Question Random black screen with 3070 Ti but no crashes ?

Aug 12, 2022
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TL;DR: I think I've got a defective GPU, and it keeps turning off but not crashing my PC even though the temperatures are between 40c - 60c.
It first started happening during the incredible UK heatwave, and hasn't stopped since. Custom fan-curves kind of kept the issue at bay but the issue still happens.
The oldest part of my build is my PSU, but it's a very good PSU so I don't know if that's fully the error. (See below for full specs)
My GPU works best when I have a desk fan pointing at it, custom fan curve, and when I'm only running a single 1080p monitor and not my 4k monitor.
Could this be a GPU issue or PSU issue, or other misc issue? Should I try to fix it or should I give in and buy a new GPU?

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I'm in need of some tech advice. I've been building my own PC for years and gradually swapping old parts out when needed, and in 2020 (the best time to do this I know) I fully re-did my rig. New CPU, new motherboard, new RAM, and a new m.2 1TB SSD.
Then in 2021, I bought an RTX 3070 ti Founders Edition from an old work colleague because he bought 2 with the intent to sell one, and I bought a 4k monitor on sale too.
The only part of my PC that is considered old now is my PSU which is an EVGA Supernova 1000w P2 PSU, but from what I can tell the PSU is solid and there's nothing wrong with it so I never replaced it. I bought it in 2015.

In the UK we've had a very hot summer, and I've seen spikes up to 34c where I live, and because my room isn't air conditioned and keeps heat in, it gets hot very quickly.
Anyway, it was the hottest day on record here (temperatures nearby reaching 40c) and my monitors suddenly go black, but my PC is still running. There's no bios error number, the PC is still outputting sound, and my video is still playing, there's just no display.
I panic and take my PC apart, and find my GPU is VERY, VERY hot, like it hurt to hold it. I took it out of my system, placed it in front of my fan, cooled off the card so it was cold, cooled off my PC case, then put it back in fearing the worst but it works again.
10 minutes later the same thing happens, but this time I was monitoring the temperature of the card and it wasn't hitting anything high at all, only 55c in the hot spot. The card seems to be very hot again but not as hot as before.
Rinse and repeat, but when I turn my PC back on again I rush to install MSI afterburner and slap a custom fan curve on it. And hey, that works! My GPU stays on again for a long time and runs like normal. Still, I worry for the card because this issue could mean something larger is at fault and I don't know how long Afterburner can fix my issues.

Fast-forward to today. I'm rendering a video for work, when suddenly it happens again. PC still on, sound still coming out, but no display. Then the sound stops, but I can still hear windows error sounds when I click, and I can't see because my monitors aren't working. However, there's no crash logs I can find and using a command to see how the PC last turned off didn't show anything unusual and just said it was turned off.
After speaking to a friend they said it could be a PSU issue and not a GPU issue, but I don't know how to test that without going piece by piece of my build and figuring out what's wrong.

What I've tried:
  • Using MSI After burner (Worked for a little bit)
  • Reseating the GPU
  • Reseating the RAM
  • Updating GPU drivers
  • Downgrading GPU drivers
  • Trying to get in contact of the previous owner (Previous owner moved away earlier this year and cut all ties with everyone)
  • Trying to RMA the card (Nvidia said no)
  • Trying to return the card to Scan.co.uk somehow (Scan said no)

What has worked:
  • MSI Afterburner (Kind of)
  • Disconnecting my 4k monitor and going back to one 1080p monitor (For now)
  • Straight up pointing a desk fan into the side of my case

Things to note:
  • There is no error sound when this happens, nothing like a USB item or something getting disconnected. It's just suddenly black screen, and monitors can't detect an input. But the PC seems to be running like normal.
  • I was checking my temps as it had the issues, and it wasn't over-heating or reaching any majorly high temps, the GPU was mostly hitting a high of 60c or sitting at 35c-40c.
  • I don't know what the previous owner used it for, but I am very confident it wasn't mining, or that it was used before at all, and the previous owner had it for maybe 1 month before selling it to me.
  • My drivers are up to date, and so is Windows 10.
  • The right side of my GPU (side with all the ports) is the hottest side by far, with the other side often being cold. I dunno if that means anything though.
  • My case is air cooled, and not water-cooled.
  • My card is not overclocked, but my CPU is. My ram also doesn't seem to have any issues as it posts fine with either ram in either slot.

Full build specs:
Mobo: ROG STRIX X570-E GAMING (AM4)
CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, Overclocked
RAM: 32GB DDR4 Corsair Vengeance LPX
PSU: EVGA Supernova 1000W P2 Modular Platinum rated (bought in January of 2015)
GPU: Nvidia RTX 3070ti (founders edition), second-hand
OS: Windows 10
I have 2 HDDs and an SSD connected to to mobo, and an m.2 installed. (I'm mentioning this to give you a better reading of my power draw in case it's a PSU issue)

So my question is: What do you think it is? Where is the best place to start diagnosing the issue? Or should I just give up and buy a new GPU.
Currently with my 4k monitor disconnected it's only running on a single 1080p monitor with a fan pointed at the side of the case and MSI afterburner running, and it works like normal. For now.
(I apologize for the absolute novel I've put in front of you today, a friend of mine told me to include every last little bit of information I could to help diagnose my issue)
 
Aug 12, 2022
2
0
10
I had a similar issue after upgrading to a 2080ti, I needed a new HDMI cablec (one i was using was hdmi 1.0)
Horrible when shooting at bad guys and the screen goes blank.
All I can offer, sorry and good luck

I'm using brand new DP cables, and for my 4k monitor I'm using a 4kUHD cable, so I don't think cables are the issue unfortunately, but I appreciate it!
I also tried other DP and HDMI cables but the problem still persists.