Question PC freezes / solid green video playback / black screen flashes / CPU fan overworking

May 25, 2019
6
0
10
Background:
Relatively new Gaming PC (Jan 2019), ran like a dream until recently - experiencing unusual/disruptive behaviour as outlined below (screenshots included from Dropbox). PC is usually running all the time but not intensively - I don't play games (but do make games) so I don't exhaust the hardware to incite any failures that I can think of but I do suspect a hardware failure somewhere - specifically the CPU due to symptoms or possibly GPU. Paws crossed it's just a software/driver issue though. 😛

Machine specification: ACER Predator Orion 9000 Intel® Core™ i9 RTX 2080 Ti Gaming PC - 3 TB HDD & 512 GB SSD

Operating systemWindows 10 (64-bit)
Processor- Intel® Core™ i9-7900X Processor
RAM- 32 GB DDR4 (2666 MHz)
Graphics card- NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti x 2
- 11 GB DDR6

Symptoms:
  • Solid green video glitch: example: https://www.dropbox.com/s/2bz4dukmhjta1nq/youtube-green-screen.png?dl=0
    Video playback sometimes stops and shows solid green (YouTube as well as locally i.e. Windows Media Player). Refreshing page / restarting application resolves issue (temporary but recurring glitch). Video drivers are up-to-date via GeForce Experience app.

  • Flashing (black) screen:
    Screen sometimes flashes black, comparable to what you might expect when installing video drivers

  • CPU fan: see image: https://www.dropbox.com/s/sm7ogcveke2sd22/CPU fan.png?dl=0
    Cooling fan sometimes kicks in unexpectedly (particularly CPU fan) but system isn't doing anything strenuous and temperature seems normal (38-48 degrees Celsius range). Temperatures never exceed 48 degrees.

  • Freezing:
    See my event viewer history - lots of errors (.mp4 scroll-through ensure 1080p is selected): https://www.dropbox.com/s/kntshivysu8ws11/Event_Viewer_doodledile.webm?dl=0
    Most recent experience which prompted me to seek advice: Windows froze, completely unable to move cursor and Windows lingered on a still image of my desktop with open windows for a few minutes before restarting. Included recent history from Event Viewer .msc - highlighted the point at which the restart happened.
Would be extremely grateful for your help. Thanks so much!

Updates:
 
Last edited:
Solid green over video = Turn off hardware acceleration in the browser or video player settings, usually. That normally fixes that problem in 99% of cases.


Might be you are the 1% though. What is the exact model of your power supply and your motherboard?

Is this a recent build and has this problem been happening since it was built or did it work fine before and start happening only recently?

Did ALL these symptoms begin at the same time?

Do you have the MOST recent motherboard BIOS version installed as outlined on the motherboard or system model product page?
 
  • Like
Reactions: doodledile
Thanks Darkbreeze! Here's the info:
  • Manufactured unit (not custom build)

  • Worked like a dream for the 5 months I've had it. Symptoms began in the last week altogether or in quick succession, in this order: green video glitch, black screen flashes, cpu fan, freezing. (Latest white square artefacts/glitches mentioned below)

  • PSU: MODEL NO: FSP1000-50AAG
    Potato photograph

  • BIOS is latest version (different dates though?): R01-A4
    CPU-Z screenshot (Mainboard)
    PC Manufacturer's website

  • Update - as I'm preparing this reply, I've seen some flickering white square/rectangle glitches/artefacts on my screen as well (on Chrome over images I'm previewing on Dropbox) 😥

  • Disabled hardware acceleration in chrome - will update if helps the green glitches.
 
Last edited:
Well, to start with that's an older FSP unit, that is an industrial model, and is not very good from what I can see, especially since it's been rebranded as a Sparkle product, and they only sell garbage for the most part so if FSP is selling these to Sparkle you can be pretty sure they are probably not desirable for use in a build with 2 x 2080 TI, not to mention the fact that for 2080 TI SLI (Or x2 multi GPU non-SLI) you would want to see a very good 900w or higher unit, and that unit is not a very good 900w or higher unit.

I'd be surprised if that unit was capable of supplying 60-75% of it's rated capacity sustained or peak, but since there are no reviews of that unit (Which itself is telling) then it's hard to say. Obviously, this would be the primary culprit and even if it's not the core issue, with that hardware I'd SERIOUSLY consider a better power supply regardless.

Actually, that's not the latest bios version. You have R01-A4 and R01-B1 is the latest version. I'd recommend updating. The fact that the latest version lists "Fix can't show HDD information" as the primary change does not mean there are not also other changes or fixes included with the updated firmware version.

Your artifacts on the screen are indicative of a lack of power delivery. As a test only, try removing one of the graphics cards completely from the system leaving only the card that is installed in the primary x16 slot installed. Don't just unplug power and monitor, completely remove the second card from the system. That MIGHT tell us if there is a power issue, although I think it's a foregone conclusion that a better power supply is a good idea.

Just wondering, is there a reason why you have 2080 TI SLI and you don't game? You certainly shouldn't need two of those very powerful cards for game development unless you are also required to test at Ultra 4k resolutions and settings, or are using multiple 4k monitors for gaming. Maybe you have a reason, but for creation it seems incredibly overkill.
 
  • Like
Reactions: doodledile
You rule, Darkbreeze! Thanks for your advice.

Thanks for the heads up re: the PSU! I expected this machine would be equipped with a decent PSU to bear its hardware! What a bummer. Would you mind recommending a suitable PSU? Let me know if you require more info, I know there are variables like no. of pins and things.

Can a garbage PSU really cause graphical glitches? Not to contest, just curious! I would have expected the PSU wouldn't start the machine at all - a more obvious and convenient telltale which would be more comforting to catch early on! Betting a rubbish PSU puts all the hardware at risk. 😱

I'll update the bios to R01-B1, thanks so much!

Ha! To be honest, it's more of a future-proofing thing and I went for the best I could because I wasn't sure how to interpret the specs on competing units & I needed to be sure I got something decent for work. I test our game builds on this machine and create 3D assets, so the most intensive apps are only Maya, Zbrush, and Substance Painter. Extra power's there if needed (Or not! PSU) I love to play in my free time but the opportunities are a bit scarce! 🤣
 
Are you in the US? I ask only so that I can recommend a power supply that will be available to you in your region. You might not think so, but it's pretty common for specific brands and models to only be regionally available, or have different versions of certain model depending on the region. Obviously, the power grids are one reason for this as well as differing electrical quality mandates by various governments.
 
  • Like
Reactions: doodledile