Which component has the problem ?

[aggeluska]

Hello to everyone,

the last 3 months I am facing a problem with my computer. At first I will mention my build.

CPU: FX 6300
GPU: R9 270
RAM: Crucial Ballistix DDR3 8GB
SSD: Crucial 250GB
HDD: Seagate 1TB
PSU: Arctic Cool F550W
Mobo: ASRock 980DE3/U3S3 AMD 760G So.AM3+
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64bit

I am having this build since December 2014, I just added the SSD last December. everything was working fine. The last 3 Months I am facing a strange problem. I am getting weird colourful lines on my screen and the sound interrupts and becomes kinda electrical ( similar to the sound that occurs when you input the speakers in the green hole of the sound card) and I cant see anything on my display except these lines, then the screen flashes between the normal screen to the screen with the lines, the mouse's cursor is unmovable and the only thing I can do is either force shut down or ctr+alt+del and force close the game or app that I was using. Ctrl+alt+del doesnt always work though. Most of the time the PC turns off after showing this fancy colourful lines screen for some time. The Problem doesn't occur with specific apps/game, it has happened while watching a movie on BSPlayer, watching videos on YouTube , playing a game , even while turning on my Computer on the Window 10 log in screen. I also noticed while playing my graphic card is having from 90 Celcius to 100 celcius!!

What I have tried so far:

- Clean install my drivers using Guru3D - Driver Sweeper
- Scanned for viruses, nothing found
- Repairing Windows and since it didn't worked I made a clean install of windows
- Removed all the dust from inside my computer and used the second PCI connector my PSU has, just in case the previous one was broken
- I ran a GPU benchmark, which it was completed without having any issues during the procedure

I thought it was a problem of the graphic card until I gave my graphic's card to my gf to try it on her machine. so far she has played for some hours Tom Clancy's Rainbox Six and she had no problems, no colourful lines, no high temperatures...

So I am not sure anymore whats the problem.. I think maybe the PCI Slot, which leads to a motherboard replacement or maybe the PSU ?

any help is appreciated
sorry if my English sucks

thanks in advance

 

[Aeacus]

First order of business is to get proper airflow inside your PC so that your GPU doesn't overheat and produce the artifacts you see on the screen. Since the GPU didn't overheat in your GF's PC, it worked just fine.

So, what make and model your PC case is and which fans you have in there? Fans orientation and amount is also helpful.

 

[aggeluska]

hey thanks for your answer! I dont think is the airflow.. because , firstly I had the same overflow for almost 3 years and it was fine and secondly the problem doesnt appear only when temperatures are getting high, but also i.e. right after I turn on the computer. But anyway I will mention my pc case and airflow here. I have this pc case http://news.softpedia.com/news/Sharkoon-Intros-New-Mid-Tower-ATX-PC-Cases-330224.shtml which has the pre-installed fan on front, which bring air inside. I have also putted one on the rear panel to bring air inside and finally I have one on the back, which brings out the hot air.
Recently, I tried a new ram, cpu, motherboard and guess what ... I am still getting the problem... so I guess it either PSU or GPU. But the GPU I tested with my gf's PC, so I dont know... maybe the PSU doesn't give enough power for the graphic gard? so it does this weird stuff??

EDIT: I have now noticed that everytime this thing occurs, the fan of my PSU stops working... you think this is related to the problem ?

 

[Aeacus]

Since you already mounted all 3 fans inside your Sharkoon case, there's not much you can do to improve airflow. Only thing left to do is getting higher performance fans, so that they more more air than the old fans.

It isn't your PSU which is dying since if it were your PSU, you'd be getting random system reboots or shutdowns whenever you put a higher load on your GPU (e.g gaming). Artifacts on screen are caused either by GPU or the monitor. Just for testing, you could try to use your GF's monitor on your PC to rule out if your monitor is acting up.

If you still get artifacts even with 2nd monitor then your GPU is dying and overheating it will worsen the artifacts appearance. In this case, you're looking towards a new GPU. A good GPU upgrade over R9 270 would be GTX 1060,
comparison: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-R9-270-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/3149vs3639
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373&sort=price&page=1

As far as your PSU goes, it's sold by Arctic Cooling and made by Seasonic. While Seasonic is one of the best (if not the best) PSU OEMs in the world (another great OEM is Super Flower) the Arctic Cooling Fusion 550F PSU is mediocre quality unit. Arctic Cooling makes great CPU coolers and case fans though. I have several Arctic Cooling fans in use (Arctic F12 PWM) and my i5-6600K is also cooled by Arctic Freezer i32 CPU cooler. While Arctic Cooling is great in cooling products, they aren't that good with PSUs.
For peace of mind, you can also replace your PSU for better build quality one, in 500W range. E.g any Seasonic unit: S12II-520, M12II-520 EVO, G-550 or Focus+ 550,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bkp323,TgW9TW,fZyFf7,DPCwrH/

Focus+ is the newest PSU line from Seasonic and it comes with 10 years of OEM warranty. Other listed Seasonic PSUs come with 5 years of OEM warranty.
All my 3 PCs: Skylake, Haswell and AMD are also powered by Seasonic. Full specs with pics in my sig.

 

[aggeluska]

Since you already mounted all 3 fans inside your Sharkoon case, there's not much you can do to improve airflow. Only thing left to do is getting higher performance fans, so that they more more air than the old fans.

It isn't your PSU which is dying since if it were your PSU, you'd be getting random system reboots or shutdowns whenever you put a higher load on your GPU (e.g gaming). Artifacts on screen are caused either by GPU or the monitor. Just for testing, you could try to use your GF's monitor on your PC to rule out if your monitor is acting up.

If you still get artifacts even with 2nd monitor then your GPU is dying and overheating it will worsen the artifacts appearance. In this case, you're looking towards a new GPU. A good GPU upgrade over R9 270 would be GTX 1060,
comparison: http://gpu.userbenchmark.com/Compare/AMD-R9-270-vs-Nvidia-GTX-1060-6GB/3149vs3639
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/video-card/#c=373&sort=price&page=1

As far as your PSU goes, it's sold by Arctic Cooling and made by Seasonic. While Seasonic is one of the best (if not the best) PSU OEMs in the world (another great OEM is Super Flower) the Arctic Cooling Fusion 550F PSU is mediocre quality unit. Arctic Cooling makes great CPU coolers and case fans though. I have several Arctic Cooling fans in use (Arctic F12 PWM) and my i5-6600K is also cooled by Arctic Freezer i32 CPU cooler. While Arctic Cooling is great in cooling products, they aren't that good with PSUs.
For peace of mind, you can also replace your PSU for better build quality one, in 500W range. E.g any Seasonic unit: S12II-520, M12II-520 EVO, G-550 or Focus+ 550,
pcpp: https://pcpartpicker.com/products/compare/bkp323,TgW9TW,fZyFf7,DPCwrH/

Focus+ is the newest PSU line from Seasonic and it comes with 10 years of OEM warranty. Other listed Seasonic PSUs come with 5 years of OEM warranty.
All my 3 PCs: Skylake, Haswell and AMD are also powered by Seasonic. Full specs with pics in my sig.

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer to my problem. I dont think its a heat problem. Despite my GPU is getting sometimes high temps, all other hardware has normal values. i.e. SSD has around 35Celcius , HDD the same as SSD, my CPU max 70 while full working, which is normal, especially for a FX 6300 with stock cooler. I have tested my monitor and my HDMI cable with my laptop for many hours and I didnt have any problem, so I dont think is the monitor or the cable. Today though I had the bright idea to ask my gf in which way she connected my GPU with her monitor and she replied that the GPU was connected with her monitor by using the DVI output of the GPU and not the HDMI. So I was thinking... maybe is the HDMI plug in my GPU that is broken ? I will try to connect the GPU with the monitor via the DVI cable and i will report the result here

 

[Aeacus]

While there is a possibility of HDMI port acting up on your GPU, i don't think that would be an issue. But you can try to connect via DVI and look if you get rid of the artifacts.

Another thing to do is run UserBenchmak test tool which points out underperforming components,
link: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Software

 

[aggeluska]

While there is a possibility of HDMI port acting up on your GPU, i don't think that would be an issue. But you can try to connect via DVI and look if you get rid of the artifacts.

Another thing to do is run UserBenchmak test tool which points out underperforming components,
link: http://cpu.userbenchmark.com/Software

Oh thanks. That will come in handy.

 

[aggeluska]

So I switched to DVI cable and the problem remains. Switched to dvi cable and different monitor. Still have the same problem. I found out that the problem is a file called atikmdag.sys. but so far couldnt find the solution

 

[Aeacus]

As far as atikmdag.sys goes, here's one fix you could try (the 2nd one),
link: http://www.tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-1656824/atikmdag-sys-error-bsod-startup.html#10690416