Problem with PC crashing due to GPU

[nwgilbert]

Hi,

I’ve had a problem with my pc where it crashes when loading into games with the graphics card R9 390.

When removing the graphics card and playing on on-board graphics from the mobo the pc works fine.

I built the pc myself back in 2014 and haven’t upgraded anything since.

This is the build:

MSI Radeon R9 390 GAMING AMD Graphics Card 8GB

Intel Quad-Core i7-4790K

EVGA Super NOVA 850W PC Power Supply - Gold

Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel LGA1150 Z97 ATX Motherboard (4x DDR3, 6x USB3.0, 6x USB2.0, HDMI, DVI-I, DSUB)

Crucial BX100 250 GB 2.5-Inch SATA III Internal Solid State Drive

WD 1TB 3.5 inch Internal Hard Drive - Caviar Blue

Alpenfhn Matterhorn Pure Edition CPU Cooler 120 mm

NZXT H440 Mid Tower Case with Side Window and 4 Quiet Fans for PC - White/Black

Team Group TLRED316G2400HC11CDC01 - TeamGroup Vulcan RED 16GB (2x8GB) DDR3 PC3-19200C11 2400MHz Dual



It has been kept well ventilated but I did notice it crashing from time to time over the last year.

Only recently it just crashes every time I load a game.


When removing the graphics card I noticed it was very dusty so I gave it a good clean unscrewing all the parts and I also re-pasted the GPU.

Nothing changed. Still crashes every time I load a game.

It’s not only when loading a game… it also crashes when I have multiple apps open.

Everything on windows just freezes all of a sudden then it goes to a black screen and you can’t get it back without turning the pc off by button.


My friend says that this could be something with the PSU and the graphics card but I can’t see that being the issue? I’m not sure, I figure the graphics card is just past its days.

What would you suggest? Bite the buck and get a new graphics card? …


If so, based on my build what graphics card would others suggest?

I’ve been recommended by friends to go nvidia but I don’t mind – just looking for the best card available based on my build.

Please note I don’t really play any high end games that would require the latest graphics.

I play games such as valorant, escape to tarkov, csgo, rocket league but don’t mind slightly upgrading other parts in my pc to allow me to be able to play the latest games – if that’s even possible with my build now it’s getting a bit dated.

Would anyone recommend upgrading the ram (up to 32gb?) or some other parts to get better performance out of the pc?

 

[nwgilbert]

Yes I can take to my friend to test in his pc.

Temps are okay - I kept checking them before , during and after crashes and all seemed okay for all hardware.

 

[nwgilbert]

Hi all, Thank you for your replies. I'm bumping this post as I have yet to find a solution.

I have tested a new PSU in the PC with the g card that is problematic and it is still the same - so i am now sure the g card is dead.

I agree with the comments that say I could sell some of my parts and buy new parts as an upgrade, however i dont see myself using this pc forever.

I would like it to last me a couple/few years and the only games i play are cs, rocket league, valorant, all which do not require a high-end pc.

I figure in a couple of years i will buy a new high end pc but as for now id like to be able to have a working pc that can play the above.

So I have started looking around at second hand graphics cards (exact same model as I had - R9 390).

I am following a few on eBay and just saw one sell just now for £150 (unfortunately i missed bid).

Ideally id like to stay AMD for this build since the monitor is designed for amd with freesync, however would anyone suggest or think I should go for a different graphics card based on my build?

I would also like to note that since i run my own company, i can claim the vat back on a purchase if the purchase is for a new graphics card from a shop - I mention this as it can make a big difference on cost.
However purchasing second hand does not allow me to claim back any vat back of course.

I'd really appreciate some feedback and see what other people think would be the best way to go about this?

 

[nwgilbert]

I would also like to add that I would like to be able to play Escape from Tarkov, which as far as I'm aware can be fairly spec intensive for a pc.

Might struggle with the R9 390... A friend suggested this AMD card which got awards for best old card of 2021 - AMD Radeon RX 5500 XT 8GB

Would this be a better option to go for or may there be another card i should consider with this build?

You should set up FE part alert stock alerts and try pick up a founders edition, 3060ti's were up for over 15 mins yesterday and offer excellent performance for just £369.

Isn't this overkill for my build?

Have you tried the GPU in the second PCI-E slot?

If it works in there it will be @ x8 not x16, but you will not lose much performance.

Yes i tried both PCI's - neither work.

Tried running memtest?

How do I do this and what will it achieve?

 

[nwgilbert]

That's seriously over-clocked memory you have there. The very first thing I would do is change the XMP setting to off and try that.
You do tend to find that as a system gets older it's ability to overclock reduces. It could well be that it's just falling short now of that very high spec 2400 memory ( well, very high spec for the 4790K ).

I don't understand this comment. What has the XMP ram got to do with anything. I believe XMP profile is on but I don't see this being anything to do with the issue. The card is old and got very dusty and wasn't cleaned for years. This has caused internal heating damage to the components. I think I've pretty much tested everything to confirm this being the issue.

Probably but it's still by far the best card you can get for the money right now while a similar amount of cash will only get you an AIB GTX 1660 or an RTX 2060 both of which are considerably slower.

3060TI is an Nvidia card and my build/monitor was made for AMD. Monitor is freesync. Does this mean I should stay with AMD for this build?

 

[nwgilbert]

Which monitor do you have as Gsync generally works on freesync monitors these days?

I'm so glad you asked. I just googled the product model to link it and see it says GSYNC COMPATIBLE.

ASUS MG278Q Gaming Monitor - 27" 2K WQHD (2560 x 1440), 1ms, G-SYNC Compatible, up to 144Hz, FreeSync
https://www.asus.com/uk/Displays-Desktops/Monitors/Gaming/MG278Q/

Based on the rest of my build (listed at the top on the first post in this thread) would you say that it doesn't matter whether I go NVIDIA or AMD?

If so, would you suggest 3060TI as the best purchase based on my build or is it too much compared to the build?

It would also be useful to have a few heads together on this before I make a decision.

Thanks so much for all the advice to date!

 

[nwgilbert]

I didn't read the entire thread, so I don't know what else you found. But, what I said is true. That RAM settings is very highly overclocking parts of your system. Parts that could readily fail during a game. The older the rest of the system the more likely it will fail. I would not conclude anything without first switching off the XMP profile. It's rule one for diagnostics.. remove all over-clocks.

Ah okay thanks. I will double check the card that isn't working with XMP off but like you say the damage is likely already done.

So do you suggest I don't use XMP anymore even after getting a replacement graphics card?

 

[nwgilbert]

You should set up FE part alert stock alerts and try pick up a founders edition, 3060ti's were up for over 15 mins yesterday and offer excellent performance for just £369.

Thanks for both further replies. Can you please let me know where I can find a 3060TI for this kind of money? Seems like it's £650+ everywhere...

 

[nwgilbert]

Okay I got it setup to follow this channel, thank you.

Couple of queries...


1) what is the difference with founders editions and why are they coming in so cheap at very limited quantity?



2) I see the 3060ti Fe listed at £369 on July 21, when I click the link for any UK products it shows "
Error 1020
Ray ID:
Access denied
What happened?
This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks.
Cloudflare Ray ID: Your IPerformance & security"

Would this be because they sell out and the link dies quickly? I thought you'd still see the product but just out of stock.

 

[nwgilbert]

I just did that. Thanks @Joxeon!

Do you think I could go for any of these models based on my build?

3060ti
3070
3070ti
3080

I guess if it's one of the latter ones, it just future proofs me for my next build or upgrade...

 

[nwgilbert]

Thank you for the further replies above.

I am still in a bit of a predicament over this and unsure what to do.

I was going to go for either a 1660ti or 3060ti but ive now found that this will bottleneck massively due to my current CPU (i7-4790K).

Please see the 3 card options I was looking at and the effect of running this with an i7-4790K.

i7-4790K with 1080ti - https://www.cpuagent.com/cpu/intel-...vidia-geforce-gtx-1080-ti?res=1&quality=ultra
i7-4790K with 1660ti -https://www.cpuagent.com/cpu/intel-core-i7-4790k/bottleneck/nvidia-geforce-gtx-1660-ti
i7-4790K with 3060ti -https://www.cpuagent.com/cpu/intel-core-i7-4790k/bottleneck/nvidia-geforce-rtx-3060-ti?res=1&quality=ultra

Just seems pointless to go for something like this if I'm not upgrading the CPU.

Are there any other card options that wouldn't bottleneck so harshly, but still give good performance compared to my old graphics card (AMD R9 390)? - which may also mean a cheaper less costly solution?

Alternatively I guess the only option is to upgrade the CPU (and sell the i7-4790K), but does that mean I will need to upgrade the motherboard as well (Gigabyte Z97X-Gaming 7 Intel LGA1150 Z97 ATX Motherboard)?

If so, it starts to make me wonder if the upgrading process is worth it, in comparison to getting a whole new build. I can't really splash out for a new build right now but if the above is not a feasible solution then I'm not sure.

What do others think?

 

[nwgilbert]

I ended up ordering a 3060 Ti as there was one going for £550.00.

I can return it if it doesn't work out alongside my build but I was wondering for testing purposes, is there a way I can see how much it is bottlenecking at the time of playing games? Is there an app available or another way to monitor this?

I am also wondering what people think about this brand - ZOTAC GeForce RTX 3060 Ti 8GB Twin Edge LHR Graphics Card
- is it okay and does the brand of graphics card not matter too much?