The screen unexpectedly goes black during gameplay.
The screen unexpectedly goes black during gameplay.
Hello everyone,
Just wanted to share some important details. I recently assembled a PC using second-hand components for the sake of experimentation. During benchmarking—specifically when running games at maximum settings—I frequently encountered random black screens. The system would remain active while the game continued, and after a short delay it would return to normal, allowing me to keep playing until the issue recurred. This was unexpected because previous stress tests like Cinebench and Furmark had shown no problems.
The build features an XFX RX 5700XT Thicc III GPU. Initially, I suspected the GPU might be faulty, but using my own Gigabyte model confirmed it worked perfectly. When testing on the XFX GPU in my own machine, the black screen didn’t occur. To investigate further, I added an overlay while playing. Observing the black screen moments provided some insights:
1. The GPU’s hotspot temperature occasionally exceeded the recommended maximum of 110°C (typically only a slight deviation).
2. Power consumption dropped when the black screen appeared (usually from around 200W to about 140W).
These two events didn’t happen simultaneously, and when I swapped in the XFX GPU into my own setup, the temperature spikes were similar but no black screen appeared. This suggests the power drop might be the root cause. Running the same game on my personal PC showed similar fluctuations in wattage, but never below 160W, and no black screen was observed.
Regarding power supply, I’m uncertain about the issue. My motherboard is on the lower end of the budget, so I’m unsure if it’s providing insufficient power to the GPU—especially with the R7 3700X and CPU fan. It’s possible the PSU isn’t delivering consistent power or simply lacks enough capacity (600W). Any additional thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your support.
Note: Apart from applying an XMP profile, no overclocking has been performed on any components. All drivers and updates are up to date. The only differences are: 1) my PC still runs Windows 10 (which I prefer), while the build uses Windows 11; and 2) the market build was connected via HDMI to a 1440p monitor, whereas in my test it used DisplayPort to the same monitor.
I would check if your motherboard's BIOS is current. Then verify whether your operating system requires any updates. Next, employ DDU to eliminate all GPU drivers on your device and then reinstall them manually using the newest ones from AMD's support page, running the installer as an administrator. If the problem continues, consider the power supply unit; you may need to obtain a high-quality PSU from someone else—preferably one that provides at least 650W—to see if the issue remains.
If the goal of the PC is for laughter and giggles, then fixing it should also bring joy and amusement. Why bother otherwise?
🤔
I won’t go into much detail here, because it’s obvious you don’t care about this PC. And since you’re not invested, I’m not going to dive deep into what could be wrong with this "for fun" setup.
But the story goes like this: black screens usually point to a GPU driver problem—either DDU drivers and the latest version, or two older ones, or if that doesn’t work, it’s time to wipe the OS and install a fresh Windows.
Of course, the PSU could also be the culprit. But the fact that you bought an used PSU clearly shows how you feel about the hardware inside the PC.
😒
And not just any used PSU—this one lacks reviews. Plus, Gamidas doesn’t list it as part of their range. That’s a lot of red flags about the PSU. Still, since the PC is built for fun and you’re not concerned, who cares?
Honestly, it was just for fun but also with the idea of reselling it and making a quick profit. I wanted to give it a try. However, for some reason in the original post I couldn't include that information because it was being flagged as spam. I'll attempt these fixes and keep you updated. I have the PSU on my personal system, so that's the one I'll use to test it out.
Ok the pc is for fun but at the same time I was thinking of reselling it or “flip” the pc since i have seen many videos on it and I thought it would be fun to do. Of course I want to make sure that the pc im building works properly if I will be doing that so the new owner does have any issues thats why im trying to fix it.
I would appreciate if you did go in-depth on how to fix however because overall this is a learning experience for me and I can improve my troubleshooting capabilities. The more I learn the better right? I will go ahead and try the fixes you provided and try the market build the psu in my personal pc.
It appears you're looking to understand a lot about PSUs. You can begin by checking the information on the link provided. The main points to remember are:
- Never compromise on PSU quality.
- Avoid purchasing used PSUs, as it's hard to know their condition or whether they meet ATX standards.
- Remember that the PSU is crucial in a PC because it supplies power to all components.
- Choosing a low-cost PSU can lead to various problems, such as:
* The PSU failing and damaging connected devices (including the entire PC).
* The PSU overheating or even catching fire.
* Potential harm to people due to electrical incidents.
- Power delivery is critical, and selecting a substandard PSU increases risks.
Regarding software concerns, identifying problems often requires experience:
- A clean OS installation is usually the simplest solution, allowing you to start fresh with a clean system.
- If the problem persists even after a clean Windows install, consider hardware issues.
- Formatting the drive and performing a clean installation isn't always convenient for users, especially if they lose data.
- If the PC owner refuses a clean install or backup, it may be necessary to proceed with a clean OS, though finding the issue can be challenging.
In your situation, the GPU driver seems to stop functioning, which explains the loss of image output. The driver can recover itself, suggesting a faulty driver version. You might want to remove current drivers using DDU and try installing an older version.
Also, check if this issue occurs in multiple games or just one. If it's limited to a single game, it may be a game-specific problem. For GPU stability, consider using Unigine Superposition instead of Furmark, as it's more optimized. You can also test with different presets—1080p Extreme is not recommended as it often causes very low FPS regardless of GPU. Comparing scores on the Unigine leaderboard can help confirm if the issue is GPU-related.
Thank you! When acquiring the PSU I was doubtful because I couldn’t find much information about it, but I chose to try anyway since it mentioned an 80+ gold certification. From what I know, this PSU was built by Cyberpower, a well-known company. I plan to use the Unigine Superposition to check the GPU performance. The black screen issue appears in more than one game as well. Of course, I’ve only downloaded War Zone and Fortnite for testing on it so far, but it does occur in both. I’ll keep you updated as soon as possible.
Occasionally I dislike computers in general. Smh. That’s why I figured out the problem. I wanted to start by giving thanks to Aeacus and Lutfij for their assistance and feedback. Both were really helpful, and Aeacus, you definitely helped me improve my understanding of PCs overall—thank you for your lecture!
With this matter resolved, which PSU are you currently opting for?