A few weeks ago, I encountered a puzzling issue with my computer. Each time I tried to play certain games, during launch my screen would abruptly go black, followed by a message indicating that the monitor was entering sleep mode. Otherwise, the computer worked fine. Determined to get to the bottom of this, I began a most arduous troubleshooting trek. I repeatedly started the problematic games, tweaked their video settings, checked the monitor connection, and reviewed the system configuration—covering hardware, software, and firmware. I even scrutinized the power supply, using both specialized software and a meter, but everything checked out fine. Online resources repeatedly suggested power supply issues, yet my tests showed no faults there. My video card also passed all tests, although I noted the GPU temperature was slightly elevated, albeit still within normal operating limits.
Driven by intuition, I decided to remove and disassemble the video card. That's when I discovered what might be the culprit: the heat sink paste between the GPU and the aluminum heat sink had dried out! After carefully cleaning the surface and all other components of the card, I applied a fresh layer of paste and reassembled the video card. Happily, the games that previously caused the monitor to sleep now ran flawlessly.
My video card is only a couple of years old, so it was surprising to find the paste had dried so quickly, but such is life. While the internet is a treasure trove of advice and solutions, sometimes the most effective fixes are those you least expect.
Computer Video Issues
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The forum rules are short and simple and are as follows:
1) Respect each other, even when there is disagreement.
2) No cursing, or name calling, or other derogatory remarks.
3) Opinions are just that, opinions, making opinions neither right nor wrong.
4) Don't post copyrighted material (if you're unsure, then for sure don't post it).
Computer Video Issues
Last edited by Gene on Mon Apr 29, 2024 10:34 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Computer Video Issues
I've been watching the temperature on the video card, during the day the temp is between 113F to 118F, however, interestingly enough in the evening it's between 84F to 86F. The A/C runs periodically to maintain a constant ambient temperature of 74F in the rooms, whether it's night or day, and yet the computer runs cooler at night, despite the ambient temp being the same during the day. Go figure.