Question Monitor loses signal and PC crashes under high load?

[moron1ctendency]

Lately I've noticed this issue sprung up while I was gaming, it started off sporadically but now I've narrowed it down to a specific pattern. What happens is that I normally boot up a fairly newer/intensive game. Subnautica/Crusader Kings III or the like, and I can play around for a few minutes just fine, however, eventually the screen just goes black and the monitor loses signal. What's strange here to me is that the PC is still running -- the GPU lights are on, the fans are running and everything seems to be fine.

I did some digging on my own, but I can't quite narrow down to what the issue really is. Most of my PC parts are quite old now, made my rig back in 2016 so I figure it's probably my GPU kicking the bucket. I did HWInfo logging test, where I've attached the results here. (It's a long log, the thing most notable are the GPU columns I've highlighted in red near the end, where after the 2600th row when the screen blacked out, the values zeroed out, which leads me to believe this is a GPU problem)

Some things worth noting:

1. The audio also cuts off, once the screen goes black -- it's not like the PC is working fine. Rather the music etc. playing in the background also shuts off. Indicating that there's more to it than just a faulty cable or monitor.
2. This really only happens for intensive games, I play some EUIV, Victoria II and other older games and it appears to not happen on those at all. Which leads me to believe this is an issue with one of the components once they come under heavier loads.
3. I did the usual GPU drive updates, switched out the HDMI cable -- didn't work.

I'm hoping if someone could just point me in the direction of which specific part is probably going wrong, I'm on a tight budget these days and don't have the capacity to upgrade my rig let alone buy a new GPU. So if there's any idea if it's just a PSU error or anything, I'd be grateful.


My specs are
CPU: i5-6600k
GPU: GIGABYTE GTX 1060 6GB
Motherboard: GIGABYTE G110M-H

 

[DSzymborski]

It does seem like the GPU is starting to fail, but it would be nice to make sure that it's not being caused by the PSU. What is the exact PSU you're using?

 

[moron1ctendency]

It does seem like the GPU is starting to fail, but it would be nice to make sure that it's not being caused by the PSU. What is the exact PSU you're using?

The PSU is a Antec EA-500D Earthwatts, 500W.

Honestly I was really hoping this wasn't because of the GPU, but that HWInfo logging really is damning. One thing I didn't quite understand though is why it only happens under certain games. Crusader Kings III isn't really the most graphically demanding game, matter of fact I even turned all the graphics settings downed to low, lowered the resolution scale down to 40% and the error still persisted. Which was a bit confusing since why would the GPU crash under low-load when it doesn't otherwise?

 

[DSzymborski]

That's an old, group-regulated PSU, but probably not the problem here at least.

Have you tried removing the GPU from the system and using integrated graphics? Obviously, the performance on integrated graphics will stink, but it would be nice to see if we can recreate the issue without the GPU being involved at all.

 

[moron1ctendency]

That's an old, group-regulated PSU, but probably not the problem here at least.

Have you tried removing the GPU from the system and using integrated graphics? Obviously, the performance on integrated graphics will stink, but it would be nice to see if we can recreate the issue without the GPU being involved at all.

Firstly, apologies for the very late reply -- I took your advice (I admittedly hadn't thought of this) and used my iGPU to test out for a few days. Overall, the crashing issue didn't persist however I did have to turn down graphics to the point of pixellation to even run games, so I don't know how effective any testing would be. In either case, I noticed some things during this:

1. The issue is sort of... Inconsistent? Often times I sometimes have to switch between my old and new HDMI cable to get my GPU working or get my iGPU working. Otherwise it's just stuck on no signal for both cases.
2. I noticed one thing, the PC sometimes just doesn't turn on. I repeatedly have to usually press the power button before it turns on and then works fine.
3. While messing around, I noticed that my PC case appears to have a current running through it. I hadn't noticed this before because I'm usually wearing slippers, but whenever I'm trying to press the power button I do feel a consistent shock that sometimes goes away and doesn't -- when it does the PC turns on. I'm really not sure what to make of this honestly.

I hope this helps, and once again sorry for the late reply.

 

[GoingFaewild]

Firstly, apologies for the very late reply -- I took your advice (I admittedly hadn't thought of this) and used my iGPU to test out for a few days. Overall, the crashing issue didn't persist however I did have to turn down graphics to the point of pixellation to even run games, so I don't know how effective any testing would be. In either case, I noticed some things during this:

1. The issue is sort of... Inconsistent? Often times I sometimes have to switch between my old and new HDMI cable to get my GPU working or get my iGPU working. Otherwise it's just stuck on no signal for both cases.
2. I noticed one thing, the PC sometimes just doesn't turn on. I repeatedly have to usually press the power button before it turns on and then works fine.
3. While messing around, I noticed that my PC case appears to have a current running through it. I hadn't noticed this before because I'm usually wearing slippers, but whenever I'm trying to press the power button I do feel a consistent shock that sometimes goes away and doesn't -- when it does the PC turns on. I'm really not sure what to make of this honestly.

I hope this helps, and once again sorry for the late reply.

Could you maybe have a loose connection somewhere in your PC? Probably not causing the screen blackouts but your case definitely shouldn't be having a feelable current!
Also, have you tried to change the port your plugging your monitor into? Overall it definitely looks like a GPU problem. Maybe pick up a super cheap 1030 or something and see if it persists. Maybe even change the PCIe port your card is in? (If possible) just test EVERYTHING. GPUs are very expensive

 

[DSzymborski]

Is the electricity in your house properly grounded? You should not be feeling current in your PC.

 

[moron1ctendency]

Is the electricity in your house properly grounded? You should not be feeling current in your PC.

Yeah, it should be. I've had the rig for nearly 6 years and it seems the issues only started recently. No idea what happened with that honestly, I'll check for a loose connection with the PSU perhaps.

 

[moron1ctendency]

Could you maybe have a loose connection somewhere in your PC? Probably not causing the screen blackouts but your case definitely shouldn't be having a feelable current!
Also, have you tried to change the port your plugging your monitor into? Overall it definitely looks like a GPU problem. Maybe pick up a super cheap 1030 or something and see if it persists. Maybe even change the PCIe port your card is in? (If possible) just test EVERYTHING. GPUs are very expensive

I'll have to see, I don't have any spare parts lying about so I'll send it to a local tech shop and see if the issues are persisting if they individually test the parts. Really hoping it's just a PSU going awry but pretty much zero chance at this point.

My iGPU is definitely very weird and inconsistent though, I wonder if that's just because of age too or if it's something else.