Question: Freezing or black screens when using an RTX 4090?
Question: Freezing or black screens when using an RTX 4090?
I want to mention that this post might have been a bit lengthy, but I thought it would be helpful to share all my thoughts. To begin, I completed my 13700K build and used the Thermal Grizzly Contact Frame with my ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero. I followed the guidance from der8auer and Gamer's Nexus on installation, and everything appears to be functioning properly. The only problem I've encountered is related to my RTX 4090 FE. Here are my current build details:
Build specs:
- Motherboard: ASUS ROG Maximus Z690 Hero
- CPU: Intel i7 13700K with Noctua NH-U12A Chromax.Black
- RAM: 2x 16GB Corsair Dominator 32GB DDR5 @ 6200Mhz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founder's Edition with Seasonic 12VHPWR Cable
- PSU: Seasonic PX-1300 1300W 80+ Platinum
- SSD: Samsung 980 Pro 2TB
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
Initially, I assumed everything would work smoothly. However, the addition of my RTX 4090 FE led to recurring instability. At first, using the BIO version that enabled 13th Gen Intel CPU support caused black screens after a short time on Windows 11. After updating to newer BIOS versions, the issue shifted from black screens to freezing screens. I attempted to disable ASUS Multi-Core enhancement and the RAM XMP profile, but neither resolved the problem. Running memtest86 confirmed my RAM was sound (40/40 tests passed).
I eventually replaced my GPU with a 3090, which worked well for browsing, streaming, and gaming without any black screens. Interestingly, I managed to run my RTX 4090 on an older 9700K build without issues. The problems seem specific to the 13700K configuration... Here’s a snapshot of my previous build for reference:
Previous build:
- Motherboard: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON
- CPU: Intel i7 9700K with Noctua NH-D15
- RAM: 2x 8GB G.Skill 16GB DDR4 @ 3200Mhz
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Founder's Edition with Seasonic 12VHPWR Cable
- PSU: Seasonic PX-1300 1300W 80+ Platinum
- SSD: Samsung 970 Evo Plus 2TB
- OS: Windows 10 Pro
I upgraded my PSU to a 1300W model and added the 3090 inside the 13700K build, which functioned without issues. Returning to my original 1300W PSU and installing the RTX 4090 on the 9700K setup worked perfectly. So far, it seems the challenge lies specifically with the Z690 Hero motherboard and the RTX 4090, not the 3090.
After extensive searching online, I found a solution. In the NVIDIA Control Panel, setting the Power Management Mode to Prefer Maximum Performance eliminated instability with the RTX 4090. This prevented black screens and complete freezes (which now require a hard reboot). Anyone here have faced this issue before? Do you know of any other fixes?
I experienced the same exact problem. I recently received a 4090 Strix OC with two monitors. The cursor would vanish, and my HDR monitor would go black first, then the other, making it seem like the PC was shutting down. I had to restart the PC, which it does randomly but twice in a row when switching games, though not with other games. I found a helpful post online, changed the setting, and it hasn't frozen again so far—hopefully that helps. Thanks for the assistance.
I wanted to share my findings. I was using the Studio Driver version 536.99 and faced the same instability problems with the 4090. After switching to the Game Ready Driver and setting the Power Management Mode to Normal, those issues disappeared. It seems the problem was related to the Studio Driver. That’s the situation for me at least.
The NVIDIA drivers are causing a lot of problems... when will they finally fix the control panel?