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Sudden black screen & loss of signal

Tags:
  • Nvidia
  • DVI
  • Computers
  • Graphics
  • Acer
  • Monitors
September 27, 2014 3:08:25 AM

Hello,
Sorry if this isn't the correct place to post this! I'm new to the forums and looking for advice.

Occasionally when my PC is running, the screen will suddenly turn black and then a few seconds later the monitor loses signal and switches off. It appears that the computer itself continues to run normally when this happens - fans running, audio from the computer sounds fine with no indication of a sudden crash - but a few times it has actually become totally unresponsive and entered some sort of "restart loop" (restarting itself with the monitor continuously losing signal). Force restarting the computer is only a temporary solution.

It happens randomly and at irregular intervals - some days it will run absolutely fine and other days it won't even boot to the log-in screen. The black screen has happened when I've been using web browsers, when running games and even when I've left the computer idling on the desktop. Nothing specific seems to cause it.

Unable to figure out the problem, I took my PC back to the store where I bought it to be looked at. They apparently ran it for 6 hours straight on 2 separate occasions (using one of their own monitors) and their tests couldn't find a single issue.

I've had the computer for around 2 years. The basic specs are as follows:

Windows 8.1 64-bit
Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-2500K @ 3.30GHz
2GB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 550 Ti
16GB RAM
Display: Acer S220HQL @ 1920x1080p, 60Hz (DVI input, original cable that came w/ monitor)

The display was purchased a few weeks ago. I got a discount due to it being a display piece in the store but was assured it "worked fine" (and it has until now). I originally wanted to use a HDMI cable - my monitor has an input for it and my graphics card also has a HDMI output built in - but the actual computer case for some reason only allows a DVI or VGA cable to be plugged in.

The only thing I can think of now is that there is some sort of conflict between the monitor and my computer, but I'm not all that tech savvy and don't really understand how a monitor could cause such a major problem. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

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