Question PC losing Video Signal randomly

[InfernoDG]

Hey everyone,

So every once in a while my PC will suddenly lose video output, while the PC itself stays on. Sometimes the audio will continue for a short while, and then it will stop as well. The only way to restart the PC is by holding the power button.

Simple fixes, like replugging the video cable, doesn't solve the issue (I've also tried multiple cables and multiple ports). Also, I dont suspect the graphics card as I have replaced the video card already.

I also have a 4930k overclocked to 4.5Ghz, but reducing the OC to 4Ghz did nothing to solve the issue.

I'd like to add that the crashes happen randomly, but 90% of the time they happen while I have fairly intensive games open, although the temperatures of both my GPU and CPU are fine. I have tried looking at event viewer to see what could be causing it, but there are no event logs related to the crashes here.

Perhaps it is important to note that the system is fairly old (5 years), except for the GPU, which is an RTX 2070 from gigabyte, and the CPU cooler (a kraken X52).

I'd noticed that my installed HDD is getting fairly slow, so I tried moving important applications to the SSD, but this did not help.

When I get home later I will try DDUing the drivers for my old 780ti, but any other tips would be appreciated!

This is my first post on these forums, please let me know if I need to provide any more information.

 

[cdrkf]

Hey everyone,

So every once in a while my PC will suddenly lose video output, while the PC itself stays on. Sometimes the audio will continue for a short while, and then it will stop as well. The only way to restart the PC is by holding the power button.

Simple fixes, like replugging the video cable, doesn't solve the issue (I've also tried multiple cables and multiple ports). Also, I dont suspect the graphics card as I have replaced the video card already.

I also have a 4930k overclocked to 4.5Ghz, but reducing the OC to 4Ghz did nothing to solve the issue.

I'd like to add that the crashes happen randomly, but 90% of the time they happen while I have fairly intensive games open, although the temperatures of both my GPU and CPU are fine. I have tried looking at event viewer to see what could be causing it, but there are no event logs related to the crashes here.

Perhaps it is important to note that the system is fairly old (5 years), except for the GPU, which is an RTX 2070 from gigabyte, and the CPU cooler (a kraken X52).

I'd noticed that my installed HDD is getting fairly slow, so I tried moving important applications to the SSD, but this did not help.

When I get home later I will try DDUing the drivers for my old 780ti, but any other tips would be appreciated!

This is my first post on these forums, please let me know if I need to provide any more information.

The behaviour your describing sounds like sounds like something is failing. As removing the overclock has had no effect (and you say temps are ok), I think we can rule out cpu for now. Going through a DDU for the drivers is a good idea so definitely try that before anything else.

Next in the list in the power supply- an unstable psu would cause this and your system has a fairly high power draw (especially when gaming). What make / model is your psu? Do you have another unit you could test with?

Final culprit could be a faulty motherboard- running an overclocked cpu actually puts as much pressure on the motherboard as it does the cpu, so it's possible something on the board is going (capacitors degrade over time for example).

 

[InfernoDG]

The behaviour your describing sounds like sounds like something is failing. As removing the overclock has had no effect (and you say temps are ok), I think we can rule out cpu for now. Going through a DDU for the drivers is a good idea so definitely try that before anything else.

Next in the list in the power supply- an unstable psu would cause this and your system has a fairly high power draw (especially when gaming). What make / model is your psu? Do you have another unit you could test with?

Final culprit could be a faulty motherboard- running an overclocked cpu actually puts as much pressure on the motherboard as it does the cpu, so it's possible something on the board is going (capacitors degrade over time for example).

Thanks for the quick reply!

I agree, something is failing. I have a corsair RM1000 (I used to run 2 780TIs in SLI). This could definitely be the culprit simply because of age. Unfortunately I'm not in the position to try another one easily (student budget), so this would be a last resort of sorts. Is there any quick way to check this other than replacing it?

Similar to above, I agree it may be the motherboard, with 2 GPU's having the same issue. Again though, replacing the mobo would be a last resort (as this would probably be accompanied with a CPU upgrade). I suppose there aren't really any easy ways to determine if this is definitely the culprit? Would removing the CPU OC help the mobo at all?

 

[cdrkf]

Thanks for the quick reply!

I agree, something is failing. I have a corsair RM1000 (I used to run 2 780TIs in SLI). This could definitely be the culprit simply because of age. Unfortunately I'm not in the position to try another one easily (student budget), so this would be a last resort of sorts. Is there any quick way to check this other than replacing it?

Similar to above, I agree it may be the motherboard, with 2 GPU's having the same issue. Again though, replacing the mobo would be a last resort (as this would probably be accompanied with a CPU upgrade). I suppose there aren't really any easy ways to determine if this is definitely the culprit? Would removing the CPU OC help the mobo at all?

Hi, I understand the issue- honestly I don't know of an easy way to check the powersupply. I'm not sure if there is any monitoring software that can monitor the voltages? A drop in voltage would cause the issues you are describing (but then that crashes the machine) so it's hard to diagnose. What I would say is that if you remove the overclock, the 2070 isn't that power hungry so you could probably manage with a much less expensive unit. A good 600W unit should be ample and needn't cost that much.

With regard to the motheboard, removing the overclock (and reducing cpu voltage back to stock) should help take the pressure off. You can also check to see what the temps are like on critical motherboard components (check the voltage regulators around the cpu, also check that the motherboard chipset isn't getting too hot (if motherboard temps are high, replacing the thermal paste between the chipset and it's heatsink could help).

 

[InfernoDG]

Hi, I understand the issue- honestly I don't know of an easy way to check the powersupply. I'm not sure if there is any monitoring software that can monitor the voltages? A drop in voltage would cause the issues you are describing (but then that crashes the machine) so it's hard to diagnose. What I would say is that if you remove the overclock, the 2070 isn't that power hungry so you could probably manage with a much less expensive unit. A good 600W unit should be ample and needn't cost that much.

With regard to the motheboard, removing the overclock (and reducing cpu voltage back to stock) should help take the pressure off. You can also check to see what the temps are like on critical motherboard components (check the voltage regulators around the cpu, also check that the motherboard chipset isn't getting too hot (if motherboard temps are high, replacing the thermal paste between the chipset and it's heatsink could help).

Hey. Yeah looking around for some easy ways to test hasn't really worked for me. To be honest, the PSU is 5.5 years old and never ran at full capacity so it would be a shame if it was started failing now. I just realized that I haven't really cleaned it (with compressed air) in a while, so I'll try that later too.

I'll also check the mobo temps, although I've read that many of the temperature sensors on motherboards tend to fail. In any case, I'll check it and report back later.

If the cleaning doesn't work and the temps of the mobo are normal I'll just get rid of the OC and bring down the voltages and see if that works.

Failing all else I guess I'll have to start saving for a few new parts haha

PS: is there a chance this is being caused by a faulty PCIE slot on the motherboard? If so, I guess I could move the GPU down a slot right?

 

[cdrkf]

Hey. Yeah looking around for some easy ways to test hasn't really worked for me. To be honest, the PSU is 5.5 years old and never ran at full capacity so it would be a shame if it was started failing now. I just realized that I haven't really cleaned it (with compressed air) in a while, so I'll try that later too.

I'll also check the mobo temps, although I've read that many of the temperature sensors on motherboards tend to fail. In any case, I'll check it and report back later.

If the cleaning doesn't work and the temps of the mobo are normal I'll just get rid of the OC and bring down the voltages and see if that works.

Failing all else I guess I'll have to start saving for a few new parts haha

PS: is there a chance this is being caused by a faulty PCIE slot on the motherboard? If so, I guess I could move the GPU down a slot right?

You could certainly try moving the GPU to a different slot, although honestly I've never had a PCIe slot fail so it's a bit of a long shot.

 

[InfernoDG]

Ok, so I've had some time to change some things. I removed the OC on my CPU, which sadly did not help. Moving the GPU also had no effect.

I had a look at the mobo temps too; The ASUS bios only has a single temp for the motherboard, which was at around 30c, so that seems ok. HWmonitor also had only a single sensor that made any sense, the rest were labeled as TMPIN, and read out seemingly random temps, around 100c. Im thinking these arent actual sensors.

HWmonitor also had readouts for the voltages for the PSU, namely the +5, +12, and +3.3 rails. These were also within spec.

I'll DDU the old drivers later and see if that has any effect.

UPDATE: I removed the old drivers with DDU, but it has not solved the issue. Not really sure what else to try right now.

 

[cdrkf]

Ok, so I've had some time to change some things. I removed the OC on my CPU, which sadly did not help. Moving the GPU also had no effect.

I had a look at the mobo temps too; The ASUS bios only has a single temp for the motherboard, which was at around 30c, so that seems ok. HWmonitor also had only a single sensor that made any sense, the rest were labeled as TMPIN, and read out seemingly random temps, around 100c. Im thinking these arent actual sensors.

HWmonitor also had readouts for the voltages for the PSU, namely the +5, +12, and +3.3 rails. These were also within spec.

I'll DDU the old drivers later and see if that has any effect.

UPDATE: I removed the old drivers with DDU, but it has not solved the issue. Not really sure what else to try right now.

I don't think there is much more you can do without swapping out that PSU and trying another. If the machine works ok with a different PSU, then you know it's the cause of the trouble. If not then I think it's likely the motherboard is failing.

 

[Di Moriarti]

step one: try another set of display port/hdmi cables
step two install CPU/MB chipset drivers

Haven't experienced the problem for a few days. Hopefully, it has been solved
Cheers!