Question Screen goes pixelated then black

[omegaglory1]

Hi all, my desktop has been running fine until last night. The screen started to show odd pixelated patches and would go black after a few minutes. The tower is still running (normal running sounds) but I’m not able to boot to Windows login screen or desktop.

On the occasions when I’m able to boot to desktop, the screen is fine for a period of time. This could be a few minutes or up to half an hour, followed by glitching/pixelation then black. On one occasion a flashing pink screen occurred.

I’ve tried restarting, checking for up to date display drivers, installed current Windows updates and uninstalling them just in case. I reinserted RAM modules and GPU, checked connectors. Looking at BIOS, the drives and cpu are being detected and fans are running. A visual inspection shows the fans inside and the GPU fans are running.

The only my thing I haven’t tried is a different monitor, I’ve got an old one but the cables are missing. I have my doubts the monitor is the problem. I have another device (Nintendo Switch) connected to the second hdmi port and there are no issues when using it. Or is there something I’m missing?

My last option would be to reinstall Windows and restore with my backup.

Asus TUF H370 pro board
i5-8600k cpu
16GB DDR4 RAM
Asus R9-290x graphics card
Neptune 240 cooler
Windows 10 64 bit
Corsair TX650 psu

 

[ChumP]

Try running with the I5-8600K integrated GPU. Plug your monitor into the motherboard video output ports.

If it boots up fine, I'd try installing DDU and removing the AMD GPU drivers from safe mode. After removing them, plug your monitor into the R9 290X and try booting/reinstalling the drivers.

Also, if you overclocked your GPU go back to stock.

If it's still artifacting or black screening, there might be a hardware problem with the 290X (probably VRAM) or an overheating issue (you could check that by monitoring the temps).

 

[omegaglory1]

I've set my system to run on integrated GPU, so far it's running fine. I'll try the DDU for my next step, thanks.

 

[omegaglory1]

Uninstalled the AMD drivers using DDU in safe mode, then ran the system using integrated graphics. During this, there was no artifacting and everything was fine, which means the graphics card must be to blame in some way or another.

I reset the BIOS so the system would use the radeon graphics cards then reinstalled drivers using the AMD software/application. After restarting my PC, it glitched and artifacted like hell and I had to manually shut down.

It's back on now and running fairly well. There was a brief bit of artifacting while typing this, not sure what to make of it but I noticed it only seems to happen after reinstalling drivers. If push comes to shove I can shop for a new card. I've had 5 good years of use out of my R9 290X.

Thanks for the help, ChumP. I love PC gaming and have been doing it for close to 20 years, but sometimes I wonder if it's worth it!

 

[dudio]

Another possible cause could be the PSU struggling. Demanding (graphically) games work the GPU harder, and requires more power. A PSU that's not able to keep up can result in what you're seeing. Maybe others can chime in on the quality of your Corsair

 

[omegaglory1]

After some more reading, I'm starting to wonder if my graphics card is dying. The artifacting is supposedly a sign of this. I've had my graphics card for 5 years and while many can last a long time, perhaps mine isn't so durable.

I can take my time shopping and researching for a new card, the PC is primarily for gaming/entertainment.

 

[ChumP]

After some more reading, I'm starting to wonder if my graphics card is dying. The artifacting is supposedly a sign of this. I've had my graphics card for 5 years and while many can last a long time, perhaps mine isn't so durable.

I can take my time shopping and researching for a new card, the PC is primarily for gaming/entertainment.

It's quite likely that it's the case. Have you tried monitoring the temps as well?

If they're in check, I'll advise you to do the following. Download MSI Afterburner and down clock the card... try lowering both the GPU core clock and memory clock. See if that helps in any way.

As a last resort thing, you could try reflashing the VBIOS on the GPU.
For that you'll need to download the flashing tool: https://www.techpowerup.com/download/ati-atiflash/

And you'll need to download the exact VBIOS for your Asus R9-290X... you'll need to seaech by the model of your card here: https://www.techpowerup.com/vgabios/

 

[omegaglory1]

Thanks ChumP, however at this point I think I'm going to shop for a new card. I'm not familiar when it comes to tinkering with the GPU and from what I've read, that'll only eke out a little more time. I've got my eye on the rtx 3070. I'm investing in a new PSU as well, a modular Corsair RM750.

Running on integrated graphics for the time being, that way I can still do simple tasks.

 

[omegaglory1]

Update on my situation. Last night I kept running into a “amdkmdag.sys error” blue screen alerting me that Windows would start a repair process. After booting back into desktop the problem would repeat again within minutes. I’ve been unable to achieve much in Windows’ repair options. More bad luck seems to have headed my way as my motherboard’s DRAM LED has activated. Removing and reinserting my RAM modules hasn’t helped and I’m unable to boot.

I suspect my OS has been corrupted (possibly one of those infamous Windows updates). I've read bad power from a PSU can cause problems with RAM (and other components), so I may need to buy the PSU I've been eyeing up sooner rather than later.

I’m not even able to restore from a system image as the RAM problem prevents me from booting. Sadly I don’t have any older compatible modules lying around to perform a test, so I've ordered a new set.

 

[omegaglory1]

I tried testing the ram modules and slots one by one. Started off by unplugging the mains and resetting the cmos battery. This was followed by a BIOS error saying I had a CPU fan error! Fortunately, after shutting down and switching back on the error had gone and CPU fan was registering in BIOS as normal.

As for the ram testing, it felt like I was doing some magic ritual. One module didn't work first time but was fine after reinserting a couple of times.

Windows also decided to roll back some updates I had installed yesterday. So far, the system is running and there have been no crashes or screen freezing. I had cancelled my free Amazon prime trial but it was still valid for a few days, so a new ram set is on its way tomorrow. Since they're most prone to failure than other components, I'll keep them as a backup.

To summarise, I had two big problems:

Dying GPU

1. Progressively worsening artifacts on screen, followed by freezing and black screen (pink flashing screen on one occasion).
2. Switched to integrated graphics in BIOS (under iGPU), which means I can at least log onto Windows and do work.
3. Removed AMD drivers with DDU and tried switching back to GPU, but artifacting returned, so switched back to integrated graphics.

Faulty RAM

1. System kept having "amdkmdag.sys error” blue screen, manually rolling back Windows updates installed yesterday didn't help. Blue screen kept occurring within minutes of entering desktop.
2. Shortly after, DRAM LED came on and system would randomly crash or not boot at all.
3. CMOS battery was reset and each ram module was individually tested.
4. At boot, Windows initiated repair process and rolled back yesterday's updates.
5. Problem now seems to have been resolved.

 

[Teknoman2]

After some more reading, I'm starting to wonder if my graphics card is dying. The artifacting is supposedly a sign of this. I've had my graphics card for 5 years and while many can last a long time, perhaps mine isn't so durable.

I can take my time shopping and researching for a new card, the PC is primarily for gaming/entertainment.

try using older drivers, i'd recommend 20.4.2 as i find them to be the most stable with older cards. i was getting crazy artifacting and crashes on my RX470 with the latest drivers and moving back to that version seems to have fixed it.
of course it could be that your card is just dying.