PC Drivers & Software

[imjig]

A couple months ago my PC would crash when playing select games and sometimes when just using it a a workstation. At the time I was on Windows 10. To attempt to fix this problem I:

Updated to Windows 11
Updated every driver
Replaced RAM
Updated BIOS
Reinstalled Display Driver
Installed Older (Reliable) Display Driver
Replaced GPU

And it still crashes.

What is odd is when I replaced my GPU (I had a 6900xt), I bought a 3070 to use as a temporary card until I get my replacement from XFX & I didn't crash at all. While using the Nvidia card, my pc was more stable than ever. Last night I got a replacement card (6950xt) & once again it crashed.

I'm at a loss on what to do next.

Full specs:
GPU: 6950xt
CPU: 5950x
RAM: 32gb @3600

[johnnyenglish]

Hi, you haven't posted the PSU you have.

6900XT & 6950XT are very power hungry, specially the AIB ones. Not to mention the 5950X, this CPU alone can suck up to 180Watts stock.

Example:

ASUS recommends 1000Watt for a RoG 6950XT ....

[imjig]

Seasonic PRIME GX-1300 (1300w)

[johnnyenglish]

That is plenty of power and with a reputable brand. But we had to ask, there are lots of people that overlook this.

At this time, and if you didn't do that. Use DDU in safe mode. Remove everything in sight.

Then install minimal driver install and troubleshoot it.

Good Luck

[imjig]

I've already done exactly that when talking with XFX which ended up leading to an RMA, they said on their part there was nothing wrong with my gpu

[johnnyenglish]

Do you have a friend that can test the GPU?

In what circumstances does it crash?

Like, only on DX11 games or DX12 games, is there a game that does not crash? At the desktop, crashes underload, idle or browsing?

Tinker with the options, try to disable SAM and Freesync, underclock or powerlimit the card. You need to troubleshoot it because its still a bit vague at this point.

Example: I had crashes on my last system, but the cuplrit, although it looked like the GPU, was the corsair memory, could not run stock XMP settings.

[imjig]

The card its self is not the problem, when I sent it to XFX they tested it there and it was fine. The one they returned is a completely different card and a better model actually.

In terms of game testing, I did find it to not crash on Dx11 games however sometimes I crash without any game open at all. Fortnite for example, always crashed until I changed it to render using Dx11.

In terms of memory, I already replaced it.

[elstaci]

What is the Make & Model of your PSU?

As @johnnyenglish mentioned about your PSU possibly being the culprit.

Your PSU might be powerful enough for the Nvidia but not for the AMD GPU cards with your 5950x processor:

The Nividia RX3070 requires a minimum PSU wattage of 650 Watts while the AMD RX6950X requires a minimum PSU wattage of 850 Watts.

You can check for PC stability by stressing your PC with OCCT and keeping an eye on PSU Outputs and Temperatures and Fan speeds during the actual testing and see if it crashes and when it crashes with the AMD GPU Card.

[imjig]

Seasonic PRIME GX-1300 (1300w)

[imjig]

I have tried 3 different forums and researched everything I could think of, the lack of help I've received on this matter is disappointing for me. I've decided to just post the card for sale and I'm going to get a Nvidia card around the same performance of the 6950XT. I love AMD, especially the adrenalin software, but I can't use this card.

[cpurpe91]

How many displays are you using, and have you tried disabling Multi-Plane Overlay? What motherboard are you using and how many DIMM slots are populated?

If you have ruled out RAM, and the manufacturer sent a new, known working, GPU, that leaves the possibility of PSU or MOBO. An RTX 3070 pulls significantly less power than a 6950XT, so transient spikes could be tripping Over Current Protection with the 6950XT. The RTX 3070 may not be pulling enough power to trip it. 

While in nearly any case 1300w PSU of a reputable brand may be enough for this rig, I have seen a case where for seemingly no reason two Phanteks PSUs did not work at all with a 6900XT. I have also seen a few people saying some of the Seasonic Prime PSUs do suffer from issues with transient spikes causing systems to power off.

Do you by any chance have a PSU that you can sub in to test the theory that it may be a problem between your PSU and the transient spikes from your 6950XT?

[imjig]

I use 2 displays, the MOBO is ROG Strix X570-E Gaming. 2 DIMM slots a populated, 2 & 4. I have no tried disabling MPO.

I know when I'm about to crash because my entire system will start to freeze, everything lags behind running at like 2 frames a second before eventually freezing completely and blue screening. The last time I had task manager open and my SSD spiked to 100% usage.

For the PSU, I don't have another system to test it with, if needs be I can buy another PSU and return it after if it doesn't fix it.

[cpurpe91]

Try disabling MPO, and make sure you used DDU to remove the Nvidia drivers that were working for the RTX 3070. I have heard of MPO causing issues and I have seen machines behave wildly when people have not completely removed old drivers when switching between AMD and Nvidia. 

Post back if this doesn't fix the issue.

[imjig]

I apologize for the late response, this seemed to help a lot, but did not entirely fix it. I still ended up crashing however it took a lot longer than usual.

[imjig]

After playing for a bit more, It still crashes the same