Computer problem on DCS

[Lee1]

Help please community.

Most times I try and fly DCS (F16) my screen goes black and the fans on the PC go to maximum very shortly after starting a flight. Doesn't always happen, I managed to fly the complete free flight Kola mission yesterday and several approaches at the end with no problem whatsoever. Using Logitech X56 Hotas.

Sometimes the computer wont start at all, just giving me a black screen even though the PC stack is humming away normally. I swapped the DP plug from the graphics card output and put it in the motherboard and it worked, but woefully slow for flying as I expected. I don't suspect DCS because it randomly does it at other times too, but usually very quckly when it's working hard on DCS. As I said, sometimes it goes very well for a whole flight. Is it possible that all the recent updates have caused a problem in DCS itself? There have been a LOT of huge updates.

Corsair iCue won't run and I get a message on the iCue app saying that and Corsair's own advice on how to fix it doesn't work either. It says to do an update, which it won't do because it says there is something already in the folder (well, dohhh of course there is) and it will not let me uninstall it and is just "greyed out" on my uninstaller. So, possibly spurious temperature readout causing prog crash and fans to go to max? Who knows, I don't?

I checked the Device Manager at one point and it said that windows had detected a problem and turned off the graphics card (Nvidia 4090). I had not seen that before or after any subsequent failure. I suspect the graphics card but not tech savvy enough to prove it.

It started about the end of November and the computer is currently less than six months old.

Any ideas please? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm taking it back to the builder this week but any heads up would be appreciated.

Many thanks,

Lee

 

Edited January 19 by Lee1

[kksnowbear]

IMO:  The best place to start here is to list your machine's specs - particularly the PSU.

Without specs, it would be difficult to say what's going on, though (to me) it does sound a lot like you have a power/loading issue (possibly heat-related, although I note you do say sometimes it doesn't even start normally). Possibly a bad GPU, but I don't want to get too crazy guessing without more detail.

Many people have claimed here that an 850W PSU is enough to run a 4090 - but I have done testing first hand that shows this isn't accurate, and many models actually recommend a 1000W unit.

Moreover, I've watched a 4090 shut down two of five high-quality, brand name 850W 80plus Gold units (yes, I am aware the 80plus rating is efficiency not necessarily quality, these were all units from reputable companies, and all known to deliver 850W without failing).  4090's have been proven to draw 700W (just the GPU) in very short duration 'spikes', which is among the reasons the newer PSU specs now require short-duration 'excursion' ratings of 2-3 *times* the rated PSU output.  The excursions can trip PSU protection circuits that weren't designed to accommodate that kind of draw, so that even a good quality PSU rated 850W can still fail if hit with a big enough spike.

I've done several builds using 4090 GPUs, and provided even more quotes on builds like that.  In every case, I *always* specify a 1000W unit at minimum.  TBH your builder should've done the same thing IMO.

Anyhow, best thing to do is provide as much detail re: specs as possible.

Good luck

Edited January 19 by kksnowbear

[Lee1]

Thanks kksnowbear,

Definitely got a 1000w PSU.

Intel Core I9 14900k, Raptor Lake

MAG Z790 Tomahawk Max Wifi, Chipset Intel Raptor Lake, Southbridge Intel Z790

Corsair 64Gb DDR5, 3000mhz (2x32Gb)

Nvidia 4090 graphics card.

 

Hope that helps.

 

thanks

 

 

Edited January 19 by Lee1

[kksnowbear]

I appreciate your effort in replying.

I was more hoping for detail about the PSU.  What brand/model?  As I described previously, the mere wattage rating doesn't really tell us the whole story; there are great 1000W units, and there are 1000W units that wouldn't power a light bulb.

Unfortunately this also happens to be one area where unscrupulous builders cut corners: cheap power supplies.

Also, please tell me how your 4090 is connected to the PSU.  Is it a 12VHPWR connection all the way to the PSU, or are there adapter(s) in the line?

Would you be willing to provide a pic of the GPU? (Specifically the power connector as it sits normally with the case/cover in place).  I was involved in a thread here a while back where a user had the same kind of issues as you, which I helped ultimately confirm the GPU power connector was at fault.

The unfortunate reality is that a lack of experience and/or training has caused tons of issues with those connectors.  You'll note I don't say the connector is defective, as it's also been proven that, if it's done properly, the connector is fine.  The vast majority of cases don't have problems.

Thanks.

Edited January 19 by kksnowbear