Black screens, no signal or video, but audio remains. Possible issues with PSU or GPU?
Black screens, no signal or video, but audio remains. Possible issues with PSU or GPU?
Hello everyone, I’m facing a serious problem with my PC lately. A few days ago it began to "crash" while playing various games. During gameplay, the monitors suddenly went completely black, even though audio was still playing (like Spotify or Discord). The system never powers off on its own; the only solution is pressing the power button once or holding it down to shut it down.
Here are my computer details:
- CPU: R5 5600X
- GPU: RTX 4070 (MSI Ventus 2X OC)
- RAM: 2x16GB DDR 3200Mhz (Corsair LPX Vengeance)
- Motherboard: MSI B450 Tomahawk
- Power Supply: Seasonic S12II 620W (possible suspect besides the GPU)
Things I’ve noticed include DWM application errors, LSASS issues (though possibly unrelated), and two occasions where the PC wouldn’t boot and the VGA light stayed on. Reseating the GPU once resolved the problem for about a day before it recurred. The second time I tried, I put the PC on its side, which also allowed it to start up.
I’ve already tried several fixes: reinstalling drivers (using DDU), reverting to older versions, repairing disks/windows via CMD commands, reseating the GPU, running full Windows Defender and Malwarebytes scans. My main concern is the PSU, but I’m also worried the graphics card might be failing early. There’s a chance the GPU could be sagging, though it seems unlikely given its 2-fan design.
I’d really appreciate any advice or help to get this resolved. Please let me know if you have any additional information to share.
Hello there! Just a quick note: I'm using a Seasonic S12II 620W, which is my guessed cause other than the GPU just yet. You need to swap that power supply as soon as possible—it's not right for your setup in 2024. If you can find a solid 650W unit from someone you know or borrow it, test it out and see if the problem continues.
I know it should have been replaced during the same upgrade, but there wasn't enough for everything then. I'm going to look for a PSU to test or just buy a new one to avoid future issues.
In the meantime, I've tried another adjustment—swapping the PSU's power cables from the 6+2 and 2x pins, hoping the connector might be worn out. So far, I haven't managed to recreate a crash, but I'm pushing the GPU to its maximum 200W draw for a few hours. It seems promising, but I'll continue testing over the next couple of days to get clearer results.