Is my GPU causing issues with my PC? Fans go crazy and I lose signal when gaming… What should I do?

I recently built a new PC with an AsRock 7800xt, and I’ve been having an issue. When I play intensive games, the GPU fans kick into overdrive, and I lose signal to my monitor. I’ve tried using DDU to uninstall and reinstall drivers. I have two PCIe cables going into the GPU, but one of them is a split cable. Should I try getting a new cable that isn’t split?

Yes, you should try using two separate power cables, instead of one with a splitter.

Cai said:
Yes, you should try using two separate power cables, instead of one with a splitter.

I’m using two different power cables, but one of them is a split cable with one end hanging off. Just to be clear, that’s still not okay, right?

@PixelVoyager2
That setup should work fine. For high-power cards like yours, it’s best to have two separate cables plugged into each power header on the GPU. Leaving the split end hanging is okay.

Cai said:
@PixelVoyager2
That setup should work fine. For high-power cards like yours, it’s best to have two separate cables plugged into each power header on the GPU. Leaving the split end hanging is okay.

I don’t know what the issue is then. Maybe my PSU is the problem?

@PixelVoyager2
What wattage is your PSU?

Brynn said:
@PixelVoyager2
What wattage is your PSU?

750 watts

It sounds like the GPU is crashing and going into failsafe mode, which could be from a power issue or possibly a hardware failure. The splitter cable shouldn’t cause a problem if it’s not being plugged into both slots. But it might still help to unplug both cables and test with new ones to rule out any loose connections. You should also consider reseating the GPU. How do you recover when the video cuts out? Can you get the signal back without rebooting?

@Donna
When the signal cuts out, I have to reboot the system by pressing the power button. I might try putting my old RX 580 in to see if the issue happens with that too to narrow it down.

I had the same issue. After reinstalling the GPU drivers and reconnecting all power cables, the issue didn’t happen again.

As others have said, make sure both the power cables and the GPU are seated correctly. Another thing to check is the temperature. It might be overheating. Check the temps to see if that’s causing the problem.

From what I’ve seen for this card, a 700W or higher PSU is recommended. What are the temps when the issue happens? What does the event viewer say? Does the GPU come back without rebooting? Is the firmware updated? And is your power supply big enough?

@Ali
I have a 750W Corsair PSU. The GPU temps are about 74°C when it goes out. I’m not sure what event viewer is. I have to hold the power button to turn it off and on when the signal cuts out.

PixelVoyager2 said:
@Ali
I have a 750W Corsair PSU. The GPU temps are about 74°C when it goes out. I’m not sure what event viewer is. I have to hold the power button to turn it off and on when the signal cuts out.

As you mentioned earlier, try using the smaller GPU and see if the issue still happens. It seems like your PSU might be a bit small for that GPU.

@Ali
I’ve put my old GPU in, and I’ve been running PoE2 at 100% utilization for a while now, and it hasn’t cut out. PCPartPicker doesn’t show anything about 750W being too small for my build, but maybe it’s not accurate. I’m thinking of returning my 7800XT and either getting an XTX or a Sapphire 7800, or maybe just going for a cheaper GPU for 1080p.