How to Stop your PC Restarting after Installing a GPU (STEPS)

Can GPU cause a PC to restart?

Yes, a GPU can cause a PC to restart. This often happens due to an overheating GPU, incompatible drivers, dry thermal paste, or a loose connection.

The restart can also occur due to a missing supplemental power connector from the PSU to the GPU or an overclocking graphics card.

• Overheating GPU
• Incompatible drivers
• Dry thermal paste
• Loose connection
• Missing supplemental power connector
• Overclocking graphics card

 

Overheating GPU

There are chances of the PC restarting if the GPU is overheated. The heating may be because the GPU is dirty or its fans have broken blades.

 

Incompatible drivers

If the graphics driver installed in the PC isn’t compatible with your GPU, the PC may restart. This could be due to a version mismatch or a substitute driver that triggers the restart.

 

Dry Thermal Paste

The PC may restart if the thermal paste on the GPU has become dry or hardened. This tends to happen over some time.

 

Loose connection

A loosely seated graphics card or processor can result in a PC restart. Similarly, a loose cable connection can also pave the way for a restart.

 

Missing supplemental power connector

The PC is likely to restart if the power connector from the PSU to the GPU is either loose or missing.

 

Overclocking graphics card

The graphics card can get overclocked when it’s overloaded. The overclocking can cause the PC to restart for protection against damage due to overload.

 

Why does my PC keep restarting after installing GPU?

Your PC may be restarting after installing GPU because of a graphics card setting, an overheating problem, the graphics card is defective, graphics drivers mismatch, or a power setting. 

 

You can try the following steps to fix the PC restarting problem after installing a GPU.

1. Open the properties windows of your graphics card and check if all the settings have been done correctly. If you have an NVIDIA card, you may want to change the Physx setting from Auto to GPU.
2. Check for instances of overheating due to improper seating or overclocking of the graphics card. Seat the card properly in place and if this doesn’t solve the overheating issue, try adjusting the clocking frequency.
3. Insert another graphics card of the same specifications in place of the existing card. If the restarting problem stops, the original graphics card is defective and has to be changed.
4. Uninstall the existing software and drivers of the graphics card or GPU. Also, make sure that you remove any existing graphics card related setting. Install the latest software and drivers from the website of your graphics card manufacturer. You may also have to install the latest drivers and software for your PC from its manufacturer’s support page.
5. Open the Settings window and search for power and sleep settings. Click the Additional power settings link followed by the Change plan settings link and then the Change advanced power settings link to open the Power Options window. Expand the PCI Express node followed by the Link State Power Management node and turn OFF all the options. After this, open the control panel of your GPU and click the 3D option. Choose Maximum Performance for the power management mode.

 

 

How to stop my computer from restarting after installing a GPU?

You can stop your computer from restarting after installing a GPU by disabling the onboard video option in the BIOS, removing and reinstalling the video card drivers, checking for a bad power supply, and making sure the graphics card is seated properly. 

 

The following steps can help you to find a way to stop your computer from restarting after you install a GPU.

1. Open the BIOS settings of your computer and disable the onboard video setting. This may help to stop the restart. 
2. Remove the old graphics drivers completely and do a fresh reinstallation. The best way to do this is to uninstall all graphics drivers present in the system and boot the computer in safe mode. Remove all traces of the uninstalled drivers using a DDU utility tool. Boot the computer once again in normal mode and reinstall the latest versions of the drivers from the manufacturer’s website. Reboot the computer for the changes to get updated. In rare cases, you may need to revert to an older driver version.
3. Check for signs of a failing or defective power supply unit and do a replacement if needed. You can check by using another power supply unit and observing if it persists. If there is no problem, the power supply will likely be the fault.
4. Make sure that the graphics card is seated properly in its slot. This is also a good chance to ensure the tight connection of the power cables to the graphics card and motherboard.

 

“Windows has restarted your GPU driver due to a problem” error

The “Windows has restarted your GPU driver due to a problem” error message is common when users press the Alt+Tab keys while playing the League of Legends game. The problem is often due to an outdated or incompatible graphics card driver version.

To solve this problem, go to the Device Manager window and expand the Display adapters node. Right-click on the graphics card driver and uninstall it. Restart the computer, open the Windows Update window and click the Check for Updates button. The latest graphics driver will get downloaded and installed automatically, solving the problem.

 

How to fix my PC that restarts under GPU load?

Your PC tends to restart under GPU load because of a high temperature or overclocking of the GPU, a faulty power supply, and defective PCIe slots on the motherboard.

 

An overheating motherboard, a driver issue or high RAM speed can also result in this problem.

 

One or more of the steps below can often help you find a solution to the problem of your PC restarting under load.

1. Check if the GPU is getting overheated for reasons such as dirt accumulation or insufficient air circulation due to a problematic fan and take the required action. Clean the GPU and replace the fans if they are damaged. The overclocking problem may also get set right if there is no overheating.
2. Look out for a faulty power supply by using another one in its place, as mentioned above. Do a replacement if needed.
3. Watch out for defective PCIe slots on the motherboard. You can try using different PCIe slots and check if the problem persists.
4. Check if the motherboard is overheated and take the necessary steps for cooling. This is also a good chance to inspect the board for signs of defect or damage and change it if needed.
5. Make sure the drivers are up to date. You can follow the steps mentioned earlier to get this done. Make sure that you use only the drivers from the manufacturer’s website.
6. Look out for an unreasonably high RAM speed and consider lowering it. This has helped to solve the problem in some instances.

 

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 causing PC restart

The NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 GPU may cause a PC restart because of an outdated BIOS, a power supply problem, or loose connections. Sometimes, both these issues together can cause the PC restarting problem.

• Outdated BIOS
• Power supply problem
• Loose connections

1. Watch out for an outdated BIOS and flash or update it to the most recent version. While working on the BIOS, you may also want to try disabling the Turbo Boost setting.
2. Check if the power supply has enough power to deal with the energy consumed by the processor. The power consumption of the RTX 3090 spikes up more than usual when playing some games. This may be much higher than the power capacity of the power supply. In this case, changing the power supply should help. Alternatively, you can try running your power supply unit in single rail mode or downclocking your graphics processor.
3. Look out for loose connections between the GPU, the CPU, and motherboard and to the power supply unit and tighten them if needed.

 

RTX 3080 restarting PC

The RTX 3080 GPU is likely to restart your PC due to a high GPU power, a faulty power switch, a defective motherboard, or dried-up thermal paste.

• High GPU power
• Faulty power switch
• Defective motherboard
• Dried-up thermal paste.

1. Lower the power of the GPU. You will often need a tool like MSI Afterburner to do this once you install this tool and set it to start automatically with a GPU power lower than the current setting. Lowering the setting from 100% to 90% has worked for some people.
2. Check if the power switch is in proper working condition and change it if it is found to be damaged or defective.
3. Look out for a defective motherboard and replace it with a new one if it is defective. You can check if it’s faulty by using another motherboard to see if the problem is resolved.
4. Check if the thermal paste present on the GPU has hardened or dried up. Scrape off the old paste thoroughly and apply some new paste. This is most likely to happen if the GPU is old.

 

RTX 3070 restarting PC

The RTX 3070 GPU may trigger a restart of your PC because of a pending BIOS update, a low capacity power supply unit, a faulty GPU or motherboard, or an outdated graphics driver.

• Pending BIOS update
• Low capacity power supply unit
• Faulty GPU or motherboard
• Outdated graphics driver

1. Check if the BIOS is due for an update and update it to the latest version if needed.
2. Try using a power supply unit with a higher power capacity than the existing ones. The RTX 3000 series of GPUs are known for power spikes that may not be handled effectively by the existing power supply unit. Alternatively, you can use Afterburner, as cited earlier, to lower the profile of your GPU.
3. Look out for a faulty GPU or motherboard and do the appropriate replacement. In some rare cases, both may be defective and have to be changed.
4. Check if the graphics driver is outdated and update it to the latest version by following the mentioned steps.

 

RTX 2060 restarting PC

The RTX 2060 GPU will likely cause a PC restart due to a failing power supply, an HDD storage problem, a defective power switch or a driver issue.

• Failing power supply
• HDD storage problem
• Defective power switch
• Driver issue

1. Change your power supply if it’s old, as it can start to fail due to aging. In such cases, it will not have the sufficient power capacity required for the processor.
2. Check if your PC has run short of hard disk storage and see if you can increase the page file. This is a very unlikely reason but can’t be ruled out completely.
3. Look out for a defective power switch like signs of breaking, and get it changed at the earliest.
4. Make sure you update your PC’s graphics driver to its most recent version.

 

AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT restarting PC

The AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT GPU may trigger a PC restart because of an overheating problem, an overdue BIOS update, an old motherboard, or insufficient RAM.

• Overheating problem
• Overdue BIOS update
• Old motherboard
• Insufficient RAM

1. Check for dust accumulation on the graphics card as this can heat the GPU and clean the card thoroughly.
2. Install the latest version of BIOS on your PC and do a reboot to reflect those changes.
3. If you have an old motherboard, it’s worth going in for a replacement as the old board may have started failing.
4. Increase the RAM in your computer. This GPU needs a minimum of 8GB RAM for smooth performance.

 

AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT restarting PC

The AMD Radeon RX 6800 XT GPU can cause the PC to restart due to a weak power supply, a bad power connector, or outdated BIOS and graphics driver.

• Weak power supply
• Bad power connector
• Outdated BIOS/graphics driver

 

1. Change the power supply with one of a higher capacity than what you are using now, as the old one may not be able to meet the power requirements of the GPU.
2. Look out for a bad connector or connector pins in the power cord that helps to deliver the power to the motherboard and change it. Alternatively, you may use a new power cord.
3. Make sure you update your PC’s BIOS and graphics driver to their latest versions.

 

AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT restarting PC

The AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT GPU may restart your PC because of faulty or insufficient RAM, enabled DCOM setting, a high CPU voltage setting or low paging file size.

• Faulty or insufficient RAM
• Enabled DCOM setting
• High CPU voltage
• Low paging file size

1. Check if the RAM stick in your computer is defective by replacing it with another stick and see if the problem is resolved. You can also consider upgrading the existing RAM.
2. Open the Properties window of your computer and disable the DCOM setting. This method has fixed the problem for some users.
3. Access your computer’s BIOS and lower the CPU voltage from its current setting. Sometimes, a high CPU voltage setting can also cause a restart.
4. Increase the paging file size of your computer’s virtual memory. This is done through the System Properties window that you can open by typing SystemPropertiesAdvanced in the Run window.

 

Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060Ti restarting PC

The Nvidia GeForce RTX 3060 Ti GPU has chances of restarting when there is a problematic power supply unit or the graphics driver needs an update.

• Problematic power supply unit
• Graphics driver needs an update

1. Check for a problematic or faulty power supply unit and get a new one fitted in its place. A power supply unit tends to start failing when it becomes old.
2. Update your graphics driver to the newest version through the Device Manager window from the website of its manufacturer. This may have to be followed by a clean Windows installation.

 

Sapphire Pulse RX 5600 XT restarting PC

The Sapphire Pulse RX 5600 XT GPU can trigger a PC restart due to a pending BIOS flash or a graphics driver issue.

• Pending BIOS flash
• Graphics driver issue

1. Do a BIOS update on your PC and see if it solves the problem. If not, you might have to reinstall Windows as well.
2. Check if the graphics driver is of the most recent version; if not, do an update. On the other hand, there are a few instances where an updated driver doesn’t solve the problem. You must consider a driver rollback to an earlier version in this case.

 

Sapphire Pulse 6600 XT restarting PC

The Sapphire Pulse 6600 XT GPU may pave the way for a PC reset because of a power supply unit issue or a driver problem.

• Power supply unit issue
• Driver problem

1. Check if the power supply unit can meet the GPU’s requirements and change it if it is of a lower power capacity.
2. Check if your graphics driver is due for an update and do so if needed. The manufacturer’s website will help you get access to the latest version.