Screen randomly goes blank and clock randomly off

wha2les · June 26, 2020

I am not extremely tech savy, so I am appealing to your technical experience.

My screen randomly goes blank ... almost as if it loses signal. I noticed this happen after I replaced my old broken GPU (Old GPU fans weren't working due to mechanical failure). I had some issues getting the new GPU (Powercolor Red Devil 5700xt) to post, and GPU got halfway stuck and halfway in the slot. In my attempt to get the GPU out, I did apply force (enough to see the Motherboard (Asus Z97-A) move along with my force (Did not remove motherboard from my case). Eventually got a professional technician to help get it working.

It seemed fine at first, but the computer started randomly having the screen turn blank. Since my GPU was still in return period, and I thought I might have done something to it when I struggled to get it working). I got a replacement GPU and had the pro technician, got it working again (and ran benchmarks to ensure there were no issues due to my concern that my computer heating was the problem).

Also, very recently (within the last several days), I noticed that the clock on the computer is off. Sometimes it would be off when I wake up/ turn computer on. Sometimes it is off after having the computer on and running for awhile.

Are these two issues related? Are both of these signs that my 5 yr old motherboard is starting to fail?

bmx6454 · June 26, 2020

i would definitely suspect the mobo being damaged, not really from the age, more from the amount of force you described. the clock issue is probably the cmos battery is dead, or damage from the force. i would try a new cmos battery first (cr2032) and see what issues, if any, that clears up.

wha2les · June 26, 2020

@bmx6454 Ok, so I should try to get a battery and replace that then try and replace the mobo?

Is it recommended for me to buy a refurbished motherboard or "like new" but used one on ebay? It is hard to find the motherboard these days.

bmx6454 · June 26, 2020

20 minutes ago, wha2les said:

@bmx6454 Ok, so I should try to get a battery and replace that then try and replace the mobo?

Is it recommended for me to buy a refurbished motherboard or "like new" but used one on ebay? It is hard to find the motherboard these days.

i would try the battery, they are pretty cheap, walmart has them for like 5$ iirc. as far as the motherboard, that is your call. you don't have to go with the exact motherboard you have, just one that accommodates your ram(ddr3 or ddr4), cpu(socket type/gen), and is the correct form factor for your case. there also is no guarantee the motherboard is for sure the problem without further testing. do you still have the old gpu, and is it usable? if so, if the battery doesn't help, i would put that card back in, and if it still has the black screen issues, it would be safe to assume the mobo is bad.

edit: also a worthy mention, what kind of psu is it? it would be weird timing, but psu may cause some of these issues.

also, a couple of things to try before going for a motherboard, use ddu to install fresh gpu drivers, and try windows in safe mode, or consider a fresh install. also, assuming you haven't already, try your gpu in the second pci slot if the motherboard has one. still seems like mobo, but these things are free to try.

wha2les · June 26, 2020

The old GPU is in pretty bad shape. one fan is separated from the GPU. The other fan is wobbly. I bought that GPU used, so I figured that It would be worth the investment to upgrade from the old GPU (R9 280x) to my new one.

My PSU is Seasonic M12II-750 Bronze ATX 750W Modular Power Supply.

Hmm I'll try the battery. If the motherboard is the issue, is it worth considering a used or refurbished board?

I tried DDU and windows safe mode. Was told that the slot i had GPU in was the "better" slot?

Do you think heat could be a factor? I notice the issue occur more when i am gaming, but I've done some temp tracking and they seem fine (not near the 100 degree limit. Maybe 60-80)

bmx6454 · June 27, 2020

22 hours ago, wha2les said:

The old GPU is in pretty bad shape. one fan is separated from the GPU. The other fan is wobbly. I bought that GPU used, so I figured that It would be worth the investment to upgrade from the old GPU (R9 280x) to my new one.

My PSU is Seasonic M12II-750 Bronze ATX 750W Modular Power Supply.

Hmm I'll try the battery. If the motherboard is the issue, is it worth considering a used or refurbished board?

I tried DDU and windows safe mode. Was told that the slot i had GPU in was the "better" slot?

Do you think heat could be a factor? I notice the issue occur more when i am gaming, but I've done some temp tracking and they seem fine (not near the 100 degree limit. Maybe 60-80)

assuming you are using pci slot 1, it is better, but trying the second one is for checking if it is just slot 1 that is damaged. heat could be a factor, if the mobo has damage in the right spot, heat expansion could cause a disconnect somewhere.

as far as a used or refurbished board, i wouldn't do that for a brand new build, but i see no issue in your case as a replacement, so long as it's from a reputable source.

wha2les · July 13, 2020

On 6/26/2020 at 7:59 PM, bmx6454 said:

assuming you are using pci slot 1, it is better, but trying the second one is for checking if it is just slot 1 that is damaged. heat could be a factor, if the mobo has damage in the right spot, heat expansion could cause a disconnect somewhere.

as far as a used or refurbished board, i wouldn't do that for a brand new build, but i see no issue in your case as a replacement, so long as it's from a reputable source.

So I just replaced the CMOS battery and Changed GPU slot to the second one.

I did have some issues getting it in again( I don't know why), and I had to deal with the issue that one side of the PCI of the GPU was in the slot and the other side was not. I believed I used less force this time though.

The issue continue to persist.

So now my choice is motherboard or GPU right? Should I contact power color to see if the GPU is a problem (and get a replacement) if it is the problem?

or should I go ahead and ebay a replacement motherboard for 150 USD?