PC behaves strangely (occasionally no video signal, one BSOD)

[Valgua]

Hi!


In the last two weeks my PC, which until now worked flawlessly, has started to behave strangely. It all started when I updated (clean update) the most recent Nvidia drivers. When I restarted my PC the screen first amber like it usually does but never came back to green. The display simply did not receive any HDMI signal. I managed to regain the HDMI signal only after several resets. This problem emerges occasionally. A few days can go by without any issues and then one day, when I start my PC, the video signal is gone again. I cannot even see the bios screen. The display stays simply blank. I know that windows is working as I can hear its sounds (both the starting chime and the sound windows makes when an usb device is removed) and my peripherals seem to be operational (all lights are on and the right leds go on when I press caps lock on the keyboard). A couple of times the problem has occurred while playing games (the Witcher 3 and BF Hardline). The most recent development occurred today. I was in the loading screen of The Witcher 3 when I got a blue screen with a sad face with the message "memory_management". As we speak I am running windows 8.1 Memory Diagnostics (extended version). The test has reached 50% and found absolutely nothing so far.

I have no skill when it comes to hardware. I plan to take my PC to a good shop to have it serviced. I would like, however, to have a rough idea of what the problem is. The occasional nature of these issues make it hard to reproduce them or test them.

I will be deeply thankful for any suggestion or thought.

My specs:

- Intel i7
- Nvidia Geforce 970
- 16 gb DDR3
- PSU: Corsair GS800


UPDATE: I ran Windows Memory Diagnostics extended version. It took me several hours and it found absolutely nothing. Can this mean that the PSU is the culprit? Any input is very welcome.

 

[Dlaw]

It's possible, but not likely. It sounds to me like the GPU and memory modules need to be reseated. That's where I would start.

 

[trents]

You say sometimes it will not even display the bios screens. This could not be a driver issue as the drivers are not loaded until you are going into Windows. Do you have another slot on the motherboard you could at least temporarily move the video card to to test the possibility that there is something failing about the primary PCI-e slot?

 

[t1nm4n]

I'd swap out cables if you have a spare or another one you could use to test, if it still does it then you at least know it's not that. I mean machines act funny when items are plugged and seated properly.

 

[Valgua]

Thanks for your replies and suggestions. I am playing with a radical idea. My PC, with the exception of my Nvidia 970, is five years old. Perhaps I should simply upgrade my mobo, my ram, my cpu and my PSU and be done with it.
I assume by now that the VGA might have to be reseated but is not defective. Or could I be wrong?

 

[t1nm4n]

Your choice to upgrade, not knowing what components you have makes it hard for anyone here to give suggestions. I'd rather figure out what the conflict is before anything else, I mean I upgraded cause my last desktop was an Athlon XP2400+ I think, single core still using DDR not DDR2 but just regular DDR memory and the mobo was around before SATA came into use, that was an old PC, it still works. Have you checked the cables, or tried a different output?

Simple test like DLaw suggested, turn PC off unplug power and take the card out put it back in (be sure to unplug any monitor and power cable before you pull the card out) to make sure it was seated correctly, might not have to touch memory if you haven't messed with it. Hard to tell if the component is bad or not without being there first hand, but I'd guess (without being there it hard to tell and again not knowing the rest of the components,) it's just some bad drivers or the ever so slightest connection problem.

Could always uninstall the Drivers you just put in and try using some older drivers, I have had hit or miss luck with the newest drivers, sometime they work and sometime they cause more problems then they were intended to solve.