Troubleshooting a Strange Issue...

onipar

Member
Okay, this is a weird one...

I was having an issue with my monitor getting stuck in "power save mode" (no input detected) if my computer restarts. It ONLY happens with a restart. The only way to get my monitor to work again is to hard shut down the computer by holding the power button down, then booting back up. If I shut down completely and then cold boot, it works fine.

Okay, so I initially assumed it was a problem with the monitor (Dell S2440L) because it did the same thing with my old computer. I now have a brand new build (https://pcpartpicker.com/b/6t4qqs).

The reason I started to wonder about the GPU is because in an effort to NOT have to hard reboot, I tried plugging the HDMI cable into my TV, and there was no signal detected. I then tried connecting the digital (DVI?) into an older monitor, and again, no signal! SO I reverted to the hard reboot which of course fixed the issue, but now I'm wondering...

Is it the monitor, the gpu, both?

OS is Windows 10. CPU is Ryzen 2700X, so no integrated graphics, and unfortunately, no, I have no other gpu to test.

Any tips?
 

Kitsune

Member
Pretty sure you answered your own question here.
Also your 650W may actually be under powered for it. It says it requires a 450W power supply for the GPU buuuutttt it depends on how the power supply is built.
I have had several friends with problems similar that ended up being the power supply even though the power supply was rated above what the video card requires, also you have to consider how many things you have running in your pc like Hard drives that also rob the power away from the GPU.. But the card also may be crapping out... Hard to tell.
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
Also your 650W may actually be under powered for it.

The power supply should be fine, I wouldn't worry about that yet.

Try some troubleshooting. Reinstall the graphics driver, try reverting to an older driver if that fails. Does it happen after the computer comes out of standby?

Do you manually update Windows or do you just let Windows update itself?
 

onipar

Member
Thanks! Sorry for the late reply here, I thought I had it set to email me when I got responses.

So, yes, I have uninstalled/reinstalled drivers with no effect. It does not have the same issue coming out of standby. And I have Windows set to automatically update.

I'm hoping it's not the PSU... I used the wattage calculator and even when adding extra fans USB devices etc that I don't have, I got a recommended PSU of 450 watts.

The card and monitor were both purchased used. The card seemed brand new (bought from a student of mine who said he only used it for a year or less). Would there be other tell-tale signs if it's the card?

Are you recommending I take automatic updates off for Windows?

Thanks!
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Card would be my first suspect. If you've clean reinstalled drivers then card might be starting to go or just have bad power/signal regulation. Not a real great way to check. Maybe run Furmark or another GPU benchmark for a while and see how it does. Might also try underclocking it slightly and see if that helps as that can alleviate issues with dying cards.

PSU is possible, but doubt it.
 

onipar

Member
Darren, thanks! I guess I can try the drivers again. As I'm thinking about it, I may have only tried the monitor drivers (as I thought it was just the monitor), and I can't remember for sure if I tried the card drivers or not. I'll give that a go. As for Furmark, am I basically just running that to see if the computer crashes from stress? Thanks!
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah, monitor the temperature, clock speeds, and performance (FPS). If they're erratic, especially early on, card might be going out. Not a definitive test by any means but if it's erratic or strange in how it acts wit the stress test that might point towards something. After about 5 minutes of testing it should be pretty settled into a temperature and performance output that stays consistent.

Use DDU for driver reinstallation.

https://www.computerforum.com/threa...all-graphics-drivers-amd-nvidia-intel.230370/
 

OmniDyne

Active Member
Are you recommending I take automatic updates off for Windows?

No, but manually updating Windows 10 should be avoided as it can cause issues. Microsoft decided that any user is considered a beta tester if you manually click "check for updates". This means that Windows will install untested updates and it can cause a host of problems.

As long as you're not manually updating I'd rule that out.
 

Kitsune

Member
https://www.hwinfo.com/ Is great for monitoring everything the computer does. Including voltages of anything important like the GPU as well as load percentages, maximum, minimum and average clock speeds used, temps ect...... its pretty handy.
 

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onipar

Member
OmniDyne, ah, thanks for the clarification. Well, I may have checked for updates early on when I first built the system, but since them I just let it update when it updates.

Darren, I updated my graphics drivers (it actually did need to be updated), and I ran that furmark program for about 45 minutes. No crashes, temp stable at a peak of 80 degrees C. I tried restarting the system, and the problem persists. I need to get my hands on a different monitor to test, because at this point I feel like it has to be this monitor causing the issue.

The only other problem I've been having doesn't *seem* to be related, but if it is maybe it could shed light. When my computer comes back from sleep mode, the internet connection is no longer established. It reconnects itself after 30 seconds or so, but nothing I've tried fixes it (like unchecking efficient computer settings in power settings, etc). It's a wired connection. No idea why it won't stay online in sleep mode.

Thanks, Kitsune! I have that loaded already. I built this computer earlier this year and had stress tested and monitored it a lot near the beginning to see how everything was functioning.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Try a BIOS flash? Should have suggested that sooner actually. Definitely some power regulation issues since you lost Internet too. I've had that behavior before on different motherboards, both the black screening and internet issues on resuming. BIOS flash might be your ticket, can also check the power options in there to see if there's anything might be worth toggling.
 

onipar

Member
Darren, it's funny, I was just playing around in power settings again. Everything there seems fine, though I may try changing it from the "AMD Balanced" to the windows default "high performance" to see if anything changes.

Yeah...I've wanted to do a bios flash for months now to see if that fixed anything, but I'm a bit gun shy about the prospect. Everything I've read seems to suggest avoiding a bios flash except in the most extreme cases. I know nothing should go wrong as long as I don't lose power in the middle of the update, but it still worries me to mess around with, especially since where I live, power has been known to knock out due to high wind, rain, and other unknown reasons. May still have to give it a shot though.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
People get WAY too antsy about BIOS flashes, personal pet peeve actually.

It's usually a matter of just running a program or maybe loading a file onto a flash drive and pointing the BIOS utility at it.. I've done it hundreds of times. Don't do it in the middle of a thunderstorm, you'll be fine. Back in the day it was much riskier but nearly any modern board will recover from a failed flash no problem. Many have a dual BIOS anyway.

I'd stick to the AMD Balanced, it actually has a tangible effect on CPU performance, at least when they first released it compared to normal.
 

onipar

Member
Right on, thanks for the heads up on the power setting. Yeah, I know my fear of the bios update is silly, but it's been hard to shake. The weather here today is a bit windy and stormy, but I'll give the bios update a go on the next nice day. Thanks for all the help!
 

onipar

Member
Hip, Hip, Hooray! :)

SO, first funny thing. Remember I said I wanted to wait an extra day before flashing the bios because it was windy and stormy here? Well, the next day, a brand new BIOS update was added to Gigabyte's page for my mother board (f5)! SO that was a lucky break.

Anywho, I flashed the bios. Went smoothly and quickly, no issues. And you know what? The monitor issue has been resolved! I can now restart my computer without losing connection to the monitor! So that's awesome.

Unfortunately the internet still disconnects after coming back from sleep mode. I wish I could figure that issue out, but I guess it's really not much more than a minor inconvenience at the end of the day. So I have to wait an extra thirty seconds when coming back from sleep. I could just turn off sleep mode too I guess.

Anyway, thanks again for he help!
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Ayyy. As soon as the BIOS idea popped into my head I figured that would do it.

Is the internet WiFi or Ethernet (may have missed it if you said). If it's WiFi that's not surprising, sometimes those cards take a little bit to catch back up.

Psh sleep mode. Modern computers are so power efficient I really don't give it much thought of leaving it on. I shut it off at night (usually) but I did power bill comparisons of running it 24/7 vs not and was negligible. If the internet issue is an annoyance just have it go into a screensaver or something. Sleep can cause some of the strangest computer quirks, especially on custom builds and high end hardware weirdly enough.
 

onipar

Member
Ayyy. As soon as the BIOS idea popped into my head I figured that would do it.

Is the internet WiFi or Ethernet (may have missed it if you said). If it's WiFi that's not surprising, sometimes those cards take a little bit to catch back up.

Psh sleep mode. Modern computers are so power efficient I really don't give it much thought of leaving it on. I shut it off at night (usually) but I did power bill comparisons of running it 24/7 vs not and was negligible. If the internet issue is an annoyance just have it go into a screensaver or something. Sleep can cause some of the strangest computer quirks, especially on custom builds and high end hardware weirdly enough.

Yeah, I really should have just did the bios update ages ago; thanks for the push. I can no see why it annoys you that people freak out about it. Took about 5 minutes. Probably one of the easiest things I've done on my computer.

The connection is a wired one, direct to the router. But yeah, I think I'll just turn sleep off. I actually had it off for months, and then I couldn't remember why, so I turned it back on and was like, "Ohhhh, yeah." Haha.
 

Darren

Moderator
Staff member
Yeah BIOS flashes are easier than installing most programs these days. Couple clicks and a reboot at most.
 

onipar

Member
Yeah BIOS flashes are easier than installing most programs these days. Couple clicks and a reboot at most.
Speaking of reboot, after the bios installed and it said "restarting," I panicked! I was like, Oh crap, I completely forgot the monitor may not turn back on! And then it did, and I was pretty sure it worked.
 
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