my GPU or windows in over 2 years so i doubt there could be a driver conflict but i am still going to try the above method. I will try playing games and will report back if things improve.
 
Sometimes drivers tend to leave "garbage" behind when they are updated. Files can get corrupted, conflicts between applications and programs are somewhat common and a clean new windows installation is advised.
You won't believe how many have had problems with corrupt drivers or windows in the past and that was their solution.
 

Sohaib

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No luck, the game still crashed. I followed the procedure, booted into safe mode and used DDU to completely uninstall NVIDIA drivers.
I also updated my BIOS to latest version, F14. I ran Valley Benchmark today again for 30 minutes without any problem. Ultra settings and the benchmark ran totally fine without any artifacts appearing on screen. I also monitored GPU clocks and temps to see if there was a problem but didn't find any. The GPU ran fine for 30 mins at full clocks, Core clock @ 2075 MHz, Memory @ 5600 MHz and max temp 82C.

I think at this point i am believing my GPU is fine. Its either some issue in Windows 10 or maybe PSU.
But i don't get it, if Valley runs fine for 30 mins taxing my GPU to 100% without any problem then why games crash? Maybe i should try running it longer? Like 1 or maybe 2 hours?

EDIT: Is it possible that my system is running out of juice? Do you think 750 Watts PSU is enough? The time i bought it i didn't have so much hdd's and soundcards which i gradually added. I ran power calculator and it showed my PC requires 660W so i should be fine in theory.
 

Sohaib

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My PSU is less then 3 years old. I had Corsair AX1200i which died (strange since its supposed to be top tier PSU) so i replaced it with this. Its about as old as my GPU is.

But shouldn't PSU related problems be like BSOD or hard crashes and not soft?
I really doesn't want to do a clean install of windows as that would be too much work getting everything back up.

There is something indeed wrong with my Windows but again its related to 3D games. For example, when i play DOAX VV (Dead or alive Xtreme Venus Vacation) my system starts acting up. If i play it long enough then Windows get highly unresponsive, even when i exit the game windows get extremely sluggish, like there is 5 secs pause whenever i try to open any video/chrome. Opening task manager gets 5sec delay and in that i see CPU usage at like 80% but i don't see the app/process getting cpu usage that high and then it gets responsive and cpu usage goes back to normal but if i open something else that happens again. The only solution is a windows restart. So i have to restart my windows whenever i play that game.

EDIT: Sadly none of my real life friends are big pc gamers so finding a big PSU to try is out of question. I will have to buy a new one which i am willing if i can get a good idea that it is actually the cause of problem.
 
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In that case, if you have a spare hdd/ssd you can install windows there and remove the drive that currently has windows on.

How did the previous PSU died? Wasn't it under warranty? Any of the hardware that were in the pc when it died, still in the current one?