Question No Display! Red light of death?

[jcdomingo]

A couple of days ago, I was playing some retro games and I've installed reshade for the CRT shaders. I was playing for a while but then I noticed when I closed the game, the CRT shader/filter effect remains in the screen even if I close the game or even restart/on/off the PC. I manage to turn it down by deleting everything related to it but the faint effect of it is still there. Why? Then out of the blue, my PC shuts down itself. From then on, I wasn't able to use my PC anymore. Is it just a coincidence that my PC might be dying? or the reshade + crt royale shader completely toast my PC?

• Red light indicator in the motherboard pertains to the CPU (stays lit and not blinking) No boot light either
• GPU lights are off but fans are still spinning
• All 6 case fans and the CPU fan/cooler are still working
• No display from both GPU and motherboard HDMI ports

Full Specs:
CPU: i5 8600K
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1060 6GB G1 (rev 2.0)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z370 HD3
RAM: 2 x 8GB HyperX DDR4 2400mhz
PSU: EVGA 650 GQ Gold
Fans: 6x via molex + 1 CPU fan/cooler Deep Cool

 

[Ralston18]

What retro games and where did you get the retro games?

Will the PC boot into safe mode?

 

[jcdomingo]

What retro games and where did you get the retro games?

Will the PC boot into safe mode?

Specifically, I was emulating Snatcher using RetroArch with the CRT Shader from reshade.
As mentioned, No boot and display. No output from the monitor.

 

[Ralston18]

"but the faint effect of it is still there."

"the CRT shader/filter effect remains in the screen even if I close the game or even restart/on/off the PC. "

Look in Task Manager > Startup

Could be that something else is being launched at startup. Possibly put there by reshade, etc..

Also look in Resource Monitor and Process Explorer (Microsoft , free)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

If you find something running that you do not recognize or otherwise expect then research that process.

Do not start disabling or deleting anything until you know what it is and what it is doing. Or supposed to be doing....

 

[jcdomingo]

"but the faint effect of it is still there."

"the CRT shader/filter effect remains in the screen even if I close the game or even restart/on/off the PC. "

Look in Task Manager > Startup

Could be that something else is being launched at startup. Possibly put there by reshade, etc..

Also look in Resource Monitor and Process Explorer (Microsoft , free)

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/downloads/process-explorer

If you find something running that you do not recognize or otherwise expect then research that process.

Do not start disabling or deleting anything until you know what it is and what it is doing. Or supposed to be doing....

I was doing all that then my PC shut down itself. I was not able to use my PC from then on. All the bullet points I mentioned was after that.

 

[Ralston18]

PSU: Age, condition, heavy use for gaming, video editing, or even bit-mining?

Do you have another known working PSU that you can install for testing purposes? Remember do not mix and modular PSU cables.

Otherwise:

Power down, unplug, open the case.

Clean out dust and debris.

Verify by sight and feel that all connectors, cards, RAM, and jumpers are fully and firmly in place. Check case panel connections as well.

Use a bright flashlight to inspect for signs of damage. Bare conductor showing, melted insulation, kinked or pinched wires, browning or blackening anywhere, loose or missing screws, cracked connectors, scratches, swollen components. Any odors?

 

[jcdomingo]

PSU: Age, condition, heavy use for gaming, video editing, or even bit-mining?

Do you have another known working PSU that you can install for testing purposes? Remember do not mix and modular PSU cables.

Otherwise:

Power down, unplug, open the case.

Clean out dust and debris.

Verify by sight and feel that all connectors, cards, RAM, and jumpers are fully and firmly in place. Check case panel connections as well.

Use a bright flashlight to inspect for signs of damage. Bare conductor showing, melted insulation, kinked or pinched wires, browning or blackening anywhere, loose or missing screws, cracked connectors, scratches, swollen components. Any odors?

I'll bring it to a shop; I might do more harm if I tinker with it more. Anyway, gauging based on my curent issues, what do you think would be the most likely problem?

 

[Lev1n]

You probably killed your monitor. Try different monitor.

 

[jcdomingo]

You probably killed your monitor. Try different monitor.

Monitor is working. I'm using it as a second screen with my laptop for the meantime since my desktop broke.

 

[Ralston18]

There is not much that can be done with respect to "tinkering with the PSU". Not by yourself or a shop. Do not attempt.

PSU's are not made to be repairable and attempts to do so could end badly. If not during the attempt itself then later on when the PSU is reinstalled and placed under load.

One thing that can be done is to test the PSU. Doing so requires a multi-meter and knowing how to use a multi-meter.

FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually-test-a-power-supply-with-a-multimeter-2626158

Not a full test because the PSU is not under load. However, any voltages out of tolerance will make the PSU very suspect.

Hopefully the shop would be able to do the testing at least.

Or, if at all possible, try to borrow another known working PSU 650 watts or more to swap in. Determine if the problems end.

 

[jcdomingo]

There is not much that can be done with respect to "tinkering with the PSU". Not by yourself or a shop. Do not attempt.

PSU's are not made to be repairable and attempts to do so could end badly. If not during the attempt itself then later on when the PSU is reinstalled and placed under load.

One thing that can be done is to test the PSU. Doing so requires a multi-meter and knowing how to use a multi-meter.

FYI:

https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually-test-a-power-supply-with-a-multimeter-2626158

Not a full test because the PSU is not under load. However, any voltages out of tolerance will make the PSU very suspect.

Hopefully the shop would be able to do the testing at least.

Or, if at all possible, try to borrow another known working PSU 650 watts or more to swap in. Determine if the problems end.

So yeah I'm limited to what I can do like the lack of tools and components for testing; so that's why I'm bringing it to a shop. Is the PSU most likely the issue here? Dead mobo, CPU, GPU?

 

[Ralston18]

The PSU is a critical system component. It provides power via three voltages (3, 5, 12) to various system components. Any PSU related failures or problems can and do cause all sorts of issues.

Generally if I see logs with increasing numbers of errors and varying errors that, to me anyway, is an indication of a faulty or failing PSU.

FYI:

Best Power Supplies of 2022 - Top PSUs for Gaming PCs | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

The intent is not for you to immediately go out and purchase a new PSU.

Just read the link to learn more about PSU's. Try two or three of the calculators using your system's specs.

As you read and learn look for other similar articles and tutorials.

The more you know beforehand the less likely the shop will be able to take advantage of you.

They could plug in or replace a loose connector and tell you that they replaced the CPU....

Costs you $$$. Could cost them very little.

 

[jcdomingo]

The PSU is a critical system component. It provides power via three voltages (3, 5, 12) to various system components. Any PSU related failures or problems can and do cause all sorts of issues.

Generally if I see logs with increasing numbers of errors and varying errors that, to me anyway, is an indication of a faulty or failing PSU.

FYI:

Best Power Supplies of 2022 - Top PSUs for Gaming PCs | Tom's Hardware (tomshardware.com)

The intent is not for you to immediately go out and purchase a new PSU.

Just read the link to learn more about PSU's. Try two or three of the calculators using your system's specs.

As you read and learn look for other similar articles and tutorials.

The more you know beforehand the less likely the shop will be able to take advantage of you.

They could plug in or replace a loose connector and tell you that they replaced the CPU....

Costs you $$$. Could cost them very little.

I really appreciate your patience for replying and I'm really learning a lot. BTW, prior to the complete crash, My PC started get BSOD every time I turn it on. I didn't really pay much attention to it since once it automatically restarts, it continues/working normally afterwards. I had it like a full year. A possible connection to the PSU?

 

[Ralston18]

Yes. It may be PSU related.

However, it could be heat related. Something a bit loose and startup fails. Yet that "something" may heat up a bit during the initial attempt, expand, and tighten the connection so the next startup attempt succeeds.

Could be in the PSU or elsewhere in the system.

Were you able to check things per my Post (#6) above?

If you are not comfortable doing so then find a knowledgeable family member or friend to help.

 

[jcdomingo]

Yes. It may be PSU related.

However, it could be heat related. Something a bit loose and startup fails. Yet that "something" may heat up a bit during the initial attempt, expand, and tighten the connection so the next startup attempt succeeds.

Could be in the PSU or elsewhere in the system.

Were you able to check things per my Post (#6) above?

If you are not comfortable doing so then find a knowledgeable family member or friend to help.

Yeah I thoroughly checked and cleaned. I didn't really notice anything burnt or busted. I reseated every connection (except the CPU) and also reapply thermal paste. I also tried another cmos battery but nothing changed.

 

[Vic 40]

Does it work when taking the gpu (gtx 1060) out and using the onboard gpu? Use the back i/o port for video.

 

[jcdomingo]

Does it work when taking the gpu (gtx 1060) out and using the onboard gpu? Use the back i/o port for video.

I tried that but unfortunately it doesn't work either.

 

[Lev1n]

I tried that but unfortunately it doesn't work either.

Did you tryed using another cable? Like if you using display port try with hdmi cable.