PC fails GPU stress test within a second and restarts during gaming.

Guest · Dec 13, 2013

Guys,i need some help.

This is a long story.I bought my pc in July 2010.

Here is the configuration
intel core i7 870 @ 2.93Ghz
Galaxy Nvidia Geforce GTX460 768MB (not overclocked)
Kingston 4GB RAM
VIP 500W PSU
intel dh55tc motherboard

The PC worked fine until some days ago and then it started to restart during gaming(any PC game).I opened any game and within a minute or 2 the PC restarted.I have Windows 8 and the pc apart from gaming works fine.
I checked my CPU and my GPU temps during gaming and they were fine.
The GPU was around 50-55c while the CPU was a little hot around 80-85c but on verifying through the internet i found that the normal temp for this CPU was around 70c.So to rule out this issue i applied thermal paste to the CPU and the temps dropped to 65-70c but the original problem still existed.
So what i did next was since there was no BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) i decided that this might be a PSU issue so i changed the PSU to a Corsair VS550W but the problem did not go away.

After this i decided to stress test all my PC components.I started with my CPU with Prime95 and it passed the test.
Then next came the GPU.I tested it with furmark and within a second of starting the test the PC restarted with 2 beep codes.I had to manually shut it down and restart again.This beep code thing happened 2 out of 5 times when i was trying with furmark again and again.On checking what this beep codes mean, the manual said that this was a VIDEO CARD issue.
So then what i did next was played Fifa with 800x600 resolution and the PC did not restart but when i changed the resolution to a little higher value the PC restarted.

I downloaded GPU-Z and it has an option of PCI-E render test to check the GPU with heavy load conditions.I started the test and within 10 seconds the PC restarted.As i said i had just installed a new PSU so everyting is a bit weird now.I can't figure out what the problem is.

Any suggestions or solutions to this guys?
If anyone has/had this issue i request you to help me out a little.I can't play even a single game for more than a minute.

hypergon · Dec 13, 2013

I would think of the PSU as problem first, but you swapped it and the system worked since 2010 so this is probably not the problem (unless the corsair PSU is faulty too

)
Next thing would be GPU itself: either try another GPU on your system or try your GPU on a system that works.

Guest · Dec 13, 2013

hypergon :

Thanks for the quick reply.

Yes,i was about to do what you mentioned but i have a question.
Is it possible that a PCI-E slot of the GPU is faulty?If yes then does the PC boot usually because i am totally confused with the beep codes thing which has happened often now.
The PSU is brand new but do you think i should be worried about it?
Could it be a motherboard issue?
I was thinking of buying a new GPU but am feeling very sad because i had paid a lot for the GTX460.So i am not buying a new one until i know for sure that its the GPU that has gone bad.

coozie7 · Dec 13, 2013

Have a look at the GPUZ readings, see if it shows the VRM temperature, not every card gives this info BTW, so it may not be present.
Before the failure is there any artifacting?
An old trick is to underclock the card, try taking 50MHz off the core and 100MHz off the memory frequencies to start with and see what happens.

Guest · Dec 13, 2013

coozie7 :

My GTX460 is NOT showing VRM temps with GPU-Z and even with MSI Afterburner.
Before the failure there is no artifacting(it instantly restarts) but once i had played an audio file in the background to get a better idea of what the problem might be, so the PC restarted as usual but the audio gave a grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... sound in the process of restarting.
I underclocked the card as per your suggested values and ran the PCI-E render test that comes with GPU-Z but to no effect.The problem still exists and the PC restarts.

I feel the PCI-E load test failing has obviously got to do something with power but i have installed a new PSU so i am a bit confused about what has gone wrong.

Thanks.
Any more suggestions?

coozie7 · Dec 13, 2013

Could be the card is dying but first work through the usual suspects:
Get into the BIOS and restore it to the factory defaults, changing only the boot order and graphics options as required.
Uninstall all the monitoring/tweaking software, deleting any saved profiles when prompted.
Do a clean install of the latest WHQL drivers for the graphics card. By 'clean install' I mean uninstall, restart, go through the HDD and delete any remaining files/folders and run Ccleaner (freebie download and dead useful to boot) to clear out the registry.
Remove and reseat the RAM modules and graphics card, closely examine the card and its edge connector while its out, pay close attention to the capacitors, they should be smooth, round and flat topped, any bulging or discolouration indicates a problem.
If you're using one, take out the sound card and uninstall its drivers, if you're using onboard sound, just uninstall the drivers.
Retest after each change.
Any good?

Guest · Dec 13, 2013

coozie7 :

OK the things which i did were installing windows 8.1 and removed all the drivers using drive sweeper and re-installed the latest Nvidia drivers.I ran Memtest for some passes and there were no problems there and i re-seated the GPU by removing all the possible dust i could but the problem did not go away.

I am about to take my GPU to my friend's and see if its working but that will be only possible in a few days because my exams are going on.
I somehow have a feeling this is not a GPU issue because the PCI-E render test works for some 10 seconds before restarting so i feel investing in a new GPU right now would be a bad option so i will decide about it in a few days until then i am trying various other options i can that are possible at my place.
Although the 2 beep codes indicate that this could be a GPU issue,after a few days after trying this at my friend's i will almost figure out what the problem is.
The other reason why i feel this is not a gpu problem because i have never heard of many people having gpu problems.

Thanks.
Anything else regarding this issue that comes to your mind??

coozie7 · Dec 13, 2013

^The next thing was trying it in another machine.

cst1992 · Dec 13, 2013

The audio file making that buzzing sound indicates that the operating system crashed.
Does the restart happen only during gaming?
Also, I have seen no solid reviews of the VIP brand of PSU's, I came pretty close to having one myself, as here in India people usually go for the odyssey or zebronics power supplies.
Could be that the PSU was giving out dirty power, damaging your card in the bygone 3 years, but who knows.
Anyways, be ready if it comes to getting a new card.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Thanks for the reply.
I feel like i might have to buy a new card given that i installed a new psu and will sort this problem out before year end.
Yeah, the restarts happen only during gaming on launching for a few seconds although a thing i did not mention was sometimes the pc takes a long time to restart and the monitor gives a NO SIGNAL message but the pc still runs i.e i can't see the screen but the cd-dvd drives on pressing the button open as usual before the restart.
I updated to windows 8.1 in the process and yesterday when i gave another try to fifa and on the pc restart Nvidia driver stopped responding and successfully recovered pop ups came many a times and the pc restarted on its own without launching a game(this happened only once though).
Could this be a software issue?
I had re-installed all my nvidia drivers again yesterday before this problem arose.
Anyways i have already started to look at new GPUs on the internet.

The thing you said about psu giving dirty power is it true?As i have not heard about it before

Any more ideas?

cst1992 · Dec 14, 2013

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

hypergon · Dec 14, 2013

As the thief of hardwaresecret's pictures xD said, give it a try in a other system...

cst1992 · Dec 14, 2013

hypergon :

yeah, yeah, very funny

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

Thanks for the detailed explanation and this could be the possible problem.
I'll try at a friend's house on tuesday and get back to you guys.

Thanks.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

Thanks for the detailed explanation and this could be the possible problem.
I'll try at a friend's house on tuesday and get back to you guys.

Thanks.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

Thanks for the detailed explanation and this could be the possible problem.
I'll try at a friend's house on tuesday and get back to you guys.

Thanks.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

Thanks for the detailed explanation and this could be the possible problem.
I'll try at a friend's house on tuesday and get back to you guys.

Thanks.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

Your PSU is supposed to give out a stable DC signal.
As you may know, the AC signal that comes in your mains outlet is not in one direction, but switches direction many times a second, similar to the one on the right.
(Not to scale; just an example)

This power needs to be converted to a DC signal that goes in only one direction, example is like a AA battery that is used in electronic toys, like on the left. This is known as rectification.
Then the signal is smoothed out to make it as close as possible to a straight line, using capacitors. This is known as regulation.
Now, due to practical limitations, there are some imperfections. Hence ripple is introduced. Here is a comparison of the ripple of a bad vs a good power supply:

See the ripple on the left. The ideal case is that it should be a straight line. This is known as dirty power.
In cases like the left one, the secondary regulation measures on the motherboard, graphics card, etc have to do the work that the power supply is supposed to do, and that shortens the lifespan of your card, decreases performance, and causes the card to run hotter.

I'm also of the opinion that the card is dying. Give it a final try at a friend's house or something to confirm any other component is not the problem and get a new card.

Thanks for the detailed explanation and this could be the possible problem.
I'll try at a friend's house on tuesday and get back to you guys.

Thanks.

Guest · Dec 14, 2013

cst1992 :

There was a problem with my internet connection.
I think i clicked on answer button many times.

Sorry.

Guest · Dec 20, 2013

Hey guys i just checked my PC out with my friend's GPU today and there were no restarts and games worked fine.
So this is a GPU problem for sure.(Please correct me if i am wrong)

Buying a new one.
Maybe the ati 7870 or the GTX 760.
Thanks guys and sorry for taking such a long time to post back.

PC fails GPU stress test within a second and restarts during gaming.

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