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Can I get an opinion on whether my GPU is defective or not?

J

j4km1k1147

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Okay THIS is REALLY REALLY weird... And I guess it will be a long read...

So let me start off with this I procrastinated with this issue A LOT but now I am ready to devote my full attention to THIS problem for a week and if I find nothing that helps I will RMA my GPU(which is and will be my last resort, and I doubt it would make any difference).


MY SPECS ARE THE FOLLOWING
MOTHERBOARD: MSI Z390 GAMING EDGE
CPU: INTEL CORE i9 9900K
GPU: GIGABYTE EAGLE OC RTX 4080
RAM: G.Skill AEGIS 16gbx2 3200MHZ
PSU: Seasonic Vertex 1200W Gold

If anymore system info is needed tell me.

So I noticed the problem last year when I saw this
Highlight.jpg

You can clearly see the artifact on the vehicle. The game in question is Midnight Club 2.
AND IT'S ONLY IN THE AREA OF THE MENU WHERE THE VEHICLE IS BEING SHOWN WHILE YOU'RE CHOOSING YOUR VEHICLE
I have highlited the artifact but not the area(it's only the area where the car appears), if needed I will highlight the specific area that it appears, if people need visual orientation.
At first I thought it was maybe because the game was old since it was released back in 2003.
So I did not pay it any thought....... until I saw this
highlight 2.jpg

This is in RDR2


So after that I looked around the internet and found, similar cases to mine again with a 4080


NOTE : I have more examples of people with the same problem and If people want me to provide more examples of such cases, I will provide them.

Now I also get these artifacts in rdr2, only in the cutscenes of the game.
And again only in a specific area of the screen, I have even marked it.

Now the reason for this thread is that obviously there is a problem BUT only in those two games and I couldn't find/see any sort of problems in OTHER games or any other graphical application.
Now there are fixes to this but I am not satisfied with them.Mainly because I have paid for this GPU and I expect it to work as intended and flawlessly.
ALSO I HAVE NOT OVERCLOCKED THE GPU AT ALL.

Now In midnight club 2 I tried
  1. FPS limit
  2. Vsync OFF
  3. Vsync ON
  4. changing resolutions
  5. playing in windowed mode forced by an external app
  6. playing in window borderless again by an external app
All of the above DID NOT work and/or produce different results

but changing the graphical API of midnight club 2(by default it's only DX9) solved the problem
I tried with Vulkan via DXVK and OpenGL via WINEHQ on linux. I even tried to see if the problem occured with Microsoft Basic display driver and it didn't, I also recorded it.

Now with rdr2 the problem was also solved by changing the API via the settings menu from DX12 to Vulkan as well as changing the resolution to 1440x900(I don't know why, but it worked).

After seeing that an API change solved the problem I was kind of baffled at the solution mainly because both games are DirectX games so I thought that there was a problem with either the DirectX API or my GPU.

And then I thought(and still think) that these two problems are related in some way,shape or form.

Any way I have tried the following

1st to test if there is something wrong with my rig and GPU

  1. test ram - memtest
  2. test motherboard - OCCT
  3. test cpu - tessted with OCCT and intel's own stress and benchmarking tool
  4. test GPU - tested with OCCT, furmark and 3dmark(only Firestrike Ultra stress I got mixed results as in sometimes I pass sometimes not and the results varied from 96.5 to 98)
  5. inspect GPU physically for damages - I did not see anything but I have pictures for those who would like to see for themselves

So as far as I know and have gathered the tests went completely fine without any errors.

I would also like to add that I have recorded 3D mark tests along with some gameplay footage of graphically intensive(at least in my opinion) games.

So then I tried the following

  1. Try with a different computer
  2. Try with a different cable
  3. Try different monitor
  4. Try with multiple monitor adapters
  5. Try with a different port
  6. Try HDMI port
  7. Try with a brand new modern monitor(my other monitors are old and required DP adapters)
  8. Try with Windows 11
  9. Try with latest GPU drivers(yes I even tried the latest NVIDIA drivers as of the date this thread was created)
  10. Try with an older version of windows 10
  11. Try with a different PSU
  12. Try with the UEFI set to legacy
  13. Tried with the resizable bar enabled/disabled
  14. Tried with the 16-pin 12VHPWR that came with the GPU
  15. Disabled/Enabled the MPO registry via an article made by NVIDIA
  16. Limiting FPS
  17. GPU firmware Updates
  18. Underclocking GPU
  19. Updating motherboard firmware
  20. Different wall contact(power socket? I really don't know how this is in english sorry)
  21. Running my PC directly from a wall contact

I HAVE NOT LISTED ALL THAT I HAVE TRIED MAINLY BECAUSE I TRIED A LOT OF STUFF,BECAUSE IT'S HARD TO REMEMBER, BUT WHEN SUGGESTED I WILL DO IT IF I HAVEN'T TRIED IT, OR WILL UPDATE THE LIST IF I HAVE TRIED(AND REMEMBER TOO).

After all of that I tried 2 other GPUs
my Gigabyte Vision OC RTX 3060 and my Palit boost GTX 960(I finished rdr2 prior with my 960 twice btw)
And they did not produce the artifacts that the 4080 produced

So this has led me to 3 POSSIBLE Conclusions
  1. Software related issue
  2. 40 series architecture issue - I don't know if this is true or not since I don't have another 40 series GPU to try
  3. or finally a defective GPU

So I can't upload all the footage due to a 5 media limit on posts so I guess I will limit the number of footage I give, in any case if you guys need it I have it and will provide it.
Also the reason the stickers aren't removed is because when I bought this monitor I wasn't sure if I wanted to keep it or not, and the store police required(and still does) to NOT remove stickers if I wanted to return it in it's 2 week period

Let me be clear, if you guys want me to post the firestrike ultra footage, you need to know it's a lot.
So for the sake of spam I will make only an extra post with footage of games and that's it. If more footage is needed i'm fine with providing it, I just don't want to spam.

Time spy cam footage part 1/2

Time spy cam footage part 2/2


Speedway cam footage


Port royal bench & stress cam footage part 2/2


Link for logs


EDIT : updated list of things that I have tried and reworded a few stuff
 
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Doesn't look like anything to get too excited about to me. You've answered your own question in there.
 
Alright, let’s dive into this. First off, kudos to you for finally committing to tackling the problem head-on. GPU issues can be a massive pain, but sometimes, the solution is simpler than it seems. Before you go down the RMA route (which, as you said, is your last resort), let’s eliminate the usual suspects step by step.

1. Check Your Drivers​

  • Are you using the latest GPU drivers? If yes, try rolling back to a stable version. Sometimes the newest drivers introduce issues. Use a clean installation tool like DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to ensure no remnants of old drivers are causing conflicts.

2. Monitor Temperatures​

  • Use software like HWMonitor, MSI Afterburner, or GPU-Z to check temps under idle and load. If your card is overheating, it could point to cooling issues like bad thermal paste or clogged fans.

3. Power Supply Issues​

  • Is your PSU delivering enough wattage? Sudden crashes or stuttering could mean the GPU isn’t getting enough juice. If you can, borrow a PSU with higher wattage and test.

4. Test in a Different Setup​

  • If possible, pop your GPU into a friend’s PC or another system to see if the issue persists. This will rule out motherboard or software conflicts.

5. Scan for Software Conflicts​

  • Background programs or overlays (like Discord, GeForce Experience, or Afterburner) can cause issues. Disable them one by one to test.

6. Check for Artifacts or Errors​

  • Run stress tests like FurMark, 3DMark, or Unigine Heaven. Do you see any artifacts, crashes, or performance dips? That could signal a failing card.

7. BIOS and Chipset Drivers​

  • Outdated motherboard BIOS or chipset drivers can cause instability with newer GPUs. Make sure these are up-to-date.

8. Inspect the Card Physically​

  • Look for signs of damage, like swollen capacitors, bent pins, or dust buildup.
If all else fails, and you’re still under warranty, the RMA process might actually be your best bet—even if it’s a hassle. Some issues just can’t be solved on the user end (e.g., defective VRAM or faulty solder joints). But hey, one week of solid troubleshooting might save you a lot of time waiting for a replacement. Good luck! Carol :)

---------------------------------------------------
Post by @j4km1k1147 below (the posts were accidentally merged by a moderator)

I know I haven't listed all of the things I have tried mainly because I can't remember and it was a lot of things to try and I did update the list(I will keep updating the list everytime I remember). Anyway I don't think my temperatures are a problem because I have a server noctua fan blowing straight at my GPU to cool it and I rarely get to 70 degrees celsius and vram has never gone above 68 degrees and hotspot I have always tried to maintain it below 80 degrees.

I even for the summer turned off the the server fan just to see if temperature was an issue(I doubt it given that midnight club 2 is a very light game) and it wasn't, I even didn't clean my computer to see if that would somehow narrow down problem(which it didn't)

So I don't think what you suggested is anything I haven't tried and besides isn't my 1200W PSU enough wattage?

Doesn't look like anything to get too excited about to me. You've answered your own question in there.
Click to expand...

I kind of want extra opinions before RMAing and still do.

I am mainly worried that if I RMA it the problem would still be present, if that happens then what?
 
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DirtyDingusMcgee said:
Doesn't look like anything to get too excited about to me. You've answered your own question in there.
Click to expand...
I agree, and it appears some of those forum links had others verifying it was a minor Dx conflict with 4080s in just RDR2. That hardly justifies assuming a defective GPU.

For the record, I have the exact same PSU, a 4080 (though PNY), and a 13700K, with no such problems. I have yet to play RDR2 with this new rig, and MC2 is so old I'd rather not bother with it.

When the 4000 series GPUs debuted there were a few minor issues here and there. It could just be RDR2 had one that only affected those running Dx with a 4080. Not a big deal really, as it's a very small artifact, and only appears in cutscenes.
 
Frag_Maniac said:
I agree, and it appears some of those forum links had others verifying it was a minor Dx conflict with 4080s in just RDR2. That hardly justifies assuming a defective GPU.

For the record, I have the exact same PSU, a 4080 (though PNY), and a 13700K, with no such problems. I have yet to play RDR2 with this new rig, and MC2 is so old I'd rather not bother with it.

When the 4000 series GPUs debuted there were a few minor issues here and there. It could just be RDR2 had one that only affected those running Dx with a 4080. Not a big deal really, as it's a very small artifact, and only appears in cutscenes.
Click to expand...

Well if you can try out rdr2 at max settings or midnight club 2, and if those stuff don't appear then it is a defective GPU(However minor it). If they appear it MAY be a 40 series issue.
 
Making a lot of leaps in logic. By all means, RMA your video card.

Sounds like a software issue to me, but you've not told us anything about your system besides MB, CPU, GPU, RAM, and PSU (that is not enough to make much of a diagnosis). Likely a direct X thing (especially since switching to vulkan solved it) or maybe drivers. Hell, I wouldn't even bother over something that minor. A bit of shimmer in a cutscene and some kinda busted looking textures in an ancient game is not even worth the hassle. To each their own.

Also. Are you j4km1k1147 and carol454343?

carol454343 said:
I kind of want extra opinions before RMAing and still do.

I am mainly worried that if I RMA it the problem would still be present, if that happens then what?
Click to expand...

I thought j4km1k1147 was the one with the problem.


carol454343 said:
Alright, let’s dive into this. First off, kudos to you for finally committing to tackling the problem head-on. GPU issues can be a massive pain, but sometimes, the solution is simpler than it seems. Before you go down the RMA route (which, as you said, is your last resort), let’s eliminate the usual suspects step by step.
Click to expand...
??????

carol454343 said:
I know I haven't listed all of the things I have tried mainly because I can't remember and it was a lot of things to try and I did update the list(I will keep updating the list everytime I remember). Anyway I don't think my temperatures are a problem because I have a server noctua fan blowing straight at my GPU to cool it and I rarely get to 70 degrees celsius and vram has never gone above 68 degrees and hotspot I have always tried to maintain it below 80 degrees.

I even for the summer turned off the the server fan just to see if temperature was an issue(I doubt it given that midnight club 2 is a very light game) and it wasn't, I even didn't clean my computer to see if that would somehow narrow down problem(which it didn't)

So I don't think what you suggested is anything I haven't tried and besides isn't my 1200W PSU enough wattage?
Click to expand...

What? Are you talking to yourself in a forum?
 
no me and carol454343 are different people some joker thought he was being funny by making that post and when I posted my reply it was merged into his post for some reason. I don't know who is carol nor care I just wanted to point out that I have listed that stuff that he(carol454343) mentioned, but after I posted that, it was merged into HIS post for some reason then I got blocked by the forum(I talked with support about this)

I would also like to add that Carol's post looks like it was AI made

also my post that was merged into his is
I know I haven't listed all of the things I have tried mainly because I can't remember and it was a lot of things to try and I did update the list(I will keep updating the list everytime I remember). Anyway I don't think my temperatures are a problem because I have a server noctua fan blowing straight at my GPU to cool it and I rarely get to 70 degrees celsius and vram has never gone above 68 degrees and hotspot I have always tried to maintain it below 80 degrees.

I even for the summer turned off the the server fan just to see if temperature was an issue(I doubt it given that midnight club 2 is a very light game) and it wasn't, I even didn't clean my computer to see if that would somehow narrow down problem(which it didn't)

So I don't think what you suggested is anything I haven't tried and besides isn't my 1200W PSU enough wattage?


Doesn't look like anything to get too excited about to me. You've answered your own question in there.
Click to expand...

I kind of want extra opinions before RMAing and still do.
Click to expand...
 
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DirtyDingusMcgee said:
Making a lot of leaps in logic. By all means, RMA your video card.

Sounds like a software issue to me, but you've not told us anything about your system besides MB, CPU, GPU, RAM, and PSU (that is not enough to make much of a diagnosis). Likely a direct X thing (especially since switching to vulkan solved it) or maybe drivers. Hell, I wouldn't even bother over something that minor. A bit of shimmer in a cutscene and some kinda busted looking textures in an ancient game is not even worth the hassle. To each their own.

Also. Are you j4km1k1147 and carol454343?



I thought j4km1k1147 was the one with the problem.



??????



What? Are you talking to yourself in a forum?
Click to expand...
Redflag

Some hardware and software doesn't play nice with eachother
 
j4km1k1147 said:
no me and carol454343 are different people some joker thought he was being funny by making that post and when I posted my reply it was merged into his post for some reason
Click to expand...

I call BS
 
DirtyDingusMcgee said:
I call BS
Click to expand...
I swear we're not.
And no need to do this pointless spamming because I have contacted support over this misunderstanding.
Legit after I made this post

I know I haven't listed all of the things I have tried mainly because I can't remember and it was a lot of things to try and I did update the list(I will keep updating the list everytime I remember). Anyway I don't think my temperatures are a problem because I have a server noctua fan blowing straight at my GPU to cool it and I rarely get to 70 degrees celsius and vram has never gone above 68 degrees and hotspot I have always tried to maintain it below 80 degrees.

I even for the summer turned off the the server fan just to see if temperature was an issue(I doubt it given that midnight club 2 is a very light game) and it wasn't, I even didn't clean my computer to see if that would somehow narrow down problem(which it didn't)

So I don't think what you suggested is anything I haven't tried and besides isn't my 1200W PSU enough wattage?


Doesn't look like anything to get too excited about to me. You've answered your own question in there.
Click to expand...

I kind of want extra opinions before RMAing and still do.

I am mainly worried that if I RMA it the problem would still be present, if that happens then what?
Click to expand...

My IP got blocked after that reply and it was merged into his(carol454343)
post.
Yesterday I had contacted support to get my IP unblocked and have my reply be separated from his.

If you still Don't believe me that's your choice.
But I can guarantee it isn't.
If you so think it's BS then ask the moderators/admins whether we're the same person or not.
 
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I merged the posts by accident thinking it was the same person, to break it up now I think would be messy.

Noobs eh.
 
freeagent said:
I merged the posts by accident thinking it was the same person, to break it up now I think would be messy.
Click to expand...

Lol, nevermind. Bs un-called.

OK, so you aren't the same person. I apologize.

Still, I wouldn't worry about the issue.
 
So yeah I'm not satisfied with the answers and opinions I got. THEY'RE NOT BAD, I WAS JUST HOPING FOR MORE AND ALTERNATIVE OPINIONS AND SUGGESTIONS. Well anyway I have a few reasons to write this message.

To whomever I need to address be it administrator or a moderator that need to approve my posts, I would like to say that I don't know who to turn to for this specific problem/issue. But for some reason I cannot edit my original post. As in the edit button for that(My Original post) post and the post after it. I would like to ask for the option to edit those posts to be reenabled please. Thank you.

I am making this Request so I can give updates without spamming

Second is this, while I was re-reading some of the answers given. This caught my attention.
DirtyDingusMcgee said:
but you've not told us anything about your system besides MB, CPU, GPU, RAM, and PSU (that is not enough to make much of a diagnosis)
Click to expand...

Can someone please elaborate on what more system info I can give please? Or in general what more info/data I can provide?

And if it's no bother, could someone elaborate on this please?
Frag_Maniac said:
When the 4000 series GPUs debuted there were a few minor issues here and there. It could just be RDR2 had one that only affected those running Dx with a 4080. Not a big deal really, as it's a very small artifact, and only appears in cutscenes.
Click to expand...
It puzzled me when I first saw this and I didn't think it would be important, until now as I am/was writing this reply.
I don't remember hearing/seeing problems with the 40 series besides the adapter issue.

AGAIN I DON'T MEAN TO INSULT ANYONE IN HERE. YOU ALL HAVE A GIVEN A SOLID OPINIONS AND I RESPECT AND THANK YOU FOR THAT.



UPDATE!​


I was thinkering around the Nvidia Control Panel and

set emphasis to performance(it's usually and by default set to quality)

fdgdfgfdghfdhghgfhgfjhgkjhgkjhgjhgjhgjhgjg.jpeg.jpg


And in Midnight club 2 the artifacts were DRASTICALLY reduced as in they appear less and when they do they are very small(still visible)

No changes in rdr2 though
 
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I was gonna leave it alone, but I did call you someone else.

More system info means things like... what OS are you running, what is your storage config, what peripherals do you have plugged in, what bios version do you have, what are your temps like, what are your voltages like, etc. The more information we have about a system, the more help we can be. Just like your doctor or mechanic.

j4km1k1147 said:
Software related issue
Click to expand...

This is what i meant by you've answered your own question. I stand by it. Sure look and sounds like a software issue to me. Not just me, but everyone else too.
 
Redwoodz said:
DLSS? This is why I abhore the idea of artificial frame generation. Turn everything off in your driver and see what happens.
Click to expand...

DLSS and frame gen are off in rdr2 and how would that be related to midnight club 2?

DirtyDingusMcgee said:
More system info means things like... what OS are you running, what is your storage config, what peripherals do you have plugged in, what bios version do you have, what are your temps like, what are your voltages like, etc. The more information we have about a system, the more help we can be. Just like your doctor or mechanic.
Click to expand...


Didn't you look at the logs that were provided in the OG post? They provide my temps and other system info.

As for OS does it matter given that whatever version of windows 10 I run, the problem is still there and I have also tried Windows 11.

But since I haven't listed it I will provide it

Windows 10 with latest updates and what not.
PC Case is Fractal r5

And I also mentioned my temps when I was responding to Carol.

BTW, I don't think I even have the windows 10 feature that enables frame gen enabled :D.
 
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Lol......nope. I saw that it was a software problem and completely checked out.

Maybe i'm wrong. Maybe you should RMA your gpu. Either way, I bow to the absurd.

:D Good luck dude.
 
Midnight club 2 is pretty old and may not be rendered correctly on newer hardware, but rendered correctly on the older hardware of that era
 
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eidairaman1 said:
Midnight club 2 is pretty old and may not be rendered correctly on newer hardware, but rendered correctly on the older hardware of that era
Click to expand...

Yes I understand hence why I said this in my OG post.

j4km1k1147 said:
At first I thought it was maybe because the game was old since it was released back in 2003.
Click to expand...


But after seeing it in rdr2 I was convinced that there might be a connection.

and tried

j4km1k1147 said:
  1. Try with a different computer
  2. Try with a different cable
  3. Try different monitor
  4. Try with multiple monitor adapters
  5. Try with a different port
  6. Try HDMI port
  7. Try with a brand new modern monitor(my other monitors are old and required DP adapters)
  8. Try with Windows 11
  9. Try with latest GPU drivers(yes I even tried the latest NVIDIA drivers as of the date this thread was created)
  10. Try with an older version of windows 10
  11. Try with a different PSU
  12. Try with the UEFI set to legacy
  13. Tried with the resizable bar enabled/disabled
  14. Tried with the 16-pin 12VHPWR that came with the GPU
  15. Disabled/Enabled the MPO registry via an article made by NVIDIA
  16. Limiting FPS
  17. GPU firmware Updates
  18. Underclocking GPU
  19. Updating motherboard firmware
  20. Different wall contact(power socket? I really don't know how this is in english sorry)
  21. Running my PC directly from a wall contact
Click to expand...


none of that helped in any way shape or form or narrowed the problem down.

Hence I tried with my GTX 960 and RTX 3060 both of which did not produce the problem(in both midnight club 2 and rdr2)

Hence why I narrowed it to

j4km1k1147 said:
  1. Software related issue
  2. 40 series architecture issue - I don't know if this is true or not since I don't have another 40 series GPU to try
  3. or finally a defective GPU
Click to expand...


the second one can be eliminated If I had a 4070 Ti super or any of the other powerful 40 series GPUs and tried with one of them to see if the problem is still there.
If it were too appear then, then it's most likely an architecture issue of the RTX 40 series or a general problem with the RTX 40 series.

The only thing that produced a different result is changing the emphasis to performance in the nvidia control panel that I highlighted in https://www.techpowerup.com/forums/...y-gpu-is-defective-or-not.328828/post-5378423

the artifacts still appeared in midnight club 2 but were drastically reduced and a lot smaller while in rdr2 they seemed to have somewhat stay for longer instead of flickering.
 

“Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth.”​

 
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