# Random black screen + sound loop crash while playing games



## seventeenn (Jul 26, 2012)

I'm having problems with random crashes in any games that I play. What happens is my screen will go blank, the GPU fan speed increases by a large amount, and the only way to recover from the crash is to restart my PC. The problem only occurs while gaming, never while doing anything else on my computer.

Specs:

Windows Seven 64 Bit SP1
AMD Phenom II X4 @ 3.3 GHz
8GB Dual Channel RAM
ASRock 770 Extreme3 Motherboard
AMD Raedon HD 6670 1GB DDR5
Antec BP550 Plus 550W Continuous Power ATX12V PSU

So far I have tested my memory with memtest (came out with no problems) and my temps aren't going past 60 degrees for both CPU and GPU while gaming.

I have uninstalled and reinstalled drivers many times, and the crashes still happen. For some reason, these crashes never leave a dump file, so I can't post that.

I'm thinking that the GPU is just faulty, but it would be nice if I could solve the crash without having to RMA. Thanks for any help!


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## nobir (Jun 17, 2009)

Boy, this sure brings back memories.

I had the exact same problems as you a year ago. Except that my screen wouldn't go blank, it would just freeze the screen and a looping sound would go on forever. You can find my help request here.

Could you try/check the fans of the GPU whether they're really spinning? I had a Radeon not long ago where I set the fan speed in Catalyst to Auto, only to realize it was always at 0 %, hence the freezes/restarts. You might want to switch to Manual and set it to 40 % if that's the case.

And what games are you playing? If they're newer ones on high resolution (BF3, CoD MW2), the 550W PSU you have may not be enough to supply the GPU with enough power. Could you try playing older games for at least 30 minutes and see what happens? If you still get crashes, I would suspect the RAM.


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## seventeenn (Jul 26, 2012)

nobir said:


> Boy, this sure brings back memories.
> 
> I had the exact same problems as you a year ago. Except that my screen wouldn't go blank, it would just freeze the screen and a looping sound would go on forever. You can find my help request here.
> 
> ...


Yeah, the fan on my GPU is running, at around 50%, and sometimes I increase it to 75% or higher while gaming, to keep it cool. I use MSI Afterburner to monitor the temps/fan speed. It's not causing the crash since I've tried closing it before and it still happened.

This can happen in any game really (from LoL, to Minecraft, all the way to games like BF:BC2 and BF3) I highly doubt my PSU isn't supplying enough power to a card that draws all the power from the motherboard, and doesn't need any additional power connections from the PSU. It isn't very power hungry. I'm not totally casting out the PSU, as the amperage on the 12v line could be low.

I tried Memtest with both 4GB sticks running (and came back clean), should I try the test one stick at a time?

Also, not my video, but the video shows the EXACT problem I'm having: Black Screen + Buzzing Noise Problem - YouTube


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## Thrall (Feb 19, 2011)

I wouldn't rule out the PSU. What you are describing sounds like your GPU is either overheating or it doesn't get enough power. Now since I doubt your card is overheating due to the temperatures not going above 60c which is acceptable, I would say your PSU is a suspect. 

What I would suggest is trying the card in another computer with a good quality PSU and see if you still get any problems. If you don't get any problems then I would suggest replacing the PSU to a better quality one such as SeaSonic, XFX, Corsair (Not the CX, GS or M series) and 550W for the card should be enough.

If however you still get problems in another computer then that likely means the GPU is faulty in which case you probably have to RMA it. I really doubt this problem is caused by RAM but still it wouldn't hurt checking one stick at a time with memtest86 to make sure they are fine.


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## seventeenn (Jul 26, 2012)

Thrall said:


> I wouldn't rule out the PSU. What you are describing sounds like your GPU is either overheating or it doesn't get enough power. Now since I doubt your card is overheating due to the temperatures not going above 60c which is acceptable, I would say your PSU is a suspect.
> 
> What I would suggest is trying the card in another computer with a good quality PSU and see if you still get any problems. If you don't get any problems then I would suggest replacing the PSU to a better quality one such as SeaSonic, XFX, Corsair (Not the CX, GS or M series) and 550W for the card should be enough.
> 
> If however you still get problems in another computer then that likely means the GPU is faulty in which case you probably have to RMA it. I really doubt this problem is caused by RAM but still it wouldn't hurt checking one stick at a time with memtest86 to make sure they are fine.


Thanks for the reply. Since this I have replaced my GPU thinking that was causing the crash. For a while now, it hasn't happened, but recently it's been happening, again.

This pretty much leaves the PSU, and actaully, my CPU. I have a Phenom X2 560 that I unlocked into a Phenom X4 B60, which I assumed was a stable unlock as I can load into windows and do things such as Prime 95 for hours on end with no problem. But, it always leaves the option that while put under heavy load, the unlocked cores will encounter a problem.

Now, I just don't know what to replace; the PSU or the CPU? I'm leaning more towards the PSU, but I don't want to purchase a new one and have the crash STILL happen and have the CPU be the culprit all along. I think I'll go with your suggestion to try my card in a reliable PC and see if it still happens.


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## Thrall (Feb 19, 2011)

I would try the graphic card in another computer first and if it works there I would recommend replacing the PSU first as it might also contribute to the problems with your CPU.


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## pharoah (Aug 28, 2006)

just a curious question.have you updated your direct-x?it doesnt update with windows updates no more.

microsoft dx update


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