Severe freezing combined with image degradation.
Severe freezing combined with image degradation.
I've possessed this 7800 XT for nearly two years. It's been operating in a Meshify 2 Mini with added Scythe fans, with voltage adjusted and closely watched throughout its life. Hotspot temps have surpassed 90 degrees on a few short periods—otherwise it stays around the mid-80s when under load. VRAM temps have remained fairly consistent. I've also been applying an undervolt to my 7700X using a Scythe Mugen 5 C, without any complications (beyond what's normal) until recently. Problem: About a month ago, I started noticing severe freezing. Sometimes it lasts just a few seconds, other times it lasts nearly a minute with no input and eventually audio drops out. This week it has also begun to randomly lose the image entirely, flickering onto a black screen; sending inputs that change the display (like the Windows button) briefly restores it, but the issue persists without resolution. What's unusual is that this only happens when I'm using Google Chrome—watching videos or browsing—and audio drops after a certain point, but doesn't deteriorate further. DRAM seems unlikely since other tasks continue even after inputs stop. I've left MSI Afterburner open during these episodes, yet no abnormal temperature or usage data appears. I'm trying to stay calm, but this image loss is concerning and makes me think a component might be failing. My guess is either a CPU PCIe failure cutting off the GPU intermittently, or the GPU itself is deteriorating. While it's not impossible under these conditions, I hope neither is true and that it's just Windows overreacting. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
You might be dealing with several small issues at play. It could involve the gradual aging of Windows, CPU, motherboard, and GPU, along with a less efficient PSU over time. I recommend returning your GPU and CPU settings to their standard levels (meaning no undervolting) and rechecking your undervolting settings if you wish to adjust them again. The lower stable voltage might have shifted, leading to blackouts and crashes. Good luck!
I first lowered the CPU a bit and then tried harder to pinpoint the issue. After some effort, I think I identified the problem. Previously, I used Adrenaline for setting up my 7800 XT, but after reinstalling Windows a few months ago, I switched to Afterburner. The undervolts I had been applying were actually large reductions rather than just peak adjustments—essentially lowering the entire curve by 75-100mV without realizing it. This likely stems from extremely low voltage targets at minimal load. I’ve adjusted the curve to simply reduce from the top, which should help. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!