Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesA game crash by itself does not prove your graphics card is faulty. The strongest clues are what failed, whether the problem repeats across different games, what Windows recorded, and whether it persists after you return settings to stock and rule out driver, game, cooling, and other system problems.
First identify what “crash” means
Write down the game, the time of the failure, whether it has happened before, and any recent game, Windows, driver, hardware, or settings changes. Then distinguish among these outcomes:
- The game closes to desktop: This alone does not identify the GPU. A game bug, damaged game files, driver issue, or another system problem can also close a game.
- The display goes black and then returns: This can indicate that the graphics driver or GPU stopped responding and recovered, but it does not establish that the card itself is defective.
- The whole PC restarts or Windows shows a stop code: Record the exact code. A system restart can have hardware, driver, or software causes, and a stop screen is different evidence from a game-only exit. Microsoft’s stop-code guidance notes that identifying the root cause can be difficult.
Also note whether the failure occurs in one game or several unrelated games. A problem limited to one title makes a game-specific issue worth checking; repeated failures across different games under similar load make a broader system or graphics problem more plausible. Neither pattern is proof on its own.
Check Windows records for a clue
After a restart, black-screen recovery, or stop error, open Event Viewer and inspect the Windows Logs > System log around the failure time. Look for errors or warnings close to the event, and record any stop code, device name, or driver message. A display-driver entry can help narrow the investigation, but it does not prove that the GPU silicon has failed.
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One relevant stop code is VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE (0x116). Microsoft defines it as a case where “the GPU is taking more time than permitted to display graphics to your monitor.” Possible causes include a display-driver problem, overclocked components, incompatible settings, insufficient cooling or power, and defective parts. Treat 0x116 as a reason to investigate those possibilities—not as a verdict that the graphics card is dead. Microsoft’s VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE reference recommends checking nearby System log errors for clues about a device or driver.
Use a controlled troubleshooting order
Change one relevant variable at a time, then try to reproduce the same failure. If you change several settings or components at once, it becomes harder to tell what mattered.
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- Return GPU tuning to stock. Remove GPU overclocks or other non-default tuning for the test. NVIDIA notes that a newer driver can make a previously stable overclock unstable; its basic troubleshooting advice is to lower the overclock. If the issue stops at stock settings, that points to instability in the previous configuration, not necessarily a damaged card. NVIDIA’s crash troubleshooting guidance also recommends closing applications not needed by the game.
- Check the game and recent changes. If only one game fails, check whether it was recently patched and use its platform’s repair or file-verification function if available. If the failure began after a graphics-driver change, a driver reinstall or rollback is a reasonable controlled test; Microsoft includes driver rollback among its general stop-error troubleshooting options. Microsoft’s stop-code guidance covers general driver troubleshooting.
- Reduce background variables. Close unnecessary applications and overlays for a test, keeping only what the game needs. Retest without changing another setting at the same time.
- Check cooling and power conditions. With the PC off, look for accumulated dust and obvious cooling problems, such as fans that do not appear to operate normally. Overheating can contribute to freezing, restarting, or crashes; Microsoft also lists insufficient cooling and system power among possible contributors to 0x116. There is no single safe GPU temperature that applies to every model, so use the card maker’s specifications rather than a universal threshold.
Widen the diagnosis if crashes continue
Intensive games can expose problems outside the graphics card. NVIDIA identifies CPU, memory, motherboard, storage, and system-memory issues as possible sources of symptoms that resemble GPU trouble. If the failure persists at stock settings and after game and driver checks, consider broader system testing rather than assuming the GPU is responsible.
- Run memory and manufacturer diagnostics. Microsoft recommends Windows Memory Diagnostics and hardware diagnostics supplied by the computer or component manufacturer when troubleshooting VIDEO_TDR_FAILURE. Follow the diagnostic maker’s instructions; stop if you are unsure how to perform a hardware check safely. Microsoft’s 0x116 guidance describes these checks.
- Consider whether the symptom follows the card. If you have the experience and a compatible system available, testing the GPU in another computer—or testing another known-good GPU in the affected PC—can add useful evidence. A cross-test is not a guarantee: other system differences can affect the result, and many people cannot safely or conveniently swap components.
- Escalate with the records you collected. If diagnostics or cross-testing point to hardware, contact the PC or GPU manufacturer’s support and provide the stop code, nearby log entries, the affected games, and the changes you already tested.
Microsoft reports that, among Windows stop errors it analyzed, 70% were caused by third-party driver code, 10% by hardware, 5% by Microsoft code, and 15% had unknown causes because memory was too corrupted to analyze. Those figures describe Microsoft’s analysis of stop errors; they are not a breakdown of game crashes or GPU failures and should not be used to estimate the odds that a particular card is bad. Microsoft’s stop-code troubleshooting page provides the figures and broader guidance.
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- 90-DEGREE GPU POWER METER FOR 12VHPWR – WireView 90 Pro combines power monitoring with angled cable routing.
- HELPS REDUCE CABLE STRAIN IN TIGHT CASES – The 90-degree layout supports cleaner GPU power-cable management.
- HARDWARE-BASED MONITORING WITHOUT REQUIRED SOFTWARE – Displays key power values directly on the integrated screen.
- MONITORS VOLTAGE, CURRENT AND POWER – Useful for gaming, rendering, benchmarking and checking GPU load behavior.
- NORMAL OR REVERSE ORIENTATION FOR COMPATIBILITY – Choose the version that matches the connector orientation of the graphics card.
When crash-dump tools make sense
For most players whose game simply closes to desktop, Windows logs, stock settings, and ordinary game and driver checks are the sensible starting point. Experienced users or developers in a compatible NVIDIA workflow can use Nsight Aftermath to collect GPU crash dumps for GPU crashes or hangs, then inspect them with Nsight Graphics. NVIDIA documents capture options for Direct3D 12 and Vulkan applications, as well as an SDK route for developers integrating crash collection into an application. This is a specialized diagnostic path, not a prerequisite for ordinary game troubleshooting.
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