BF's computer is acting up.
BF's computer is acting up.
My boyfriend recently upgraded his computer. I’ll share the previous and current specifications, since that’s crucial. Sorry for the lengthy note—I’m running out of my mind, because while he’s sharper at software checks, I’m usually better at hardware troubleshooting.
Old system: AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, MSI B550M Pro-VDH WiFi motherboard, 32GB T-Force Vulcan Z DDR4 3200MHz RAM, WD SN750 500GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 4TB HDD, MSI GAMING Z TRIO, GeForce RTX 3080, 10GB Fractal Design Ion+, 860p, 80+ Plat PSU.
New setup: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Gigabyte X870 Aorus Elite WiFi 7 motherboard, 32GB G.SKILL Ripjaws M5 Neo RPG DDR5 6000MHz RAM, Kingston NV3 1TB SSD, WD SN750 500GB SSD, Seagate Barracuda 4TB HDD, MSI GAMING Z Trio, GeForce RTX 3080, 10GB Fractal Design Ion+, 80+ Plat PSU.
He intended to purchase a new power supply of at least 1000W after his GPU upgrade, but waited for AMD to release the 9080 and 9080XT models.
For roughly a day, the new PC functioned well—he enjoyed playing FF14 last night. Suddenly it froze with a black screen. It booted up four times before crashing again. He verified all connections and settings, found nothing unusual, then the screen went dark abruptly. The power was reaching the system, fans spun, but the GPU refused to send output. After checking the PSU, he suspected insufficient power delivery due to the new CPU and motherboard.
When using the integrated graphics on the 9800X3D, the display appeared in Windows without any issues. However, after a black screen, he booted into Safe Mode, updated drivers, and everything resumed normally. The issue seemed resolved once the GPU drivers were properly installed.
For the GPU itself, if no driver was present for the dGPU, the system would boot but show a splash screen from Aorus. Once Windows loaded, it returned to normal. Installing the latest NVIDIA drivers helped, though a black screen persisted until he undervolted the GPU. The fans stopped spinning, and everything resumed.
Eventually, he replaced the 3080 with his most powerful model—the GTX 780 GHz Edition. It worked fine, so they decided to revert to the 780. Despite the changes, the system remained stable. He performed basic troubleshooting: reset CMOS, re-installed drivers, removed unnecessary software, and even reinstalled Windows. Still, the GPU would cut out completely, display disabled, no fans.
After a late-night session, he tried connecting only one SSD this time, but it worked again. Windows ran smoothly, and the display functioned properly. He downloaded NVIDIA drivers, but the GPU lost its ability to show anything. POST indicated it would load normally after a certain point.
Eventually, he returned to his old PC with just one SSD, which also performed identically. Regardless of the model—3080 or 780—it always seemed to have power issues. He noted that even after a fresh Windows install, the problem persisted.
Advice? It might be the PSU again, or possibly the GPU has reached its limit. If no drivers worked, using the integrated graphics helped, but when the dedicated card was present, it caused more trouble. Still, he learned to keep backups and monitor power usage closely.
There are unusual lights coming from the GPU. I discovered many problems once they stemmed from a faulty PSU, which I wouldn’t have noticed without a "Bad power" indicator LED. The manual I read said GPU LEDs signaled a failing PSU, but it was hidden in the documentation. More recently, I suspected an issue with Windows or the PSU because installing drivers was impossible. After weeks of testing, I realized my failing 14900K was the cause—only after downclocking the CPU did everything improve. Try downclocking each component individually, starting with the CPU, RAM, then GPU, to see if it helps. Fixing the 14900K required a 300MHz reduction.
No, there aren't any issues beyond that. He also completely removed the light on his GPU—except for the RGB bar at the top, which he left unplugged because he dislikes RGB. We might consider lowering its clock speed, but it would be strange if both his old and new components failed, suggesting a problem with the GPU or power supply again.
It might be related to Nvidia's poorly designed drivers. I recall seeing reports of black screens during the last couple of months when updating drivers, requiring a hard reset to restore functionality. Check some comments from 12 days ago—some suggested using version 576.80. Download the latest installer for offline use via DDU, boot into safe mode, run DDU, then restart normally (offline) and reinstall cleanly. After that, turn the internet back on. If this doesn't help, consider older Nvidia drivers like 576.02 or 576.15, but be sure to disable Windows' automatic driver updates before proceeding. Also, if you're using a display cable, try switching to HDMI. It might also be worth investigating G-sync or other settings for potential conflicts.
We solved the issue by heading to Best Buy and purchasing a fresh power supply unit. The PCIe connector for the PSU was damaged beyond repair, but it functioned properly once installed, allowing us to apply the newest NVIDIA drivers.