[SOLVED] My system keeps crashing and I can't find the cause. GPU issue possibly?

[Toby_Larone]

Hey everyone,

For a while now I have been having random crashes on my PC. The screen will go blank, usually white or occasionally some other bright colour like cyan or magenta. The computer will still be on, but there is no sound or input and the only way to get around it is to restart the computer manually.

The majority of the time this will happen when the computer is under load, such as gaming, but it can also happen when the computer is idle. It happens completely at random and I am unable to predict when it will happen.

I have tried stress testing the GPU and CPU using OCCT and Heaven Benchmark, and I could not replicate the crash. I also know that it is not due to overheating, as I have been monitoring my temps and it wouldn't make sense for it to crash at idle if it was.

I have also tried updating my graphics drivers, as well as Windows, and scanned for viruses and found nothing.

I assume this is a problem related to my graphics card, as since the problem started I have replaced every other component in my system. I'm hoping that there is a way to fix this other than buying a new graphics card, as that might be a little tricky in the current climate.

Any help solving this issue would be greatly appreciated.

Specs:
Intel Core i5-9400F
EVGA GeForce GTX 980
2x 8GB Corsair Vengeance LPX DDR4
Cougar GEX 750W PSU

 

[Ralston18]

How old is that Cougar PSU? Heavy use for gaming, video editing, even bit-mining?

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, etc. that correspond with the crashes.

 

[Toby_Larone]

How old is that Cougar PSU? Heavy use for gaming, video editing, even bit-mining?

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, etc. that correspond with the crashes.

The PSU is relatively new. I had an old 550W Coolermaster PSU that I thought might have been causing the crashes so I replaced it the Cougar one and the issue is still persisting.
I use it for gaming frequently and video editing occasionally.

I checked both Reliability History and Event Viewer and the only error codes or warnings that seem to be related to this issue are from unexpected shutdowns which I suspect is from when I have to manually reboot the system after a crash.

 

[Ralston18]

Even a new PSU can be problematic.

And unexpected shutdowns and reboots are a common consequence of a faltering PSU.

Plus those shutdowns can cause file corruption making the problem even worse.

Try "sfc /scannow" and "dism"

References:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-use-sfc-scannow-to-repair-windows-system-files-2626161

https://www.howtogeek.com/222532/ho...-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/

If the crashes continue ....

Power down, unplug, open the case.

Clean out dust and debris.

Doublecheck by sight and feel that all connectors, cards, RAM, and jumpers are fully and firmly in place.

Disk drives: make, model, capacity, how full?