After setting up the new RTX 3060 Ti, system crashes occurred.
After setting up the new RTX 3060 Ti, system crashes occurred.
PC specifications include the Ryzen 3700X with Asrock B550m-ITX (latest BIOS), Corsair LP Vengeance 16GB RAM using XMP profile at 3200 MHz (no prior stability concerns), a 650W EVGA Gold semi-modular PSU (bought around six years ago), three SATA SSDs, and one HDD connected. Running Windows 10 64-bit. The motherboard NIB was sourced from Newegg for a good price. Previously used a GTX 2060. Swapped in a Samsung 980 NVMe M.2 slot during a card change. Stability remains perfect for everyday tasks like word processing and Excel. Occasionally, after extended gaming sessions (30 to 2 hours), the system freezes. It doesn’t trigger BSOD but instead shuts down abruptly, then restarts. No error messages appear. The issue has occurred roughly five to six times recently. I’ve tried several troubleshooting steps: reinstalled drivers via DDU, removed and reattached PSU cables (including a second VGA output), forced BIOS to Gen 4, disabled XMP profile, monitored temperatures and clock speeds with Rivatuner, and checked for power issues. The GPU ran hot but clocks matched specs. When DLSS was off, the crashes stopped, suggesting it might be related to the new card. I’m considering removing the NVMe drive if the problem recurs, or reinstalling Windows. My PSU may be aging. Please let me know if this helps. Your advice would be appreciated. I’ve been wanting an upgrade for two years, but this keeps happening.
Sounds like it is a power issue. you can try to undervolt and see if it helps, but honestly it just sounds like the PSU isnt able to handle it, although it clearly should be able to.
Considered this too. Likely to try it eventually, but with my setup—just a PC, two monitors, budget speakers, and a power strip—plus a 1800W rating—I might switch plugs. Also, the PSU seems to be around eight years old, so it probably nears the end of its lifespan.
Remember that 30 series cards can cause big current surges; they work okay when idle but behave badly under load. For setups under 3080, go with 850w minimum and 1000w or higher for stronger performance.
I'm close to a microcenter, so I plan to go there this morning. I'll install a new PSU and come back in a few days if needed. It didn't happen yesterday after a long gaming session. About three hours into my game, I removed the NVMe drive. If it doesn't fail then it means I managed enough power to keep the system running.
I recently came across advice suggesting that with a graphics card featuring two VGA ports, it's best to connect each port separately. For instance, my new RTX 3060ti has both an 8-pin and a 6-pin port. Although the PSU cables can handle those connections thanks to a splitter, following best practices would mean using the 8-pin port for VGA 1 out from the PSU and the 6-pin for VGA 2 out. That approach seems unusual, especially since my previous card had only one 8-pin port. I used an RX 580 with both ports and connected it with a single cable—it worked fine. Now I’m considering a smaller ITX build and thinking about using an SFX form factor, but I need cable extensions that will arrive tomorrow. I plan to test the card with just one cable and the splitter to see how it performs. I've been tracking its clock speed in games, so I expect any change to be noticeable.