Troubleshooting a Sudden GPU Malfunction: When Your Nvidia 3060 Stops Working

As an IT professional, encountering unexpected challenges with hardware can be particularly disheartening. Recently, I faced a puzzling issue with a used laptop equipped with an Nvidia 3060 graphics card that had been performing admirably for two weeks before suddenly ceasing to function. Despite my efforts to troubleshoot the problem, I have yet to find a viable solution.

The Situation

After acquiring this laptop from my company, it quickly became a reliable tool for both work and personal use. However, a couple of days ago, the Nvidia 3060 GPU unexpectedly stopped working. Determined to resolve the issue, I undertook a series of troubleshooting steps that included:

• Reinstalling Drivers: I attempted to install the latest drivers to ensure compatibility.
• BIOS Updates: After checking for updates, I reconfigured the BIOS settings accordingly.
• Reverting Updates: I rolled back recent updates for both Windows and the BIOS to see if the new changes were the cause of the malfunction.
• Driver Overhaul: I uninstalled the drivers entirely, then reverted to older versions, hoping to restore functionality.
• Operating System Refresh: In a more drastic measure, I reinstalled Windows and even tried reverting to an earlier version.

Despite these comprehensive measures, the device manager recognizes the graphics card without issue, but it is not acknowledged by other software applications.

Seeking Guidance

At this point, I am reaching out to the community for insights and possible solutions. If anyone else has encountered a similar situation or has ideas on how to approach this problem, your advice would be greatly appreciated. Any additional troubleshooting steps, hardware checks, or diagnostic tools you could recommend would be incredibly helpful.

If you’ve dealt with a similar GPU malfunction, please share your experiences and suggestions in the comments! Let’s work together to uncover a solution to this frustrating problem.