At some point in its lifecycle, your PC may start to develop video card problems. If this occurs, you don’t necessarily have to start panicking. Today, we’re going to walk you through how to troubleshoot your video card if it begins to perform abnormally.
Weird screen colors, shapes, and textures
After a period of heavy activity and performance – like while playing PC games – your video card may start to overheat. If this occurs, then there a number of different error messages and problems that can appear. In some cases, your screen may go black for a few seconds before reappearing with funny colors and textures. In other cases, you may get a Blue Screen of Death error, in which case the computer automatically shuts itself down to prevent further damage.
Fixing this problem can be difficult. If you are running your computer in a hot room, then that could be the only problem. However, if your room isn’t noticeably warm, then your PC probably has a cooling problem. This can be fixed by cleaning out the dust from inside your case and around your video card. If you still notice overheating problems after this, then you may need to add another cooling fan onto the outside of your case.
Slowdowns or errors within specific applications
If you’re a PC gamer, then you know that a good video card doesn’t last forever. To keep up with today’s hottest games, you have to upgrade your computer on a regular basis. But if your video card is still relatively up-to-date and isn’t performing as well as you thought it would, then it may not be the result of a hardware limitation. Instead, it could be a software problem.
To fix this, try updating your video card drivers. This can solve all sorts of different problems, but driver updates are particularly effective at fixing errors within specific programs. If a video game has just recently been released, for example, then the video card manufacturer may release a driver that optimizes the card’s performance in that game.
Depending on how new your video card is, driver updates can occur anywhere from twice a week to once every few months. Be sure to check your manufacturer’s website regularly to stay up to date. By doing this, you can ensure that your video card problem isn’t the sign of a serious hardware limitation. Instead, some of the strangest video card problems can be fixed with a simple driver update.
Failure to function at all
If your video card has died completely, and cannot even be recognized by your computer, then you could have a more serious problem. Check the cords going into and out of your video card to ensure that they are connected, and make sure the card is pressed tightly into the correct slot on your motherboard.
If that doesn’t solve your problem, then your video card might simply be dead. However, there is one final way to fix your video card: by placing it on a baking tray in the oven and heating it up. This may seem crazy, but thousands of people have used this method to successfully repair a broken video card. Apparently, the high heat re-solders some parts of the hardware. This reconnects components that may have come apart over the years.
First, preheat your oven to 375F (190C) and place your video card on a baking tray with tin foil. If possible, flip the card over so the heatsink is contacting the tinfoil. Leave it in the oven for approximately 8 to 10 minutes and then take it out and let cool for about half an hour. Then, re-install the card in your PC and see if it works.
Note: we are not responsible for any damage you cause while following this method.