Hey, I'm having an issue where a lot of steam games are crashing, and I have no idea what's causing it.

Hi Rj Smith10

That sounds incredibly frustrating, and I can completely understand why you'd be feeling stuck right now. You just want to enjoy your games without constantly battling crashes and freezes—especially since everything was working fine before.

From what you’re describing, it really does seem like the GPU or power supply might be playing a role in this. The micro stutters, full system freeze, and black screens point to potential power delivery or stability issues. While your PSU technically has the wattage, an unreliable or used unit could cause inconsistent power delivery, leading to instability under load. If the PSU isn't providing clean power, your GPU might not be operating correctly—causing those crashes.

Returning and replacing the PSU with a new, higher-quality unit could be worth trying. If possible, go for a well-reviewed 80+ Gold or Platinum-rated PSU for better reliability.

It’s good that your GPU is performing well in Heaven Benchmark, but the fact that games still freeze suggests that something is happening under certain conditions—maybe sudden power spikes or driver conflicts. If you haven’t already, running HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner while gaming might help spot abnormalities in temperature or voltage drops.

Please try to perform the Repair in-place upgrade. This will reinstall your Operating System and will keep your files and apps. This will take some time depending on the computer performance and internet speed. You can follow the steps from this link: How to do a Windows 10 Repair Upgrade - Microsoft Community. It is a high chance that it is the GPU.

Best Regards,

Lonex P.

Microsoft Moderator

Hi, it's been a little bit, but a few days have passed, and my games are all of a sudden crashing again. I'm really starting to think it's the GPU. It doesn't seem to have anything wrong with it but I'm guessing it's an internal problem within the hardware itself. I was playing games just fine but then Rivals crashed many times in a row and got to the point where it crashes on startup all over again. I noticed my pc lags a bit too sometimes when just doing normal activities outside of gaming like a micro stutter. When the games are loading up my whole pc freezes for a few seconds while its processing the crash and sometimes even black screens on both monitors before the crash occurs. I'd also like to point out that games have very high power usage which I assume is normal when looking at task manager on the side. GPU crash dump also makes me believe the GPU itself is the culprit. Another note is the PSU I bought on Amazon was a Thermaltake 700w 80+ White. Paid for a new one but when it arrived it clearly wasn't new as described and appeared used. I could return it and request a new one if that might be the cause.

I ran Heaven Benchmark and while at 100% usage using 220 watts it was passing at the highest settings over 200fps with no issues. I have no idea what could be causing it.

Turns out it was the third option. I had a 650w PSU which should have been sufficient, but I bought it used over a year ago and I guess the new 3070 put too much strain on it while it was on its last legs. Bought a 700w and it seems to have fixed it. Thanks

Hi Rj Smith10

Thank you for posting in Microsoft Community.

I'm sorry to hear about the issues you're experiencing with your games crashing on your Windows 10 system. Based on the information you've provided, it seems like you've already taken several troubleshooting steps. Here are a few additional suggestions you can try:

1. Potential Issues with the GPU

What could be wrong:

• Being purchased second-hand, the GPU could have hidden defects or performance inconsistencies, even if it worked fine for a while. Overheating or excessive usage might expose these flaws.

What to try:

• Test the GPU in another system to confirm if it crashes elsewhere. If it does, you’ll know the GPU is faulty.
• Alternatively, try lowering the GPU clock speed using MSI Afterburner to reduce stress on the GPU.
• Run a stress test using software like FurMark or Heaven Benchmark to see if the GPU fails or overheats under load.

2. Driver Conflicts or DirectX Issues

What could be wrong:

• Outdated or corrupted drivers can cause crashes, as can conflicts between driver versions. DirectX errors usually indicate a software or hardware compatibility issue.

What to try:

• Use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to completely remove all Nvidia drivers, then reinstall the latest version directly from the Nvidia website.
• Verify DirectX is properly installed by running dxdiag in the Windows Run dialog (Win + R).
• Check for missing Windows components like Visual C++ redistributables—sometimes Steam games require specific versions.

3. Power Supply Unit (PSU)

What could be wrong:

• The 3070 demands more power than your previous GPU (2060 Super). If your PSU is underpowered or unstable, it could lead to crashes when the GPU hits 100% usage.

What to try:

• Make sure your PSU meets the recommended wattage (at least 650W for the RTX 3070).
• Test with a different PSU, or check power cables and connections.

4. RAM Stability

What could be wrong:

• While your RAM seems fine from the tests you've done, mismatched RAM profiles, overclocking, or voltage issues might trigger game crashes.

What to try:

• Set your RAM speed to its default value (disable XMP or similar settings in BIOS).
• Run MemTest86 to thoroughly test your RAM for errors over an extended period.

5. GPU Usage and Game Settings

What could be wrong:

• High GPU usage and crashes on startup might stem from games trying to push the GPU to its limits—especially if shaders are involved.

What to try:

• Lower in-game graphics settings for affected games (especially shader quality).
• Disable features like ray tracing if supported in these games.

6. Steam and Game Files

What could be wrong:

• Corrupted game files or cache issues might lead to crashes.

What to try:

• Verify the integrity of game files via Steam for each problematic game.
• Move the games to a different drive (SSD or HDD) and recheck performance.

7. Windows Conflicts or Hidden Issues

What could be wrong:

• Despite resetting your PC, lingering issues (especially after Windows updates) could persist.

What to try:

• Check Event Viewer for error logs related to the crashes (look under System or Applications).
• Reinstall Windows from scratch using bootable media to eliminate all traces of previous issues.

If the issue persists after trying these steps, it may be worth contacting NVIDIA support for further assistance or considering a professional diagnostic service for your GPU.

Best Regards.

Lonex P.

Microsoft Moderator