[SOLVED] Windows spinning wheel/login screen freezes with 4070 Ti Super installed ?

[miki24p]

Dear all,
it's my first post here, hello everybody!

So, I'm experiencing a very annoying issue with my recent pc build. Let's start with some specs:

• ASUS PRIME B860M-A-CSM
• Intel Core Ultra 9 285 @ 2.5GHz
• Kingston Fury Beast Black 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 5600MHz EXPO (128GB total)
• Crucial T700 2TB (PCI Gen5)
• GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 4070 Ti SUPER GAMING OC 16GB
• THERMALTAKE Toughpower GF1 (120 mm) 750W
• Icy Box IB-563SSK (to mount some SATA drives)

It's been a few months I started having a very weird issue: Windows 11 Pro freezes during the first spinning wheel or at the login screen. It doesn't reboot, just freezes. I have to hard reset the machine and after one or two attempts, it eventually boots. And when booted, the pc works perfectly.

• I tried a lot of solutions to solve it, but unfortunately none of them worked:
• I updated the motherboard BIOS (ASUS B860M-A-CSM)
• I tried different PCIE settings in the motherboard BIOS (AUTO and gen4)
• I tried several versions of the NVIDIA driver (sometimes I used DDU to uninstall the driver)
• I reinstalled Windows 11 Pro from scratch
• I installed Windows 10 Pro from scratch
• I disabled the NVIDIA card's sound device
• I physically removed the NVIDIA card and then reinstalled it (making sure it was inserted correctly)
• I replaced the 16-pin 12VHPWR power cable (both "direct" from the motherboard boards, so "separated" from the NVIDIA card)

While I never had the issue without the NVIDIA graphics card physically installed in the computer (with the graphics card integrated into the motherboard).

While I was starting the RMA with the seller (all the above components are brand new), I decided to buy a cheap NVIDIA (4060) to see if the problem was really the GPU. And it was: the machine never had the issue (well... any issues), with this 4060.

Ok, then I sent back the 4070 Ti Super to the seller for their support. After 40 days (...) they informed me the GPU was perfect and the issue never came out. Amazing.

Now I don't know what else to do. I spent around $1200 for a non-working GPU.
I'm sure the seller has really checked and they didn't have issues (it's a big computer store), but it's also true the GPU is not working on my machine (while a 4060 does).

What could be the hidden reason of the problem? The PSU? Gigabyte recommends a 750W unit and that's what I purchased... but maybe it's too weak? A ram bank? The SSD drive?

Damn... it looks like there's a weird incompatibilty between one computer part with this 4070 Ti Super, but I don't know what esle to do to find out.

Help me please!

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

THERMALTAKE Toughpower GF1 (120 mm) 750W
By recent, how old is the PSU in your build?

ASUS PRIME B860M-A-CSM
Intel Core Ultra 9 285 @ 2.5GHz
If I were you, I'd have paired a Z series chipset, higher quality board with that i9 instead of a CSM SKU entry level board.

Ok, then I sent back the 4070 Ti Super to the seller for their support. After 40 days (...) they informed me the GPU was perfect and the issue never came out. Amazing.
Did you ask them to give you visual proof that the GPU was working at their end? if so, might've asked what their test bench system was. Speaking of seller, who are you referring to?

Windows 11 Pro freezes
Where did you source the installer for the OS?

 

[miki24p]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

THERMALTAKE Toughpower GF1 (120 mm) 750W
By recent, how old is the PSU in your build?

ASUS PRIME B860M-A-CSM
Intel Core Ultra 9 285 @ 2.5GHz
If I were you, I'd have paired a Z series chipset, higher quality board with that i9 instead of a CSM SKU entry level board.

Ok, then I sent back the 4070 Ti Super to the seller for their support. After 40 days (...) they informed me the GPU was perfect and the issue never came out. Amazing.
Did you ask them to give you visual proof that the GPU was working at their end? if so, might've asked what their test bench system was. Speaking of seller, who are you referring to?

Windows 11 Pro freezes
Where did you source the installer for the OS?

Thx for your reply!
So:

all the components have been bought on March 2025, then all is brand new. I live in Czech Republic and the seller is Mironet (https://www.mironet.cz/) probably the biggest Computer Parts seller. They "couldn't give any infos about the machine used for the tests" (I immediately asked for that)...

I installed Windows 11 Pro using a USB stick created by me, downloading the official tool from Microsoft.

 

[SkyNetRising]

Windows 11 Pro freezes during the first spinning wheel or at the login screen. It doesn't reboot, just freezes.

• Kingston Fury Beast Black 64GB (2x32GB) DDR5 5600MHz EXPO (128GB total)
• Crucial T700 2TB (PCI Gen5)

Test your ram with memtest86.
Try with 2 ram modules from same kit (instead of 4 modules). Use slots A2,B2.

Use Crucial Storage Executive to check your SSD.

 

[ilyas8485]

It appears that there is a strange incompatibility between your particular hardware and that GPU, as your 4060 functions properly while the 4070 Ti Super keeps freezing at boot (even after a complete RMA and on a fresh Windows install).

Here are some things to try if you haven't already:
Verify that the BIOS on your motherboard has been updated completely, and search for any beta BIOS versions that indicate GPU compatibility.

Before installing the 4070 Ti Super, try turning off the integrated graphics in Device Manager or BIOS.

Be sure to use separate PCIe power cables rather than a splitter from the PSU to the GPU.

To rule out any super-specific compatibility issues, try the 4070 Ti Super in a different system if you can.

Sometimes these headaches are simply the result of an odd combination of factors. It's very annoying when pricey hardware doesn't work properly. I hope you find a solution soon.

 

[miki24p]

It appears that there is a strange incompatibility between your particular hardware and that GPU, as your 4060 functions properly while the 4070 Ti Super keeps freezing at boot (even after a complete RMA and on a fresh Windows install).

Here are some things to try if you haven't already:
Verify that the BIOS on your motherboard has been updated completely, and search for any beta BIOS versions that indicate GPU compatibility.

Before installing the 4070 Ti Super, try turning off the integrated graphics in Device Manager or BIOS.

Be sure to use separate PCIe power cables rather than a splitter from the PSU to the GPU.

To rule out any super-specific compatibility issues, try the 4070 Ti Super in a different system if you can.

Sometimes these headaches are simply the result of an odd combination of factors. It's very annoying when pricey hardware doesn't work properly. I hope you find a solution soon.

Thank you for your reply!

Honestly I did try everything you mentioned here, but "Before installing the 4070 Ti Super, try turning off the integrated graphics in Device Manager or BIOS." I'll surely do. Do you think the integrated GPU could have any conflicts with the NVIDIA one?

 

[ilyas8485]

Thank you for your reply!

Honestly I did try everything you mentioned here, but "Before installing the 4070 Ti Super, try turning off the integrated graphics in Device Manager or BIOS." I'll surely do. Do you think the integrated GPU could have any conflicts with the NVIDIA one?

You've explored most of the options available. Indeed, there are instances when integrated GPUs can lead to conflicts, particularly with specific BIOS or driver configurations. When it is disabled, the system is forced to use only the NVIDIA card, which may help fix strange boot or freeze problems.

 

[miki24p]

I finally solved the issue, and wanted to share my experience for the community. Since I needed one more PCIe slot for a future audio card installation, I decided to buy a new motherboard and see if the booting issue would have gone. And it did! I bought an ASUS Z890-P WiFi board (so different chipset) and I never had any booting freezes in two full testing days. The only weird thing is the PC wasn't booting with all 4 ram modules in, while it could boot with only 1 or 2. So I tested every single module and they were ok. Then I updated the BIOS and... tada! The machine correctly booted with all 4 modules.