I'm playing a game then my monitor will randomly shut off but I can still hear sound

Question

I will be playing a game for maybe 20 minutes and then randomly my monitors shut off showing "no signal" but I can still hear the audio from a video on my monitors and from the game I'm playing. I'm not sure if this is a gpu issue or if its a temperature issue. This only happens with certain games.

Answer 1

Hi, Cole

If the screen goes black but audio keeps playing, it's likely a GPU issue — not a full crash.

Try updating your GPU drivers, check temps with something like HWMonitor, and try a different display cable or GPU port.

Answer 2

Hello Cole,

I'm Riza an Independent Advisor. Thank you for reaching out to the Microsoft Community. Let's work on resolving your issue together.

The issue you described usually points to an issue with the video signal, and since it only happens with certain games, it strongly suggests a problem related to your Graphics Processing Unit (GPU) or how it's interacting with those specific games.

Let's try to do below troubleshooting so we can isolate where the issue is coming from.

Starting with the Primary Suspects (GPU Related):

Clean Installation:

Don't just update. Use a tool like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) in Safe Mode to completely remove your current drivers, then download and install the absolute latest drivers directly from your GPU manufacturer's (NVIDIA, AMD, Intel) website.

Rollback Drivers: If the latest drivers are causing issues, try rolling back to a slightly older, known stable version. Some driver updates can introduce bugs.

GPU Overheating: While you mentioned "certain games," which points away from a constant overheating issue, it's possible these specific games are more demanding and push your GPU to its thermal limits.

Monitor Temperatures: Download a monitoring tool (e.g., MSI Afterburner, HWMonitor, GPU-Z) and keep an eye on your GPU temperature while you're playing the problematic games. If it consistently goes above 85-90°C (185-194°F), overheating is a strong possibility.

Improve Airflow: Ensure your PC case has good airflow. Clean any dust from your GPU fans and heatsink. Consider adding more case fans if temperatures are high.

Thermal Paste: If your GPU is older, the thermal paste on its die might have dried out, reducing heat transfer. This is a more advanced step but can significantly help with temperatures.

Insufficient Power Supply (PSU): When you launch a demanding game, your GPU draws significantly more power. If your PSU isn't providing enough stable power, the GPU can lose signal.

PSU Wattage: Check the recommended PSU wattage for your specific GPU model. Make sure your current PSU meets or exceeds this.

Cable Connections: Ensure all power cables from your PSU are securely connected to your GPU. If your GPU requires multiple PCIe power connectors, use separate cables from the PSU rather than daisy-chaining (if possible).

Test PSU: If you have access to another PSU, try swapping it out to see if the issue persists.

GPU Instability (Overclocking/Undervolting): If you've overclocked your GPU (or even if it came factory overclocked), it might be unstable under heavy load.

Reset Defaults: If you've manually overclocked, reset your GPU to its default clock speeds and voltage.

Underclock/Undervolt (Temporary Test): As a diagnostic step, you could try slightly underclocking or undervolting your GPU using software like MSI Afterburner. If the problem goes away, it indicates an instability issue.

Let us know your findings so we can move forward to the next steps if needed.

Additional Tip:

Event Viewer: After an incident, check Windows Event Viewer (search for it in the Start Menu). Look under "Windows Logs" -> "System" and "Application" for any critical errors or warnings related to your display driver (often nvlddmkm for NVIDIA cards) or hardware at the time of the shutdown. This can provide valuable clues.

Reproducibility: Pay attention to which specific games trigger the issue. This helps focus your troubleshooting.

Best Regards,

RizaP