(Moderator Edit: Please read through entire thread and check out the various screenshots provided before jumping into the discussion. This is a complicated one. Thanks!)

Hello all!

So I've built a PC, and have had lots of trouble trying to fix this black screen during gaming. I have posted this on Tom's Hardware, and AMD forums, but no luck! Below are all the messages I have posted on the forums, so you can understand the situation. If anyone of you beautiful people have any ideas, then please let me know :)

Thanks for reading!

Post 1

Hello guys!

So after lots of research into why I'm getting this issue, I have attempted most of the advice from previous people on the forum. Sadly I am still at a complete loss.

First of all here's what I got:

Intel Core i5 i5-4690K.

Asus AMD Radeon R9 290 DirectCU II OC Graphics Card (4GB, GDDR5, PCI Express 3.0)

HyperX FURY Series 16 GB

Gigabyte Z97X-SLI Intel LGA1150 Z97 ATX Motherboard

Corsair Builder Series CXM 750W PSU

I don't believe it's a hardware issue because I've sent back all the items to Amazon multiple times. I've asked for advice from them, but their only advice was to refund, to which, I did so. It's gotten to the point where I'm unable to get replacements anymore. I have put together this computer correctly, and tested both memory and CPU. Both came back fine.

The issue happens randomly during gameplay. Sometimes it can happen after 1hour, or 5minutes. With FFXIV:RR (MMO) it mostly happens after 10 minutes. I have underclocked heavily (didn't have affect) and made sure power settings are for performance. I have removed AMD drivers completely and then added them back on. This worked perfectly, and FFXIV was great! However, next day (nothing changed) issue came back. I repeated the step of removing all traces of drivers, then added them back on. This didn't have the same affect. I have made sure all cables are firmly connected. I'm 100% it's not the screen because the cursor can be seen when screen goes black, I can even alt-tab out. My video editing software has also become affected, as it's too sluggish to complete any task.

Strangely enough after turning on the software to measure CPU heat, the fan sounds louder, and all is fine. This might be an odd coincidence. Anyway i'm really quite upset with the situation, and at complete loss. Never had this problem before with any system. I'm all ears for suggestions.

Thanks for reading!!

Edit:

I have noticed a program in task manger called "3D_Enable_G". I haven't noticed this program before, and seems to be why the fan got louder. Unsure if this is useful or not.

Post 2

Sometimes I get the error "AMD Drivers Stopped Responding". I've also tried putting the fan speed to 55% in Catalyst. The black screen still occurred sadly.

Post 3

Removed all previous drivers with normal install, then advance system care to clear up any leftover files. It's a pretty good software, which does the job!

Oh god, I couldn't even tell that was a switch xD (Referring to BIOS switch on GPU). It's even smaller in person. Okay I switched it to the left, which is the performance mode I believe? I am unsure because like you said, it seems like something that should be already on. I always thought AMD were good? It's crazy to think that all users of this GPU has to jump through these hoops.

Sadly it still crashed : ( Below are all the pictures I took after the crash, so you can see the dip. Hopefully that will help? Sometimes, it would allow me to tab out. Others, the game become unresponsive, and needed task manger to switch it off.

EDIT:

I've also noticed that my GPU temperature is a solid 80c at idle (this is fixed by restarting PC).

Post 4

Can't believe it. The program cleaned everything, and it all seems to be good (referring to using Display Driver Uninstaller).

Post 5

I'm sad to say it's returned. While there was a noticeable different in quality with the fan and clean drivers. The black screen did return.

I cleaned the drivers from AMD, and Nvidia. I left Intel alone. Should I clean Intel? Also, I have two hard drives hooked up. The second hard drive that I use for storage has AMD drivers. Is it possible to clean the drivers on the second hard drive?

Post 6

- I cleaned all drivers with safe mode on

- It happens during any form of game, but sometimes it takes longer for the black screen to happen on some games. Sometimes the black screen happens during gameplay when standing still. However, other times, it happens soon as I walk or move.

- Most of the time I can tab out, and stop the unresponsive game. Some cases, I need to use task manger because the AMD drivers have stopped.

- When I upgraded this PC, it was all in one go. All brand new items. First time, happened to be the best. I had a processor, which turned up badly beaten due to postage. It worked, and was able to game for hours on Witcher 3. New processor came in mail (replacement) and everything went downhill. The game was choppy with black screen. I replaced processor again. The choppyness went away, and the game now runs maxed out smoothly 60FPS (FFXIV, Witcher 3). However, I still get these black screens. It's possible the Witcher 3 ran smooth because it was before a patch, which reports people having issues with AMD. I didn't test any other game with the first processor. I replaced the GPU, PSU and Motherboard thinking this would be the solution after speaking to Amazon. I would be amazed if the components are damaged after the returns.

- I removed GPU tweak. I tested with no tweaks at all with any program. I tested with the GPU switch to the previous side with fan adjustment, and without. Vice-versa to other GPU switch side.

- The crashing is complete random. I played FFXIV for 40minutes with no problems. Played for a further 5minutes (same session) and it crashed. Logged back in quickly and crashed 2 times in a row.

Post 7

(When asked about assembly of PC)

All the parts came separately. I put together this PC myself. Each part I've sent back to Amazon, has been in it's own separate box. I have sent back all the parts multiple times now trying to solve this issue. I think if I were to send back anything, I would have to pick carefully because Amazon are kinda p***** at me now. They even sent back an email about the amount I've returned. Right now I am on my second motherboard, 3rd graphic card, 2nd PSU, 3rd CPU and 2nd RAM.

It's bad I know, but I have never seen this problem before and don't know how to problem solve it. So I simply just returned whatever I thought was causing the trouble.

Guys, I don't think it's hardware because I have sent back all items to Amazon after failing to solve the issue myself. If it's hardware issues, then it's the GPU. Games becomeunresponsive after random amount of time, and gives me black screens. Sometimes I can tab out, where I get the message "AMD DRIVERS HAVE STOPPED", and other times, well I need to use task manger to shut the whole thing down. I have tried everything at this point, and I don't know what else to do.

Post 8

Answer: "So your card is overheating as a result of insufficient power supply at 12v and/or a case with crappy airflow."

My reply: Hello! Thanks for getting back. Much appreciated. I don't think it's overheating because I've manually knocked up the fan to the point, it sounded like a jet was about to take off in my room, and it still crashed during gameplay. The case has it's side take off and the flow is good. I also own a 750w PSU.

If it's overheating could you please instruct me on what to do next? If it's simply adjusting some values on afterburner, I would appreciated some steps because it's an area i'm slightly worried about doing myself.

Thanks <3"

This post is extraordinarily long and difficult to read and make sense of, but it sounds like a bad GPU. I would try to contact the manufacturer for support and possible RMA. No GPU should be idling at 80c. Asus is very good about this stuff, just start the support process on their website.

@mb: Apologies about the layout an not making much sense. It has been going on for about 2 weeks? I thought I was okay with computers, but never experienced a problem like this before. I'm a little lost, and don't know how to approach such issues. I hope you can understand :)

Hmm, how long will this take? I do require my PC. It's hard to believe after all the returns it's a faulty GPU, but I am known to bad luck with computers.

Hard to say, it could take weeks. However, you do have the iGPU from your Haswell that you can use to drive a monitor in a pinch if you end up having to send in your Asus card.

@mb: Alright I might have to do that. Thank you for reading and for the support <3

That's a bad GPU. I had a very similar issue that I put up with for too long. I'd suggest replacing the graphics card as soon as possible.

80c at idle is definitely a problem... If this temperature is consistent with multiple GPUs there has to be an airflow problem with your setup. How's your fan setup on your case?

@believer258:It's hard to believe after three returns, but I thank you for the confirmation. I will write to Amazon and attempt to explain the situation. I choose AMD because personally I never had issues with them, and saw the reviews were good for the GPU. It's probably just one of those things though. I'm one of the weird people who returned 5 Xbox 360's because of disk marking issues along with new copies of GOW (when it was new), which upset GAME.

@hypnotoadbrwowrowrow: It hits 80c after launching a demanding program like games, and is unable to bring that temperature down. I have to restart the computer. I know it's obvious clues, but after 3 returns, you start to think maybe you are doing something wrong xD The case flow I believe to be fine. The sides are open with plenty of room to breath. Starting up the PC and leaving it to idle the temp is normally around 30c - 40c. Thanks for the reply!

If your GPU is hitting 80 under load, after closing the game and going back to your desktop it should only take a couple of seconds for the card to come back down to near idle temperature.

@thesecondagent: Sorry, for some reason I thought you said you hadn't replaced the graphics card yet. My bad.

@thesecondagent: I'm sure it's good, but just for the sake of our information and covering all bases, list out your intake and exhaust fans, and their locations.

Wait a second... The GPU had already been replaced three times? And you're having the same problem still? If that is the case then I sincerely doubt you have yet another bad GPU.

Guys, did I get that right? Sorry OP but there is a lot to digest here.

@maginnovision I actually agree... It may be time to get some help from someone local with more experience. I think this problem may be more than can be solved over the Internet, especially given the manner in which it is being presented.

@hypnotoadbrwowrowrow:Does this help? Sorry I have never had a high spec PC before. If it doesn't then would you please let me know :) Thanks!

@maginnovision: That's fair to say. I have never had a high spec PC before, and saved up enough to buy these parts. If possible I would like to avoid going to a shop because I assume they are expensive. Also, i'm not sure if PC World does that? That's the only computer store I know around where I live. Thanks for the idea :) I'll keep it in mind.

@thesecondagent: Why is your target GPU temp set to 85c??? And does that power limit say its set to +50%?

If you are having problems, why are you even using a GPU overclocking utility at all?

It's utterly, utterly bizarre that you're having problems despite having returned pretty much everything at least once. It doesn't seem like a kind of misfortune, either, since the problem seems to be identical each time, from what you're describing. As others have said, though, your GPU should absolutely not run at 80c when idle.

Something you haven't addressed is your Windows install. Did you carry the drive over from an old PC (I'm guessing not.)? Is it a HDD or an SSD? At this point, having gone through the process of replacing the parts so often, I'd be looking at doing a completely fresh install of Windows, provided you haven't already done this already. There is absolutely no reason to my mind for the same issue to continually come up across multiple repetitions of the same hardware.

Other quick thing, you definitely have disabled the iGPU from within the BIOS, correct? Have you tried removing the 3D_Enable_G process from the startup processes?

@thesecondagent: Whoaaaaaaa. Yeah.. first off, default EVERYTHING! Second: I was asking for you to simply list out the size of fans you have on your case, which of those are exhaust and intake fans, and where they are placed on your case.

EX:

• 200mm Intake, lower-front
• 140mm Intake, lower-left
• 120mm Exhaust, upper-back
• 120mm x3 Exhaust, top above radiator (pull)

Edit: also, yes, make sure your integrated GPU (on your CPU) is disabled through your BIOS setting.

Dude forget about your Haswell integrated graphics for now. You have an overclocking problem, your last two screenshots make it clear as day. What you've done here is instructed AMD Overdrive to try and keep your GPU at 85c ALL THE TIME - that's why the card is idling at around that temperature. The overclocking software is keeping the card under full power and load conditions to try and maintain the temperature target that you instructed it to. From what I can see, the GPU and software are all operating exactly as they should be. It's your settings that are the problem.

Reset AMD Overdrive to defaults and uninstall it. In fact, if you are overclocking ANYTHING else at this point or have any other overclocking utilities installed, reset everything to default/automatic and uninstall them. This includes your motherboard BIOS settings. Load optimized defaults and leave it at that for now. Especially since you are new to all this, overclocking is something you shouldn't even be considering until you have a stable system and are more comfortable with PCs in general.

@mb:That was recently set after a suggestion from the AMD forums. All settings have been put back to default now.

@monosukoi: This HDD is carried over. I like to keep my hard drive virtually empty. I don't think there's anything on here that would cause this much trouble, but a fresh install is a good idea. I'll probably do that later tonight. I did disable the iGPU and then enable it to see difference. I didn't see any. I will disable it again to rule it out. Honestly I don't even know what 3D_Enable is, but i will stop that during startup.

@hypnotoadbrwowrowrow: Oh dear, ummm. I own the 'Cooler Master Gladiator 600'.

- Front: 1 x 120mm

- Top: 1 x 140mm

- Optional Rear: 1 x 120mm

- Optional Side: 2 x 120mm

- Internal fan: 120mm

Both side cases have been taken off.

I set everything back to default. Idle reached 61c and heard high pitched noises for few seconds. I believe that was some coil whine? I have noticed the fan won't go past 20% when on automatic.

@thesecondagent: Why are you using AMD Overdrive at all, though? Can you take screenshots of all of your current settings? Honestly...providing screenshots like that without context or when/why software was installed isn't helping anything.

It would be helpful to see current graphs of your GPU temperatures (both idle and load), power consumption, fan speed, and the like. You can use a simple, free utility like MSI Afterburner to give you this stuff.

Can you also download GPU-Z and take screenshots of the information just to rule out a couple of things? It should only take a second.

http://www.techpowerup.com/gpuz/

I think what HypnoToad may have been getting at was - what is the configuration of these fans? Which ones are set to exhaust and which ones are intake? Not that it matters with your side panels taken completely off though, but with the panels off just make sure you have some kind of air movement going through your components and it'll be fine. That is probably the last of your worries right now.

I'm going to suggest putting the side panel back on. Less risk of dust and debris and what not... even though it might not ultimately matter, but it's safer, I would imagine.

Another good program to use for monitoring processes is Process Explorer. I used it to track an .exe that was opening/closing quickly (Avira ad) and stealing focus from other apps. In your case it might show you unwanted .exes that may be running. Again, this might not help your topic problem, but you mentioned tracking some unknown .exe so check it out.

This is a big red light. You're lucky that this old Windows install even started with a new motherboard.

Sort this basic thing out before even considering any hardware issue. Do a fresh install of Windows and before anything else install all motherboard drivers from the included CD. I can't stress this enough. You are most likely wasting your and our time with this frankenstein install you're going with. Holy shit.

Your AMD card is not overheating at 85 C.

@mb: I know it's frustrating dealing with dumb people over the internet. I thank all of you for spending the time in helping me out and I mean that. The reason why I used Overdrive was because I started to follow any advice given to me because I got annoyed. I stupidly expect to throw cash at the screen and hoped for a good system to edit footage on. Right now I'm getting caught up in the large web I created with all the adjustments. I have started to take everything back to the basics.

- I stupidly downloaded everything from the motherboard CD and GPU CD. Gigabyte put loads of programs onto the computer. I removed all, but 'BUSB', 'APP Center' (allows me to check bio update) and '@BIO B14.1003.1' (I don't even...). I cleaned up all left over files with 'Advance System Care'.

- I stopped the processor IGPU along with setting everything back to default (with exception to IGPU)

- I'm going to cleanly remove the AMD driver now and put on 14.12, which I believe to be the most stable.

I will provide those screenshots in a moment :)

@szlifier: I know it must be hard dealing with me. I apologize, but come on :_____: I already feel bad for asking for help. No need to point out i'm wasting your time. I didn't fresh install because honestly I didn't think there was any need. I will do this later on tonight.

@thesecondagent: Sorry, I didn't want to be mean. I just broke when I read that you replaced parts multiple times before even considering an OS reinstall. A fresh install is mandatory when you change the motherboard.

P.S. Never use registry cleaners.

Absolutely.

@thesecondagent I'm going to temporarily close this thread until you can do the following. Please send me a PM when it's done and if you still need more help, but honestly...you have a lot of work to do on your own before anyone here can help you any further.

1. Do a full format of your hard drive and do a clean installation of Windows.

2. Fully update Windows.

3. Install the chipset drivers for your motherboard, you should download the newest versions directly but you can use the motherboard support disc if you absolutely have to

4. Download and install the newest Radeon graphics drivers directly from http://support.amd.com/en-us/download# - not from the disc that you may have that came with your GPU. Do not use drivers that "you believe to be the most stable" - download the latest full release that is appropriate for your operating system and use that.

5. Do not overclock anything, don't change any hardware settings, nothing. Install no other software besides the bare minimum of drivers required to get your PC running properly, and possibly a game. Keep it simple. Please, do NOT use AMD Overdrive right now, don't even download it. No overclocking or tweaking until things everything is running stock, normal software and settings and is stable.

Once all of this is done and you have a clean slate to work with that is fully updated and running the latest Radeon graphics drivers, send me a PM and we can talk about opening up this thread or perhaps starting a new one. But yeah...you've got some work to do.

Good luck.