When I open games my computer restarts

[ericastinson]

I found a number that was an **bleep** prefix that I may call tomorrow as I don't need technical support as much as I need advice on how to proceed with this weird issue. How can I open an RMA(if applicable)for the PSU. I just want a replacement of the correct one so my card doesn't burn out. I hear you on not wanting to pay money for support. I am surprised that they don't at least have some sort of human-based directory for unusual situations.  Did what they tell you work out or are you still testing? I've pretty much done everything that NVidia recommended and I am waiting to hear back from them. I tried to get into one of my games(Lost Ark), and was able to, but stayed just long enough to get my daily bonus and came right out. I am terrified now to play for fear of the black screen issue messing up what I am doing in-game. Incidentally, there are tons of people that seem to have had the same problem around three years ago. I don't know if they got a batch of bad cards or what, but many people had to return their systems for a new card or they had to pay if they wanted it fixed. I think one person said she had to pay $300 to have it fixed out of warranty(by a month or so).  I am in Reddit and Discord forums now looking into the issue but it looks bad to build PCs with insufficient PSU.  One thing I tried, based on another poster with the same issue, I changed the vsync to on instead of the preset choice via NVidia Control Panel to see if that helps the issue. I don't know if it will work but I will see. 

[old_geekster]

Thank you for the additional information, @AsherLieb!

HP has their components built to work with all of the other components.  The video cards in their computers may not be the same as a retail version.  The PSU's they install will work properly with the other components.  The 800W PSU is not a problem.  The PSU doesn't push power to the components.  It provides power necessary to run the computer.  The extra power is used for peak requirements.

I have an 850W PSU and my computer only draws 550W.  Overkill, maybe, but I don't have to worry about upgrading my components.

[AsherLieb]

I hope that helps you. The number I found advised me on how to fix it. They were also open to schedule a send-in to replace parts if I end up needing it. It seems like you’ve located your problem with the PSU, but if that doesn’t work, I’d try reimaging your PC. I’m doing it right now. From what I’ve been told, if you do a local reset, it is like resetting you computer to square one, whereas when you reimage it, it is like resetting it to square zero. 

[ericastinson]

That's probably going to be my next step.  I ran diagnostics from the BIOS and everything passed, which indicates that there is not a problem with the hardware. This may mean the software if corrupted somewhere. Luckily, all of my games are on an external drive and I have very little on the C: drive if I have to reinstall windows. Also, NVidia got back to me and mentioned changing the power settings could help. They stated the following: 

"Windows Power Management Setting for PCI Express is one of the most common causes for low GPU usage, and this has been reported by many gamers. If this setting (Link State Power Management) is set to maximum power saving mode then it will cause the PCI Express interface to operate at lower clock speeds and cause PCI-E devices i.e. graphics card to under-perform."

They gave instructions on how to turn this off(if it's not already off)and see if that fixes it. If not, then I will reinstall windows. All I know is that Windows updated tons of files on the same day this happened the first time. So did NVidia. Then they updated something again(Windows) on Jan 10th. Same day my problem got worse. So I am wondering if there is some file corruption. Also, I plan to run a CHKDSK first to see if it finds anything before I reinstall. Will keep you posted. 

[ericastinson]

I have an update.  I have been researching this like mad over the past week and I stumbled onto someone who was having the exact same problem. I have already done most of the things he did, he tried all of the other things I was thinking about and the problem still happened. In the end, he found a video on YouTube that spoke of some very interesting things with newer GPUS.  He said that modern GPUs are prone to consume 3-4x listed power consumption in sudden spikes which will be very demanding on your PSU depending on specs. This was not captured in my logging as I only monitored every 1 minute and these spikes apparently happen in a fraction of a second...

The (temporary) fix that worked for me: I downloaded MSI Afterburner and set the "Power Limit %" to 80 (don't forget to apply!). This was about two weeks ago and I haven't had any black screens since. I have not tested increasing the power limit to find the ideal spot as I only play less demanding games in 2k with a 144hz monitor so I still can manage everything on Ultra with sufficient fps.

My current plan is to replace the 750w PSU with a 1000w PSU from a reputable brand to see if this permanently resolved the issue without gimping my system through 3rd party software.

I did what he said, and I launched 'Lost Ark'(something I play every day)and so far we are at an hour and a half with no issues. I am going to see how long it will hold but according to the guy that had this issue he's been at two weeks and counting with no issue.  

MY issue is, why is HP shipping these cards without the appropriate PSU in the first place? The GPU lasts just long enough and then you are out of warranty.  Also, the 30L has been discontinued so what are users having this issue supposed to do? Dial down the strength of the card and not get the best usage out of it? In any event, just wanted to follow up with what I've done.  Hope you are making out well with your issue.

[AsherLieb]

I am so glad you were able to come to some kind of solution! I sent it to HP for repairs. My magic number allowed me to send it for much cheaper than I thought I would have to! Hopefully it is speedy for both fixes. Wishing you the best!!

[ericastinson]

That's awesome! I am glad they were able to help you. I am not out of the woods yet with this, but it's crazy how many hoops I had to jump through to at least get things somewhat back to normal. Did they think for sure that it was you PSU or GPU or are they going to check? I saw where one person sent in the PC and all HP did was reinstall Windows. Btw, DID you reinstall the OS and still have the same problem? If I continue to have an issue then I will reinstall. I find it interesting that the first time my problem started was after a Windows update and an NVidia driver update on the same day.   Then on the 10th of this month it was an AMD Ryzen Master update and a multitude of Windows updates, some of those which failed to install. It's crazy! Anyway, please keep us posted on how you make out. 

[AsherLieb]

They believe that it is a GPU issue, so I payed upfront for what is expected to be a GPU issue and require a new GPU. I was told that if there are any other issues, they would deduct or add to the total cost. They said that software would incur no extra cost, but if there is another hardware problem on top of the current one, I would have to pay more and if it is different than what they think it is, they may deduct from the total and refund me some money. As for reinstalling the OS, I tried to do reimaging, but was getting a 3 long - 3 short error code and my computer would then shut down, so I was not able to complete it.

[ericastinson]

Wow, that definitely sounds like it was time for HP to intervene. I am still running the game with no issue at over 2 hours now. I am going to try a different one and see. If you are out of warranty were they still able to help you? All I want for my issue is to have the correct PSU or GPU replacement(if it's damaged) or both because the PSU is wrong. Also, did they pay for shipping or did you have to?

[AsherLieb]

They can definitely help you, however, like me, if you are out of warranty you have to pay for any repairs/replacements 😞