Question Lost display, and GPU fans went full speed ?

[GoodGuyJerry]

I was browsing discord after playing Rematch for 2 hours. Then suddenly my screen went black and "no display" showed up, but I still have sounds because I can still hear videos playing and my friends chatting in the background.

I noticed the GPU fans went full speed so I tried forcing a reboot by holding the power button for 5 seconds but the PC won't turn off, so I pulled the power plug from the PSU.

After plugging the power back in, my PC won't turn on. It did light up for a milisec before turning off again, but then the PC won't even turn on at all after pressing the power button.

I do have a faulty RAM slot that has prevented boot before, it occurs only after I cleaned my PC, and removed the RAM. But I only need to reseat the RAM a few times, and it would went back to normal.

So far, I've tried:
- Removing CMOS for 5 minutes, and putting it back in. Didn't work
- Reseating the GPU, didn't work
- Tighten the power cables into my PSU and GPU. Didn't work too
- Flipping the power switch from the PSU. The PC did turn on for a little longer for like 10 seconds, but it won't boot and it would turn off and refusing to turn on again.
- Removing the GPU. Kinda works I guess, since the PC is not shutting down until i press the power button again. Gpu and boot light indicators lit up from the mobo.

My specs are:
- CPU: i5-10400f
- GPU: MSi RTX 3080 Sea Hawk 10G, bought it second hand from August '24, seller said it was only used for office and gaming purposes.
- Mobo: Asrock B460M Pro4
- RAM: 2x8GB DDR4. Both are different brand, one is GEIL Evo Potenza, and the other one is a Klevv Value. Both running at 2666Mhz
- PSU: Bitfenix Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold

 

[Aeacus]

- Removing the GPU. Kinda works I guess,

Well, it won't work since you have F-suffix CPU, which doesn't have iGPU in it.

MSi RTX 3080 Sea Hawk 10G, bought it second hand

Most likely ex-mining GPU that gave up the ghost. Btw, seller can say anything (lie), just to complete the sale.

Take any, known to work GPU, and plug it in. Look if PC stays on and you can boot to OS. If you can, your GPU died.

On future note: do not buy Intel F-suffix CPU. Since when you have issues with GPU, and CPU has iGPU, you could still use iGPU inside the CPU.
Sure, on normal operation iGPU isn't needed, but when something happens, like you just had, iGPU is godsend.

 

[emily1221]

I was browsing discord after playing Rematch for 2 hours. Then suddenly my screen went black and "no display" showed up, but I still have sounds because I can still hear videos playing and my friends chatting in the background.

I noticed the GPU fans went full speed so I tried forcing a reboot by holding the power button for 5 seconds but the PC won't turn off, so I pulled the power plug from the PSU.

After plugging the power back in, my PC won't turn on. It did light up for a milisec before turning off again, but then the PC won't even turn on at all after pressing the power button.

I do have a faulty RAM slot that has prevented boot before, it occurs only after I cleaned my PC, and removed the RAM. But I only need to reseat the RAM a few times, and it would went back to normal.

So far, I've tried:
- Removing CMOS for 5 minutes, and putting it back in. Didn't work
- Reseating the GPU, didn't work
- Tighten the power cables into my PSU and GPU. Didn't work too
- Flipping the power switch from the PSU. The PC did turn on for a little longer for like 10 seconds, but it won't boot and it would turn off and refusing to turn on again.
- Removing the GPU. Kinda works I guess, since the PC is not shutting down until i press the power button again. Gpu and boot light indicators lit up from the mobo.

My specs are:
- CPU: i5-10400f
- GPU: MSi RTX 3080 Sea Hawk 10G, bought it second hand from August '24, seller said it was only used for office and gaming purposes.
- Mobo: Asrock B460M Pro4
- RAM: 2x8GB DDR4. Both are different brand, one is GEIL Evo Potenza, and the other one is a Klevv Value. Both running at 2666Mhz
- PSU: Bitfenix Whisper M 650W 80+ Gold

Oof, that frustrating — sounds like a hardware failure for sure.

From what you said, it really points to the GPU or PSU being the issue. The black screen + full fan blast + refusing to shut down is a classic sign of a GPU crash or short. And the fact that it only powers on without the GPU is super telling.

Couple quick things to try:

• Test with another PSU if you can — 650W is tight for a 3080, especially if it's older or stressed.
• Boot without the GPU just to see if the system consistently powers on (you won't get display, but it'll tell us if the board is okay).
• Inspect the GPU closely for any damage, burns, or leaking (especially with that hybrid cooler).

My bet's on the GPU. If it was second-hand, it might’ve had a rougher life than the seller claimed.

Keep me posted — I’ve been through this too.

 

[GoodGuyJerry]

Yep, it's confirmed. My GPU's dead. Tried booting with my brother's GPU, an RX 6700 XT and it boot up to windows no problem. Never gonna buy another second hand parts. What would be the equivalent or slightly worse replacement with reasonable price for 1440p 144 FPS on AAA games?

 

[SyCoREAPER]

Reasonable price is subjective. What's your price range?

 

[GoodGuyJerry]

Reasonable price is subjective. What's your price range?

Under 500 USD. I did some research and browsing in my local computer shop website, the options around that price point are 9060 XT 16GB starting at 406 USD, 5060 Ti 16GB at 480 USD, and 7700XT 431 USD. There's also 7800XT, but it's a bit over the budget, cheapest one I can find is 535 USD.

Edit: forgot to add the other GPUs prices

 

[Aeacus]

What would be the equivalent or slightly worse replacement

RX 7800 XT would be closest,
comparison: https://technical.city/en/video/GeForce-RTX-3080-vs-Radeon-RX-7800-XT

But if you go with cheaper GPU, you will loose on performance front.

Never gonna buy another second hand parts.

With hardware, one has 2 choices;

1, Buy from questionable source and play the lottery that you MIGHT get decent piece of hardware for paying peanuts.
But buying used always has it's risks, since used hardware is sold "as is" and there is 0 expectation for it to work like a brand new hardware. Thus, getting working hardware is 50:50 chance. Either it works and you scored a great deal (hence why people buy used hardware in the 1st place, to get great deals), or it doesn't work (or works partly) and you have a nice paperweight. Not to mention money wasted + your own time and effort troubleshooting it afterwards. Nor is there any warranty with used hardware and it can die at any moment, without safety net to fall on (warranty).

2. Buy from reputable source, brand name, brand new hardware, get warranty, be assured it works, while paying proper price for it.
And if it fails, you have warranty to rely on, where hardware is replaced/repaired cost free.

I, personally, am not rich enough to buy used hardware. Thus, i only buy brand new stuff.

 

[Teknoman2]

That CPU was probably bottlenecking the 3080 and it will probably bottleneck a 7800XT. And given the PSU, i think a 9060XT or a 5060ti would be a wiser choice, even if they have lower performance than the 3080... as long as its the 16GB version the performance difference will not be that big.

 

[Eximo]

5070 12GB at $550 would be more of a direct replacement for a 3080.
Used 4070 Super if you can find one cheap, I know you said used sucks, but 30 series was still in the mining days. 40 series, not as much.

I would say the 5060 Ti 16GB at $430 is still too expensive for what you get. 9060 XT is $370. If you like Ray tracing though, the 5060 Ti is still a decent pick.

RX 9070 is the best choice, but is still running at a high price.

 

[GoodGuyJerry]

5070 12GB at $550 would be more of a direct replacement for a 3080.
Used 4070 Super if you can find one cheap, I know you said used sucks, but 30 series was still in the mining days. 40 series, not as much.

5070 12GB is selling at $600 in my area. While the cheapest 2nd hand 4070 Super I can find is $580, and lots of em only have 1 year of warranty left.

That CPU was probably bottlenecking the 3080 and it will probably bottleneck a 7800XT.

Yes, it did bottleneck the 3080, but I only notice it in certain games at 1440p like CS2, PUBG, and Baldur's Gate 3 but only in the lower city parts.

RX 7800 XT would be closest,
comparison: https://technical.city/en/video/GeForce-RTX-3080-vs-Radeon-RX-7800-XT

But if you go with cheaper GPU, you will loose on performance front.

Is it worth paying $130 more for the 7800 XT for the same performance tho? Or would it be wiser to just get a cheaper 9060 XT, and lose like 10-20% of raw performance. Could FSR 4 and Redstone make the 9060 XT a better option for long term? CMIIW I heard that previous gen AMD GPU won't support those.

 

[Aeacus]

Is it worth paying $130 more for the 7800 XT for the same performance tho? Or would it be wiser to just get a cheaper 9060 XT, and lose like 10-20% of raw performance. Could FSR 4 and Redstone make the 9060 XT a better option for long term? CMIIW I heard that previous gen AMD GPU won't support those.

If you enable Frame Gen and/or FSR4, you could get 7800 XT performance out of the 9060 XT.
But if you do not enable those gimmicks (depends on game support), 7800 XT raw performance beats 9060 XT.

In this topic here,
link: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/7800-xt-vs-9060-xt.3881297/

There was lengthy discussion about 7800 XT vs 9060 XT + FSR. I posted a lot of info about FSR there (my 2nd and 3rd reply). So, do go read it. It would be better than me posting all that data here again, twice.

RTX 5060 Ti would be better option if you want to use image enhancer (DLSS4).

 

[GoodGuyJerry]

Update, I met with the 3080 seller, told me I was in fault because I paired it with a 650W PSU, said it wasn't enough, and because the PSU is not a good quality PSU it caused stress to the GPU components, and finally killed it.

He offered me to send it to the distributor for further checking at monday, and will repair it only after I agree with the fee. Since I don't have anything to lose except time, I went with it and gonna wait for at least 2 more weeks.

 

[Aeacus]

and because the PSU is not a good quality PSU

That's big time, major league BS. Just an excuse not to take responsibility to own up on their own mistake.

For 2nd opinion about your PSU, look it up from PSU tier list,
link: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet...JWkc/edit?pli=1&gid=1973454078#gid=1973454078

It is Tier A, on par to such units as: Corsair HXi 2013/RMx 2015, EVGA SuperNova G2/P2, Seasonic PRIME Gold/Platinum, Super Flower Leadex Platinum/Leadex II.

Bitfenix Whisper M is considered great quality PSU and in no way is PSU's build quality responsible on damaging the GPU. Since GPU was already used, whatever damage GPU had, was before it was sold to you. Whereby it was just matter of time when GPU died.
And i think, the seller knew about it. Since why else sell otherwise working GPU, which even for 4K gaming, has plenty of performance. That is, unless seller knew that GPU is on it's last leg and dies soon after.

because I paired it with a 650W PSU

650W unit is a bit less for RTX 3080, since it has high transient power spikes. RTX 3080 can spike to 533W for GPU alone.

Video about it:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnRyyCsuHFQ


Still, IF even the GPU spikes that high and PSU's OPP isn't enough to soak that in, what happens is that PSU kills the power to the system and you will get a random shut down (or reboot), since load on PSU is too much for PSU to handle. But none of it happened for your build. Instead, build operated fine until at one point, the GPU died completely, freezing your system and after that point onwards, you were not able to see any image with RTX 3080. Clearly indicating that GPU died.

So, what the seller is saying, is a lie. They were the ones who sold you a faulty GPU. Not that your great quality PSU caused damage to the GPU. Moreover, you didn't had any symptoms of the PSU overload.

after I agree with the fee

Do not send any more money to that seller. Instead, ask the contact info of the distributor and communicate with them directly. Since that seller may say that they forwarded the GPU to distributor but come back saying that GPU wasn't be able to be fixed, while citing you costs that you need to pay again. While actually not doing anything like that, instead, milking more money from you.

 

[GoodGuyJerry]

That's big time, major league BS. Just an excuse not to take responsibility to own up on their own mistake.

Glad to hear that I'm not the only with the same thought. I knew it wasn't my PSU, because I also looked up this list before buying it: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

Still, IF even the GPU spikes that high and PSU's OPP isn't enough to soak that in, what happens is that PSU kills the power to the system and you will get a random shut down (or reboot), since load on PSU is too much for PSU to handle. But none of it happened for your build.

Exactly. I knew this too because on my first PC, I've experienced it first hand.

I brought those argument with the seller, but he's a hardhead and he still insist that my PSU is not good enough, so I just gave up trying.

Do not send any more money to that seller. Instead, ask the contact info of the distributor and communicate with them directly.

This is what brought me back to the seller at the first place. Before setting up a meeting with the seller, I've contacted the distributor directly to seek for a solution. The distributor said that according to their data, my GPU warranty is already expired from September '24, but if I have the receipt from when the GPU was first bought then there's a chance that my warranty isn't expired yet, because they would count the warranty from the day the GPU was first bought. So i set up a meeting with the seller, in hope that he still have the receipt.

Since that seller may say that they forwarded the GPU to distributor but come back saying that GPU wasn't be able to be fixed, while citing you costs that you need to pay again. While actually not doing anything like that, instead, milking more money from you.

Yeah, not gonna pay anything for it. Instead, since I've also asked him if I can sell him that dead GPU as is, and he said yes but only for $20, I might just go with that option. I don't think that fixing a dead GPU is gonna worth anything because it would probably die again in less than 2-3 weeks top.

In the meantime I'm probably gonna try looking for a 5060 Ti or 9060 XT, I'm still torn whether that extra $70-$80 is gonna worth it or not for Nvidia's DLSS 4 and Frame Gen. Then there's also used regular 4070 that still have some warranty left in used marketplace, most of them cost $20-$50 more expensive than brand new 5060 Ti.

 

[Aeacus]

because I also looked up this list before buying it: https://cultists.network/140/psu-tier-list/

Biased and outdated list (favoring Corsair, downplaying Seasonic). Better to look at SPL's list i linked.

Instead, since I've also asked him if I can sell him that dead GPU as is, and he said yes but only for $20, I might just go with that option. I don't think that fixing a dead GPU is gonna worth anything because it would probably die again in less than 2-3 weeks top.

Some repair shops give you 90 day guarantee. Others, nothing.

If you want to repair the GPU, you can send it in to e.g Northridge Fix,
link: https://northridgefix.com

While Northridge Fix is USA based, they accept international shipping and can do repairs worldwide. (If you're located outside of USA.)

Alex, founder and owner of Northridge Fix, often posts electronics repair videos to his Youtube channel, that i find interesting and informative to watch.
Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NorthridgeFix/videos

E.g Asus RTX 3080 repair where GPU behaves same as yours does;

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BclQo3P14No


They also sell all and every kind of equipment to do with electronics fixes. Soldering stations, microscopes, flux, capacitors, mosfets, connectors etc.

I'm still torn whether that extra $70-$80 is gonna worth it or not for Nvidia's DLSS 4 and Frame Gen.

Did you watched the video i linked in another topic? I also linked in-depth article there. These two should help you to make a decision.

Then there's also used regular 4070 that still have some warranty left in used marketplace, most of them cost $20-$50 more expensive than brand new 5060 Ti.

You already know my stance about buying used. But for GPUs specifically, here's a good video from GamersNexus where Steve explains about it more in-depth:

At 11:42;

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1Yp6pQRdns#t=11m42s