Games that used to work no longer do!!!

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Lee_49

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
4
0
1,510
So I've had my gaming computer for a couple years now, and I always keep it clean and up to date (relatively). Recently, games that have worked fine in the past (To be specific: Civ 5, 7 Days to Die, Total War) have started causing my graphics card to start buzzing and after about a minute of this, my PC immediately shuts down.

I assume coil whine on the part of my graphics card, but it shouldn't be struggling like it is with the specs I have. Maybe I am overlooking something?

Specs:

GPU: Nvidia GeForce GTX 950
CPU: AMD FX-4300 Quad Core
RAM: 8 GB
Power Supply: Allied ATX 350
Hard Drive: 1 TB Raidmax (?)

I did notice heat coming from the area near my graphics card...not a huge amount, but enough to feel it without touching the card. If heat is the issue, how can I prevent this? (I have tried the fans)
 
Solution
Karadjgne
That could still be the psu, that it's failing, deteriorating and now it's over driven and won't supply the gpu with the power the gpu is demanding.

Or it could be that the garbage voltage the psu has fed the gpu with has trashed the gpu.
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Lee_50

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
5
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1,510
ive checked temps a few times and gpu temp usually stays around 50 celsius when its working. Never seen it go over 60. As for cpu i cant tell u right off the bat.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Dec 26, 2012
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Graphics issues rarely cause a pc to shut down. More likely you get screen freezes, artifacts, banding or even full blackouts, but the pc usually stays on.
The PSU is different. If that acts up, you get immediate shutdowns. Sometimes it's protections, requiring an unplug reset, sometimes when overheated you get shutdowns that don't, just takes a few seconds of 0 load to cool.
A gtx950 on a 350w psu is pushing your luck. A gtx950 on an uber cheap 350w is asking for trouble.
Replace the psu. As in yesterday. It's almost certainly the root cause of your issues. It may say 350w but that's not mostly the 12v rail(s) but a good chunk is made up of the 3.3v and 5v rails, and some of the 12v is a crossroad with the 5v also. At best you've done no damage to the other components with lousy, noisy, out of spec output voltages, at worst you've shortened the other components usable life span dramatically.

https://youtu.be/f6snWfd1v7M

I'm waiting for this. It won't be long.
 
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Lee_50

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
5
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1,510
I should reiterate. The computer cuts to a black screen and stays there. From that point either it jumps back to the desktop after 5 minutes saying my gpu driver stopped responding or ot jist stays in a black out. Sorry i said it shuts down.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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That could still be the psu, that it's failing, deteriorating and now it's over driven and won't supply the gpu with the power the gpu is demanding.

Or it could be that the garbage voltage the psu has fed the gpu with has trashed the gpu.
 
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Solution
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Lee_49

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
4
0
1,510
May have found a potential fix for now.

I installed Afterburner and took screenshots as I ran 7 Days to Die. In all cases, the pc started buzzing in character creation around 20 seconds after entering the creation menu. I turned the GPU power limit down to 75% and it lasted considerably longer (around 2 minutes). I then set it to 55% and it didn't buzz at all.

I'm pretty sure it is my PSU at this point, and I plan on taking a trip to Best Buy this week to get a 600W or something. If you guys have recommendations, I would love to hear them.

Thanks all!!!

 
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Lee_49

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
4
0
1,510
My question now is, will setting my GPU power limit to 55% break the GPU? As far as the graphs go, the GPU usage graph is pretty much flatlined at the top which scares me.

I'm gonna hold off on gaming and the like until I get an answer on this just in case.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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I like best buy, I do. They have all kinds of stuff. But it's a buyer beware kinda thing. You can get an Insignia 600w for a great price, and they'll be right up front and in your face. Unfortunately, they are junk. The $1.50 case and the $3.00 fan are worth more than the rest of the interior parts combined.

It's a psu. It's the single most important component inside any pc, anywhere. Without it, you have an expensive hunk of plastic and metal boat anchor. Don't skimp on quality, for any reason, and do not rely on brand at all. Evga has some of the best quality psu's worldwide. And some so mediocre they border on criminal. So be careful in what you look at, if it's too good to be true, it usually is.
 
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Lee_49

Commendable
Aug 21, 2016
4
0
1,510
Thanks for the input. I talked to one of the guys at Best Buy earlier today (he built his own pc as well) and he recommended 750W PSU by Corsair. Gonna do some research before I make a final call though.

Thanks again. You've been a great help. :)
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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For a gtx950, you'll not need anywhere near 750w. The only reason would be of its on sale at a fantastic price, like sometimes you can catch the 750w Evga B2 @$50 or less.

A CX750 isn't that good. Then there's the CXM which is different. It just got upgraded so there's still stock out there of the old kind. You don't want that, as bad as a regular CX. The new version is great. You can tell the difference by looks. The old version had the standard generic corsair colored logo. The new version has a black/silver logo. Well worth the money. This applies to any of the sizes.

Honestly, a 550w would be perfect, plenty of power for a 950, OC headroom if wanted and is large enough to accommodate almost any GTX upto a 1070 or so without issue should you decide to upgrade.

And yes, research would be a very wise decision over a snap judgement insta-buy.
 
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