Troubleshoot- graphics card? Power supply?

[casebro]

Scrolling through pics of FB, click on yet anither, PC makes a 'clicjk'. gray screen of death. Restart on 'safe mode', graphics are pixelated and no sound but works otherwise. Will restart normally if I first shut off PS w/ it's switch, hit start, fan spins a little to bleed capacitors. Turn on PS and then restarts OK. Until I click on a graphic-intense site or You-tube. Then gray screen of death.

Re-seat graphics card no help. Hmm, reseat memory sticks maybe?

Machine is +/- 2012. Capacitor plague in PS perhaps?

[JimOfAllTrades]

Cooling problem on the graphics card? If there's a fan reseat it with new thermal compound?

[casebro]

I need new memory sticks- me, not the computer.

As I typed the OP, I remembered the last time, 2 years ago? You know what they say "memory is that which enables you to recall a mistake when you make it again."

So I released the catches on the two sticks and reseated them. NFG, wouldn't start.(see above) Remove stick farthest from CPU, all seems good. IIRC, NOW I can install the 2nd stick. But 16G each, do I need it? I guess it will keep the dust out.

EDIT, NOPE, still NFG. I went from here to FB, gray screen of death. But I dallied. CPU fan starts up and cycles. So it's the graphic and sound out put only? Could it still be the power supply? Are there separate 12v systems for CPU and GPU? I'll look in an old 250w.

Old PS is CorsairCX750M. Not the best reputation. I do have a brand new 750w spare on the shelf from last time.

[casebro]

How about 'cleared my cache, problem solved"?

Time will tell....

[casebro]

Installed the second memory strip, screen never lit off.Removed it, PC works as well as ever. I guess 8 gigs is enough. (MB can onky handle 8 gig/slot. Cards are 16g each.)

[casebro]

Originally Posted by JimOfAllTrades

Cooling problem on the graphics card? If there's a fan reseat it with new thermal compound?

It started just fine this AM. Took a while to freeze up. So I pulled the card and re-seat w/ fresh thermal compound. NFG for a dozen re-starts. Then it worked- for hours. And worked again on a fresh re-boot too.

I guess it took some cycling for the thermal compound to flow/seat/gel/make contact?

Plus running it with the side cover removed, I see the cpu and tower fans are always running. GPU fan is off. I guess the fan I hear kick on/off must be the GPU fan. And it is staying off now. I hope.

[Warp12]

Originally Posted by casebro

Plus running it with the side cover removed, I see the cpu and tower fans are always running. GPU fan is off. I guess the fan I hear kick on/off must be the GPU fan. And it is staying off now. I hope.

What graphics card is it? I have had a lot of graphics cards, and the fans stayed running on all of them. Some of them varied the speed with thermal loading, but none remained off.

[casebro]

Originally Posted by Warp12

What graphics card is it? I have had a lot of graphics cards, and the fans stayed running on all of them. Some of them varied the speed with thermal loading, but none remained off.

Radeon XFX-785a, R7800 If I accidentally unplugged the fan, it hasn't burned up yet.

Side cover still off, fan still off. I'm hoping to hear the fan roar, check for it being GPU not one of the others. Meanwhile trying Youtubes, but nothing is graphics intense enough to kick it in the ass today.

I'm not a gamer. Previous owner did grahics design, I picked it up off the curb on recycle day. Needed a $17 HD and Ubuntu.

[novaphile]

Hiya, a couple of things...

1. Memory sticks work in pairs and they must be identical pairs.
2. Graphic cards can use a lot of power. You need to look up the graphics card and bump up the power supply to one that meets specs. My current power supply is 700W.

[Warp12]

Originally Posted by casebro

Radeon XFX-785a, R7800 If I accidentally unplugged the fan, it hasn't burned up yet.

Side cover still off, fan still off. I'm hoping to hear the fan roar, check for it being GPU not one of the others. Meanwhile trying Youtubes, but nothing is graphics intense enough to kick it in the ass today.

I'm not a gamer. Previous owner did grahics design, I picked it up off the curb on recycle day. Needed a $17 HD and Ubuntu.

Download a graphics benchmark like 3DMark or Heaven. I think 3DMark requires Steam, but here is a link to a version of Heaven:

https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/detai...benchmark.html

If the fans will come on, that should do it. Or lock up the card, otherwise.

[casebro]

Originally Posted by novaphile

Hiya, a couple of things...

1. Memory sticks work in pairs and they must be identical pairs.
2. Graphic cards can use a lot of power. You need to look up the graphics card and bump up the power supply to one that meets specs. My current power supply is 700W.

Card specs 130w. PS is Corsair 750m.

One memory stick will work just fine. if 2 they need to match.

Before the new paste, opening the browser or a U-tube would shut things down. Now I need a graphics heavy site for a test. Got anything?

Meantime, if a fan roars and it is the CPU fan, I will re-paste the cpu.

[casebro]

OK, installed glmark2 for benchmarking. Froze up, THEN GPU fan roared.

I'm going to close my browser and try it again. C'ya.

[casebro]

glmark2 ran w/ browser closed. GPU fan ran intermittantly. C&P of screen:
$ glmark2
================================================== =====
glmark2 2014.03+git20150611.fa71af2d
================================================== =====
OpenGL Information
GL_VENDOR: X.Org
GL_RENDERER: AMD PITCAIRN (DRM 2.50.0, 5.8.0-63-generic, LLVM 11.0.0)
GL_VERSION: 4.5 (Compatibility Profile) Mesa 20.2.6
================================================== =====
[build] use-vbo=false: FPS: 5009 FrameTime: 0.200 ms
[build] use-vbo=true: FPS: 8389 FrameTime: 0.119 ms
[texture] texture-filter=nearest: FPS: 8502 FrameTime: 0.118 ms
[texture] texture-filter=linear: FPS: 8478 FrameTime: 0.118 ms
[texture] texture-filter=mipmap: FPS: 8720 FrameTime: 0.115 ms
[shading] shading=gouraud: FPS: 7859 FrameTime: 0.127 ms
[shading] shading=blinn-phong-inf: FPS: 7850 FrameTime: 0.127 ms
[shading] shading=phong: FPS: 7803 FrameTime: 0.128 ms
[shading] shading=cel: FPS: 7760 FrameTime: 0.129 ms
[bump] bump-render=high-poly: FPS: 5344 FrameTime: 0.187 ms
[bump] bump-render=normals: FPS: 8884 FrameTime: 0.113 ms
[bump] bump-render=height: FPS: 8684 FrameTime: 0.115 ms
[effect2d] kernel=0,1,0;1,-4,1;0,1,0;: FPS: 8078 FrameTime: 0.124 ms
[effect2d] kernel=1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;1,1,1,1,1;: FPS: 4587 FrameTime: 0.218 ms
[pulsar] light=false:quads=5:texture=false: FPS: 7724 FrameTime: 0.129 ms
[desktop] blur-radius=5:effect=blurasses=1:separable=true:windo ws=4: FPS: 3205 FrameTime: 0.312 ms
[desktop] effect=shadow:windows=4: FPS: 5099 FrameTime: 0.196 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 925 FrameTime: 1.081 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=false:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=subdata: FPS: 1127 FrameTime: 0.887 ms
[buffer] columns=200:interleave=true:update-dispersion=0.9:update-fraction=0.5:update-method=map: FPS: 991 FrameTime: 1.009 ms
[ideas] speed=duration: FPS: 3827 FrameTime: 0.261 ms
[jellyfish] <default>: FPS: 6298 FrameTime: 0.159 ms
[terrain] <default>: FPS: 750 FrameTime: 1.333 ms
[shadow] <default>: FPS: 5475 FrameTime: 0.183 ms
[refract] <default>: FPS: 1352 FrameTime: 0.740 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 8979 FrameTime: 0.111 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=0: FPS: 8922 FrameTime: 0.112 ms
[conditionals] fragment-steps=0:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 8974 FrameTime: 0.111 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=low:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 8980 FrameTime: 0.111 ms
[function] fragment-complexity=medium:fragment-steps=5: FPS: 8906 FrameTime: 0.112 ms
[loop] fragment-loop=false:fragment-steps=5:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 8959 FrameTime: 0.112 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=false:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 8934 FrameTime: 0.112 ms
[loop] fragment-steps=5:fragment-uniform=true:vertex-steps=5: FPS: 8903 FrameTime: 0.112 ms
================================================== =====
glmark2 Score: 6493

I guess the samples are shaded and non-compressed?

Interpretation?

[Warp12]

Well, the fan running is a good sign. That is the main thing. There are programs like Rivatuner that might allow you to adjust the fan profile to run at all times, if needed. You can also monitor GPU temps that way. The program Hardware Monitor will allow you to see CPU temps, also.

Did you do anything to the system, install anything new, prior to this issue?

I would also install the latest graphics card driver, just to make sure there is no corruption.

[Warp12]

Also to add, if it starts acting up again with the case sealed up, you know heat somewhere is the most likely culprit.

[casebro]

Originally Posted by Warp12

Well, the fan running is a good sign. That is the main thing. There are programs like Rivatuner that might allow you to adjust the fan profile to run at all times, if needed. You can also monitor GPU temps that way. The program Hardware Monitor will allow you to see CPU temps, also.

Did you do anything to the system, install anything new, prior to this issue?

I would also install the latest graphics card driver, just to make sure there is no corruption.

Originally Posted by Warp12

Also to add, if it starts acting up again with the case sealed up, you know heat somewhere is the most likely culprit.

Best guess so far is that the thermal paste crapped out. Others on the net mention the same pixelatian, no sound, etc, and fix was paste. Time will tell...

[casebro]

Originally Posted by JimOfAllTrades

Cooling problem on the graphics card? If there's a fan reseat it with new thermal compound?

Yupper.

[Warp12]

Originally Posted by casebro

Best guess so far is that the thermal paste crapped out. Others on the net mention the same pixelatian, no sound, etc, and fix was paste. Time will tell...

Ok, well good luck.

[casebro]

Worked great al day yesterday the 17th. But took a dozen starts to open up fully functionally this AM. Like the card has to warm up to work? Lessee if it will re-open well after the monitor comes back from 'power save'.

[casebro]

SNAFU'd again.

[casebro]

It's intermittant. hut downs happen when I click to a more intense graphic, like from Google Map to satellite image.

Back side of GPU shows 66c when died. Sometimes monitor comes back on, w/, w/o fan going into hurricane mode.

Should I try re-pasteing the CPU?

[plague311]

You said this is Ubuntu? Have you done a driver check to see if anything else is available? Are there critical errors in the logs somewhere? It's possible this isn't hardware related.

Do you have another graphics card? Is there an onboard graphics card that you can pull the current and still see if it works? Do you have another computer you could put that graphic card in and see if it works?

[casebro]

Originally Posted by plague311

You said this is Ubuntu? Have you done a driver check to see if anything else is available? Are there critical errors in the logs somewhere? It's possible this isn't hardware related.

Do you have another graphics card? Is there an onboard graphics card that you can pull the current and still see if it works? Do you have another computer you could put that graphic card in and see if it works?

Yes to all. But would soft ware be intermittent / load sensitive?

Next I'll try thermal paste on the CPU.

[commandlinegamer]

It does sound graphics card related but:

Test the power supply - testers that plug into the 20/24 pin connector are available for a small fee.

Check the memory with memtest86. Can be run from a CD or flashdrive.

Check your hard disk/SSD for bad sectors. A live linux CD with "badblocks" can do this.

Do a visual inspection of motherboard and other PCBs where they have electrolytic capacitors which may be bulging/leaking.

[casebro]

Oh NOES! I opened it in safe mode,like a dozen times before. This time clicked 're[air broken packages". Them 'resume'. Password prompt opened, my P-word NFG. Tried several times before I noticed a Ubuntu logo in the bottom right. Clicking it gave me the choice of ubuntu-wayland. Everything good -for now....

[casebro]

Originally Posted by casebro

Oh NOES! I opened it in safe mode,like a dozen times before. This time clicked 're[air broken packages". Them 'resume'. Password prompt opened, my P-word NFG. Tried several times before I noticed a Ubuntu logo in the bottom right. Clicking it gave me the choice of ubuntu-wayland. Everything good -for now....

And it was good until a week ago. Black screen, nothing wprked. So used my tablet. Only good thing about a tablet is that it is better than a phone. I did some thunking, swapped in a 32 bit hared drive.It was nearlky functional, but no internet and still pixilated a bit. So I figured I need a HD. Hmm, what else could I replace/upgrade? So I pulled out the video card, hooked the monitor to the on-board, wha-la, prrfrction!. I guess when I tried the SVGA on board before, I had not removed the video card. Flawless for 4 days now.