Issues with games and video outputs stopping on a recent PC setup
Issues with games and video outputs stopping on a recent PC setup
The problem involves occasional freezes in games when playing on a new PC, with the game pausing randomly while audio stays active. Navigation through the game remains smooth, and exiting works without issues. Closing the game resolves the freeze, though it may recur shortly after. Rendering simple 1080p videos in Davinci Resolve also causes random freezes during rendering, despite parts of the program being usable. No crash reports or error messages appear when the software freezes. I also observed visual anomalies in games, which I captured a clip of for reference. Testing on an older GTX 1060 showed stable performance, suggesting a GPU issue (likely the 3070). The PC specifications include a Ryzen 7 7700, RTX 3070, and other components. Fixes attempted: software tweaks, driver updates, RAM swapping, BIOS update, system monitoring, and memory checks. All attempts to resolve it have returned to the same problem after restarting.
You’ve managed to isolate the issue to the GPU. The 3070 performed well on your previous system, but now it’s showing more instability. It might be related to how it interacts with the newer hardware you’re using. Since changes like RAM swaps or BIOS updates resolved it before, the problem could be tied to compatibility or timing issues. You’re not alone in this—many users face similar hiccups when pairing older GPUs with modern setups. If you’re open to options, consider testing with a different GPU model or checking for driver updates. Otherwise, upgrading to a more recent GPU might be the safest path forward.
Likely the issue stemmed from a CPU bottleneck, which limited the GPU to only 80-90% capacity. Running the GPU at that level didn’t cause problems. Lowering the GPU’s clock speed might resolve crashes. If a 10% performance drop isn’t an issue, you could keep using it without concern. EDIT: your GPU might be reaching its maximum temperature and causing instability.
I've verified the temperatures during rendering; everything appears normal, including using the default fan settings just in case. My current hypothesis matches yours—previously, a bottleneck kept the problem hidden. I'll re-run the test to confirm temperatures and then consider underclocking, which is still preferable to skipping the GPU. Also, note that my main game struggles with 60 FPS by default, so the 3070 rarely gets heavy load. I reinstalled the GPU and ran the same render three times, restarting the PC between each attempt. The first run succeeded perfectly, but the next two failed again. This aspect is confusing me the most; it's been a challenge to troubleshoot since I began investigating. Does the system behave differently on startup after a major hardware or BIOS change? Also, the GPU temperatures in HWMonitor peaked at 64°C and a hotspot of 77.7°C across all three renders.