GPU randomly crashes during gaming, screen turns off (no video input)

Understanding and Troubleshooting GPU Crashes During Gaming: A Comprehensive Guide

Experiencing unexpected GPU crashes during gaming sessions can be frustrating and disruptive. If your monitor suddenly goes black with a “no video input” message while you’re in the middle of gameplay—and your system continues to run seamlessly in the background—it indicates an underlying hardware or software issue that warrants investigation. This article provides a detailed overview of such problems, their possible causes, and recommended troubleshooting steps to help you diagnose and resolve GPU stability issues effectively.

Symptoms and Observation

Common Signs of GPU Instability:
– Sudden loss of video output, with the monitor displaying “no video input.”
– Continuous audio playback from games and voice chats during the crash.
– The GPU fans spinning at high speeds, sometimes with increased noise after a crash.
– Occasional or frequent crashes under specific conditions, such as certain game environments or load conditions.
– Occasional crashes in some games but not others, suggesting the issue isn’t purely game-specific.

Case Overview

A typical scenario involves a user playing multiple graphically demanding titles over several years on a custom-built PC. They’ve noticed that, over the past one to two years, their system sometimes crashes during gameplay, particularly under specific conditions—for example, in certain biomes within a game like Valheim or during intense scenes. Notably, the crashes occur predominantly when the GPU is under load, but not exclusively, with some gaming sessions running smoothly for extended periods.

Hardware Configuration

• Motherboard: ASRock x570 Taichi
• Graphics Card: ASUS ROG Strix OC RTX 2080 Ti (driver version 32.0.15.7247)
• CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 3950X
• Power Supply: Corsair RM850x
• Monitors: 2 (1440p and 1080p)

Troubleshooting Approaches

1. Verify Driver and Software Integrity:
2. Ensure your GPU drivers are up to date with the latest stable releases.
3. Consider clean installations of drivers using tools like DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove residual files before reinstalling.

4. Check for Windows updates and firmware updates for your motherboard.

5. Monitor Hardware Temperatures and Loads:

6. Use GPU-Z or MSI Afterburner to monitor temperature, voltage, and clock speeds during gameplay.
7. Check if temperatures are within safe operating ranges (generally below 85°C for GPUs).
8. Observe fan speeds and RPM readings—discrepancies or unexpected spikes