New Gaming PC Crashing to Black Screen with “HDMI No Signal” after a few minutes of gaming

Understanding and Troubleshooting HDMI Signal Loss and System Crashes on a Custom Gaming PC

Building a custom gaming PC is an exciting journey, but it can sometimes be accompanied by unexpected technical issues that disrupt your gaming experience. One such problem involves the monitor displaying an “HDMI No Signal” message after a few minutes of gameplay, coupled with system crashes. In this article, we will explore a detailed case study of such an issue, analyze potential causes, and recommend effective troubleshooting steps to help resolve these hardware and software challenges.

Case Overview

A gaming enthusiast received a custom-built PC as a birthday gift, featuring solid components such as an AMD Ryzen 5 5600X processor, 64GB of DDR4 RAM, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti graphics card, and a robust motherboard (ASUS ROG STRIX X470-F GAMING). Initially, the system performed well, running popular titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Roblox, and Sekiro smoothly. However, problems emerged the following day: during gameplay, the monitor displayed “HDMI 1 No Signal,” and the PC would crash, requiring a restart.

Sequence of Events and Observations

Initial Incident:
The monitor went black with “HDMI 1 No Signal” after a certain gameplay point.
Both the PC and monitor remained powered on; only the display was affected.
Restarting the PC temporarily resolved the display issue.
Reproduction Tests:
Reverting to earlier save points and reducing game graphics to minimum settings.
Observing that the crash occurred earlier with each attempt.
Notably, in some cases, the crash was so severe that even restarting the PC did not restore display output—monitor showed “HDMI No Signal” regardless of reboot.
Troubleshooting Efforts:
Seated checks of RAM and cables; everything appeared properly connected.
Running benchmark tests without issues, suggesting hardware stability during stress testing.
Validating game files via Steam, which reported no errors.
Moving the PC closer to a different outlet to address potential power or cable issues.
Disconnecting peripherals and adjusting setup for better power delivery.
Further Testing:
Running Sekiro again, with the system left idle in-game—crash occurred again, and the monitor showed no signal after reboot.
Switching to different power outlets and confirming cable integrity did not resolve the issue.
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