[SOLVED] Weird Graphics Issue

[lifesweeter]

Specs:
i7 3770
16 GB Ram
GTX 1060 6GB
Silencer 750 eps12v power supply (750 Watts)
Windows Version 2004
Nvidia graphics drivers, version 446.14

https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/29711889

A few days ago, after installing an update to COD MW, my computer hard crashed in the middle of the game. The computer automatically restarted, and then said that it had shut itself down due to an issue involving power surge protection. Afterwards, I got the game to run for a few hours, before it crashed again, this time to desktop. The next day, the game would immediately crash after being open for a minute or so. I could leave the game open perpetually in the loading screen, but the second I had to render graphics, black boxes would gradually cover the game along with RGB flashing lights (I could still see the menu options in front of the black) until it crashed to desktop, along with a dev error code 6068 or 6070. I tried running NFS Payback, but after a couple minutes, the game would freeze, and then crash, yielding the error code DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED. Valorant would also crash with the same RGB lights from COD after a few minutes, and upon reading the logs, it revealed the same error code as the one from NFS Payback. GTA V reported that it could not detect a graphics card upon loading up. NFS Most Wanted (w/ shaders) would have the exact same flashing lights pop up in the menu screen before crashing to desktop. The Outer Worlds would instantly crash upon reaching the menu, as would Rainbow Six Siege. In Valorant, I noticed that I could alt tab before the lights took over the screen, and then alt tab back, giving me maybe 5-10 seconds to play before they returned. I could also watch the game indefinitely in the background if it was out of focus with a small window in front of it. The only games that still worked for me were Rimworld, Minecraft (w/ shaders), League of Legends, and Factorio. All my games ran perfectly fine, albeit laggy (no GPU, duh), when the graphics card was removed. I tried several fixes that did not work, including:

1. Updating graphics drivers
2. Updating windows
3. Adding a DWord named TdrLevel with the value of 0 to the graphics drivers in Regedit
4. Rolling back graphics drivers
5. Reinstalling windows using the Reset PC option in settings (I chose to delete all my files just in case)
6. Lowering graphics settings
7. Setting game priority to Average in Task Manager
8. Wiping DirectX shader cache
9. Closing all background applications
10. Uninstalling Geforce Experience
11. Disabling the Discord overlay
12. Disabling the Xbox game bar and Windows game mode
13. Uninstalling MSI Afterburner
14. Reinstalling my games
15. Force running my games on DirectX11

After days of looking for a fix, I finally found one that would let me play: Valorant wont crash if I use MSI Afterburner to underclock my GPU. I haven't tested other games yet (they're installing), but I will report the results upon testing. I can play as much as I want while underclocked, but the game will literally crash within seconds of setting the power limit above 95%.

I'm not sure if this is a hardware issue or not. I stress tested as well as benchmarked both my CPU and GPU, and they appeared to be functioning ok. My power supply has more than enough wattage to power my setup. Despite this, my computer reported a power surge when it crashed while playing MW (my computer is plugged into a surge protector, and I have an ASUS motherboard, which has been reported to be overly sensitive in detecting power surges) and I was getting a DXGI_ERROR_DEVICE_REMOVED error when my games would crash. On top of that, when my GPU is removed, all my games work just fine with no crashes or errors. My GPU has a somewhat noticeable sag (a little less than a cm) to it since I had to remove one of the supporting backplates (I lost a screw). I don't know if that could be a problem, so I'm listing it just in case.

The issue is, I don't want to lose 5% of my GPU power to fix an error that might get worse in the future. Is there any way I can fix this problem without sacrificing graphics? Is anyone else having the same issue? Is it a hardware or software issue? Is it even fixable?

 

[COLGeek]

How old is your power supply?

 

[lifesweeter]

It was in a prebuilt desktop gaming computer that was purchased by a friend several years ago and gifted to me. I don't know the exact date, but it must be at least 4/5 years old.

 

[COLGeek]

You are describing a possible heat and/or power issue. I suspect your old PSU is failing to provide adequate power to the system when under load. PSUs can and do wear out over time.

 

[lifesweeter]

If it is a power issue, then how does my graphics card perform normally under 100% load and upwards of 80 C during a stress test, but crash my game at 75 C? That's honestly really odd. I might have an old multimeter in my garage to check if it's running ok.

 

[COLGeek]

If it is a power issue, then how does my graphics card perform normally under 100% load and upwards of 80 C during a stress test, but crash my game at 75 C? That's honestly really odd. I might have an old multimeter in my garage to check if it's running ok.

The clue was what you wrote regarding operations when the GPU is removed. It could be something else, but I would start with the PSU.

By the way, are you overclocking anything (CPU, GPU, memory)? Also, have you tested your memory with a tool like memtest?

 

[lifesweeter]

I'm not overclocking anything, and I haven't tested my memory.
Also, here is the link to a benchmark test if it helps: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/29711889

 

[lifesweeter]

I ran memtest86 and it returned 0 errors. I could not find my multimeter, but the power supply voltages as listed in the bios are as follows:
12 - 12.096 V
5 - 5.040 V
3.3 - 3.403 V
CPU - 0.976 V