Issue with PC failing during gameplay exclusively
Issue with PC failing during gameplay exclusively
Hello!
I’m sharing this on behalf of my gamer friend who’s dealing with a problem remotely. I’ll include all the important details. Essentially, his PC began crashing during games, showing a black screen and then a hard shutdown. At first, I thought it might be due to overheating, GPU issues, or PSU problems. It works fine on Windows and for light tasks without any trouble. To test, I had him run a 3D benchmark—he found a free one online—and the game ran smoothly without any crashes. The GPU fans behaved normally under load.
After that, I recommended running an sfc and chkdsk to be safe. The sfc detected and fixed some corrupted files, which resolved the issue. He was able to play through the rest of the night, and since then, it’s happened again, but with similar symptoms. I tried another sfc, but no changes.
I’m still trying to figure out if the problem was just a coincidence or if something else is affecting his hardware. When the crashes started, he managed to complete almost an entire round of Overwatch before the issue appeared. Now it’s happening again almost immediately after starting a game. I’m still unsure whether it’s related to software or hardware. He checked temperatures closely and reported no unusual readings.
He updated his graphics drivers and hasn’t reinstalled Windows yet, but will consider that option if needed. Personally, I’m trying to decide between software or hardware problems, as it’s been a while since I’ve had to troubleshoot this myself. I don’t have deep technical expertise, just some basic knowledge.
PC specifications:
- System age: about 6 years
- Windows 10 Pro on SSD (specifications available upon request)
- Core i5 9600k @3.7ghz
- Z390-A PRO (MS-7B98)
- 32 GB RAM
- GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER
I’ll need to ask for his PSU information. I’m not sure if he tried any BIOS changes since the issue began, but it seems unlikely a BIOS fix would resolve it temporarily. If needed, I can help with more details to guide him toward the right solution.
Thanks to everyone for your support!
Does the black screen also cause the GPU fans to reach their maximum speeds?
Crashes only during gaming suggest power or graphics card issues. Running CPU stress tests like OCCT or Cinebench can help confirm. Testing Furmark at full GPU power may reveal memory-related problems that aren't caught this way.
He is planning to conduct additional tests tonight. He noticed his GPU fans didn’t reach maximum during the previous crash, but he intends to run the recommended tests. He has access to another PC, which I recommended testing the GPU there—since both systems use NVIDIA cards, the issue likely lies with the GPU itself.
I’m pleased I wasn’t the only one considering those two devices, though it still surprises me that SFC seemed to resolve the problem temporarily.