You might have found many articles, blogs, and forums dedicated to PC components and builds claiming that you have a dying GPU because you experienced a few glitches.
But is your powerhouse GPU really dying?
Before you spend hundreds of dollars on one of the next-gen GPUs and put in all the effort on replacing the old one, let us explain how you can diagnose a dying GPU.
We will guide you through the diagnostics process so you can solve minor problems at home.
How to Diagnose a failing GPU
Most people do not realize there is a GPU failure until the computer crashes in the middle of playing video games.
Other common issues include:
- black screen or blue screen glitches
- screen flickering
- the computer crashes and does not reboot
- extreme graphic glitches while playing games
- unusual fan performance or noises (loud beeping noise, fan overworking, producing too much heat, etc.)
In worse cases, there might be smoke coming out of the PC because the graphics card failure resulted from the GPU fan not working correctly and the GPU overheating.
This can happen due to a couple reasons including:
- Static overload during graphics card installation
- the installed graphics card is incompatible
- Failing GPU components due to faulty manufacturing or faulty components
- overheating from dirty, inefficient cooling fans
- overheating from worn bearings or faulty cooling fans
- component damage due to moisture
- GPU’s stability has significantly degraded
- running games on incompatible graphics cards and software drivers
But don’t worry, you can keep your GPU in tip top shape by following a few simply guidelines.
How to avoid GPU issues
#1 Update your drivers
The best way to avoid dying GPU failure is to regularly update to the latest drivers.
#2 Clean your PC
It’s advisable to do regular maintenance cleaning on your whole PC incl. the GPU.
You can learn how to do so by watching video tutorials online, example:
#3 Undervolt and monitor temps
You can also reduce the clock speed if you have overclocked your graphics card. One of the best tools to do that is MSI Afterburner. There are quite a few guide out there on how to use it.
If you are worried about the GPU still overheating, you can install heat monitoring software or use a thermal pad to ensure the GPU fan continues working properly to dissipate heat.
HWinfo64 is among the best temp monitors for your GPU – you can get it here for free.
That’s it. Following these three basic principles will keep your GPU in perfect shape (until the next upgrade ;-))
