GPU Problem (?)

[Velky]

Hi All,

So over the last week I've been having some issues with what I assume is my GPU. After doing a bunch of things to try and get it to work, I have come to the conclusion that my GPU is done for (~5-6 years old, using an R9 270x)

I installed the new driver for it on 05/26 and noticed issues while playing games, mainly WoW classic and very little during NBA2k.

While playing WoW I'd get random screen artifacts on my screen and eventually the whole screen would bug out, then my monitors would flash on/off and eventually my game would come back.

A few days of that led me up to last night where I was playing both WoW/NBA2K and the same thing happened. I eventually got off because it was happening more and more.

I woke up this morning and was on the PC for about 30 minutes (this time not playing any games) and when I just went to swap tabs in my browser, both my monitors just black/greyed out for about 2 minutes. I eventually tried to reboot, which gave me the screen you get after a crash, to start up in safe mode or regular. This screen had 2 green bars running vertically along my monitor, I tried rebooting in either option, but after getting the "Loading Windows" screen, my monitors would both just say "Not optimal mode Recommended mode 1920x1080 60HZ" and the bubble would float around the screen.

After talking to a few people I tried the following:

-Removed my GPU and plugged monitor into MB, booted up and PC worked fine.
-Reseated GPU and plugged back into it, same issue as above, black screen after "Loading Windows" screen
-Removed GPU and plugged monitor back into MB, uninstalled AMD Software program/drives, plugged GPU back in and rebooted, same issue as above
-Reseated GPU into another PCI port and tried rebooting, same issue as above

Someone said it might also be a power supply issue, I downloaded a program to test it out and the only thing I can see that might be a concern is during the test the power is spiking from 30-40W down to 5W and back up.

Last thing I am hoping to try is plugging GPU into someone elses computer to see if it works.

[mrgreenthump]

Did you have problems before the driver install? And do you have your old driver still? Also you could try other older drivers if it's driver related.

The screen going on/off does sound like the driver crashes and restores itself shortly after.

[Temp name]

DDU your drivers and try installing an older version.

[Velky]

I put my GPU into another persons PC and it worked for about 2 minutes then died. Looks like its dead.

Luckily he had a spare 970 lying around that I borrowed.

[MooChampIsApolitical]

Artifacts most likely mean your GPU is getting cranky. Or maybe the heat is too high.

[Temp name]

I put my GPU into another persons PC and it worked for about 2 minutes then died. Looks like its dead.

Luckily he had a spare 970 lying around that I borrowed.

rip your gpu.

What's your budget for a new one? How long can you borrow his 970?

[c0rnel]

One last thing you could try is monitor the temp when idle and during gaming for the GPU. You can also take apart the GPU and wipe off the old paste and apply new one and reseat heatsink and reconnect fan cable. Some cards have a firmware/bios switch if it has dual bios you can try switching that (from 1 to 2 or vice versa). If none of these suggestions help then yeah it's time for a new gpu.

[Cracked]

One last thing you could try is monitor the temp when idle and during gaming for the GPU. You can also take apart the GPU and wipe off the old paste and apply new one and reseat heatsink and reconnect fan cable. Some cards have a firmware/bios switch if it has dual bios you can try switching that (from 1 to 2 or vice versa). If none of these suggestions help then yeah it's time for a new gpu.

Yeah, there are things you can try as DIY repair hacks. This and other.. less kosher stuff. I've successfully revived 2 of my GPUs that died in the past by baking them in the oven (seriously) at around 200C (something like 390F) for a few minutes. You need to remove all of the removable parts first, so that you are left with just the die and clean it well. Then bake on a baking sheet. Looking for it now, some people suggest placing it on tinfoil balls on the baking sheet.

As crazy as it sounds, it's worked for me in the past. Worst case scenario, you lose an hour or two of your life doing an exciting experiment.

[Velky]

rip your gpu.

What's your budget for a new one? How long can you borrow his 970?

However long I need it. Just sold something so I have a hefty budget for a new GPU/CPU/MB/Ram but going to hold off until my work is more stable from covid.

[Temp name]

However long I need it. Just sold something so I have a hefty budget for a new GPU/CPU/MB/Ram but going to hold off until my work is more stable from covid.

Makes sense. The market is pretty fucked right now too due to covid, so it's a pretty bad time to buy.

[mrgreenthump]

Makes sense. The market is pretty fucked right now too due to covid, so it's a pretty bad time to buy.

There have been reports of PSU supply getting better during June(so would think MB and GPU supply goes up too). Factories in China have been making components for quite a while now, but due to supply chain problems, it has taken a long time for them to arrive to market.

[Temp name]

There have been reports of PSU supply getting better during June(so would think MB and GPU supply goes up too). Factories in China have been making components for quite a while now, but due to supply chain problems, it has taken a long time for them to arrive to market.

Yeah, shipping spots are super limited, so a lot of components are stuck in China. Hopefully availability will go up, but I don't have any hope.