History:
■ Custom-built PC from 2010...still running beautiful except for this issue.
■ Upgraded to a GTX 460 in 2011ish.
■ Machine was running Windows 8.1
■ This current issue of card-crashing and recovering started in March of this year ('15). Note: I am *not* a gamer and rarely push the card at all. Most exertion would be from watching YouTube or Netflix! The crashes would happen, seemingly randomly, once or twice a week. Then it got progressively worse until I simply could not start the computer. The *only* way to use the computer was in safe mode, wherein I could disable the card and again use the computer, albeit without a graphics card.
■ I previously (April/May-ish) tried every solution in the book and will not waste your time enumerating them here. The links are many, and the suggested "solutions" many^2. Long story short, *nothing* worked. The conclusions were that the card could be bad, the board bad, or the PSU going bad.
■ Not minding an upgrade, I hoped the card was an issue and purchased a new one. I installed the GTX 750 Ti at the end of August. Additionally, I did a CLEAN install of Windows 10 and immediately install any and all new GPU drivers that come along.
■ The premature good news: no errors for a month or so. I felt great. "It MUST be the card!" Yeah, we fixed it...
■ Then middle of September came, and the issue once again presents itself. Happened once or twice the first week. I tried to ignore it...too much of a headache to deal with right now. I put blinders on and pretended it didn't happen! Then again, and again. Now it's almost every day, again, seemingly random. The trigger? Who knows, as, again, I'm not a gamer and certainly not pushing this 750 card at all.
■ A week or so ago, I did take off the blinders and attempted to re-read all the old solutions, those previously executed, by me, on the old GPU with Windows 8.1. I changed all the same settings. I did the Microsoft "fixes". Nothing.
■ Boiling point: happened last night and couldn't turn the computer on. Frustrated, I just left it off and walked away. Today, I tried to turn it on, and it brought up the Gigabyte screen, and then started again, and again, and again, eight or so times, never once making it past the Gigabyte splash screen.
■ Ten minutes later, here I am, typing on this computer. Dumb? Maybe. What did I do? Just completely cut the power and tried it again. It booted right up.
■ So, what is the issue? Where am I at at this juncture? While two cards could, in theory, be bad, I imagine the statistical likelihood is low. This leaves the board and the PSU. The PSU is a 500w Thermaltake. In theory, this 500w is MORE than enough. (E8500 processor and this GTX 750 Ti GPU).
■ The previous GPU (the GTX 460) required an extra 4-pin connector from the PSU. The current GTX 750 card uses less power and does not require the 4-pin connector. While I was hopeful the card was the issue, I also intentionally went with this 750 card to use less power and not need the extra connector.
■ So, your thoughts? What's the best way forward? Board? PSU? Can PSU output be measured and tested?
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram