[SOLVED] Screen going black on new GPU, no issue with the old one.

[Roglach]

Howdy, you folks are my last hope.

So a few months ago I purchased an RTX 2060 to replace my old GTX 1060. After it arrived, I noticed that my PSU's cable only has 6 pins, and the card required 8, so I bought an adapter. Plugged everything in, had fun with maxed out settings in AC: Odyssey, but after a few months, my screen started to randomly go black and the sound would cut out, with the only option left being to manually turn the computer off. As time went on, it started occuring more and more frequently, until eventually it would happen every time I'd turn on a relatively good-looking game, such as For Honor, the newer Assassin's Creeds or Dark Souls 3. I tried to google the issue but nothing helped, so I tried plugging my old card back in and it worked, so I decided to think about it later and promptly forgot. Yesterday, I decided to plug the 2060 back in and try to figure out the issue. Now, I'm not very tech-savvy, so I just tried booting up a game and seeing whether it worked. Everything was fine, I played for a day, turned the computer off and went to sleep. Today I hopped on in the evening to play for a bit and the issue randomly occured once more. Resigned to my fate, I opened my case to plug the 1060 back in, but while pulling the 2060 out, I noticed that some of the adapter's little wires are looser. They weren't completely out of the two ends, but they were jiggling around a bit and I could see the actual pins go forward and backward with the wire. Do you guys think this could be the issue and I should just try a new adapter, or perhaps it could indicate another issue in my computer that I should check out?

Edit: I forgot to mention, but I have checked whether the newest drivers were installed and checked the cable connecting the monitor to my computer, they were all fine.

 

[John Chesterfield]

I should just try a new adapter

You shouldn't try any adapter as they are a bad idea. If you want to test that 2060 properly, you're going to have to get a power supply that provides the connection you need WITHOUT having to use an adapter.

If you have a 2060, I'd be doing that anyway. What you've described with the wires and pins moving sounds very janky and could be the cause of your problems. But even if it isn't, you should still be getting a different and decent power supply either way with a 2060 and not using adapters.

 

[John Chesterfield]

The only adapter I would ever consider using with a graphics card is 2 x 6 pin to 1 x 8 pin and even then, I'd check the wire gauge of the adapter thoroughly before buying but would rather have the correct power supply with the correct connections.

 

[Roglach]

You shouldn't try any adapter as they are a bad idea. If you want to test that 2060 properly, you're going to have to get a power supply that provides the connection you need WITHOUT having to use an adapter.

If you have a 2060, I'd be doing that anyway. What you've described with the wires and pins moving sounds very janky and could be the cause of your problems. But even if it isn't, you should still be getting a different and decent power supply either way with a 2060 and not using adapters.

Ah, I see. So the PSU could be the issue here? Give me a second, I'll edit this post in but a moment, I just have to check what my current one is and I'll let you guys know.

Edit: Alright, so I opened my case and the PSU that I have at the moment is an AeroCool X-550 with a wattage of 550. Could this be the issue that I'm struggling with?

 

[Edga145236]

PSU looks like is powerful enough. I think you just should try with the new adapter for now just to be sure that that's an issue, but I recommend you to try another PSU with 8 pin connector.

 

[Roglach]

I have browsed some stores and upon some Googling found that the cables are supposed to be "PCIE", but the PSUs I found are 6+2 pins. Would those be okay? I'm not sure whether they're the same as an 8-pin.

 

[Edga145236]

Yes, 6+2 means that you can just not connect those 2 additional pins if you have GPU with 6 pin port. But you should try first with different adapter, because if this is not the case, you will just waste money on new PSU.

 

[Roglach]

Yes, 6+2 means that you can just not connect those 2 additional pins if you have GPU with 6 pin port. But you should try first with different adapter, because if this is not the case, you will just waste money on new PSU.

Eh, I think it's about time I get a new one anyway, I've been trying to replace bits and pieces of my PC over time, as I purchased it in early 2019, and some parts were budget replacements. The other guy, John, also said that adapters are generally bad, so I've no problem with investing in a new one. Apart from the Wattage and the GPU pins, what should I look for in a PSU? Pins for other parts of the computer?

 

[Edga145236]

Use some PSU calculator to know how much watts you need, like be quiet psu calculator, and then just watch some reviews, where people look what is inside it and test in extreme conditions. I can recommend Cooler Master MWE White V2, its pretty good for its price, but maybe you will find something better.

 

[John Chesterfield]

PSU looks like it's powerful enough. And that's the thing with cheap power supplies, they look powerful enough.

Only problem with it is that Aerocool make total junk power supplies. But that's the only problem. The advice above to try another adapter is bad advice.

 

[Roglach]

PSU looks like it's powerful enough. And that's the thing with cheap power supplies, they look powerful enough.

Only problem with it is that Aerocool make total junk power supplies. But that's the only problem. The advice above to try another adapter is bad advice.

I spotted a nice one from SilentiumPC, it has 750 Wattage, it's the SilentiumPC Supremo FM2 750W 80 Plus Gold. What should I look for in the specs to make sure it fits everything?

 

[John Chesterfield]

I spotted a nice one from SilentiumPC, it has 750 Wattage, it's the SilentiumPC Supremo FM2 750W 80 Plus Gold. What should I look for in the specs to make sure it fits everything?

That's a good unit. Bear in mind, your issue may lie elsewhere. But if you're using adapters to make the correct connections, buying a quality power supply is just peace of mind when running something like an RTX 2060. We might have a new set of graphics cards, but they're like gold dust to get and the 20 series are still very good. There are many, many people who'd take a 2060 card as it's still relevant. So getting that power supply isn't a bad idea either way, and it may even solve the issue. If you were using molex adapters, there's a reasonable chance it'd solve the issue.

 

[Roglach]

That's a good unit. Bear in mind, your issue may lie elsewhere. But if you're using adapters to make the correct connections, buying a quality power supply is just peace of mind when running something like an RTX 2060. We might have a new set of graphics cards, but they're like gold dust to get and the 20 series are still very good. There are many, many people who'd take a 2060 card as it's still relevant. So getting that power supply isn't a bad idea either way, and it may even solve the issue. If you were using molex adapters, there's a reasonable chance it'd solve the issue.

Alright then, thank you for all the help. I'll order the PSU sometime tomorrow, as I've been meaning to upgrade some of my parts anyway, and I'll update this thread once it arrives.

 

[Roglach]

That's a good unit. Bear in mind, your issue may lie elsewhere. But if you're using adapters to make the correct connections, buying a quality power supply is just peace of mind when running something like an RTX 2060. We might have a new set of graphics cards, but they're like gold dust to get and the 20 series are still very good. There are many, many people who'd take a 2060 card as it's still relevant. So getting that power supply isn't a bad idea either way, and it may even solve the issue. If you were using molex adapters, there's a reasonable chance it'd solve the issue.

Hey, so I just plugged in the new PSU and the 2060, and tried turning the games that usually gave me trouble on. So far so good, haven't had any issues yet. Should any occur, I shall inform you all, but I hope that this is the end of that annoyance. Thank you all very much for your help and advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[John Chesterfield]

Hopefully you're sorted now.