Issues with my graphics cards

Hey everyone, I’m running into a bit of a headache here and was wondering if anyone has dealt with something similar before.

So, here’s my current setup: an Intel Core i5-8400, 8GB of RAM, an ASUS Z75 Pro3 motherboard, an AMD NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 Black Edition, and a Corsair TX750 power supply.

The issue started when I boot up macOS; at first, the monitor gets hit with all sorts of weird visual artifacts, and then the OS loads in this super low resolution with constant glitches flickering across the screen. After a moment, the whole system just resets and starts the whole cycle over again. The weirdest part is that these glitches show up right from the jump, even during the BIOS stage.

My gut feeling was that my GPU had finally kicked the bucket, so a coworker offered me her old GTX 280. I popped it into my rig, and honestly, it worked like a charm—it's actually a step up from my old card!

But here’s where things get spooky: after about two weeks of smooth sailing, the exact same thing happened with this second card. The artifacts look slightly different this time, and instead of a full reset, macOS just stays stuck in that low-res glitchy mode. To make matters worse, Device Manager is showing a little yellow exclamation point or question mark next to the graphics card, so I can't tell exactly what it's complaining about.

To rule out any other hardware issues in my PC, I actually took both GPUs over to a buddy's place, and they showed the exact same symptoms on his machine too.

One thing I should probably mention is that I’ve been using a different DVI port to connect to the TV, and sometimes my son accidentally hits the power button on the TV while the PC is running, which makes that classic Windows "device disconnected" sound.

So, looking at this logically, I feel like I'm stuck with three possibilities:

1. I somehow got incredibly unlucky and managed to kill two different graphics cards in just two weeks.
18. There is something lurking inside my computer that is actively destroying any GPU I plug in.
3. My kid hitting the power button on the TV while the PC is active is somehow frying the cards.

All three options sound pretty wild to me, so I wanted to ask: what else could possibly be causing this mess?

Also, is there any hope for these cards, or are they totally dead? Is there a repair shop that handles this, or am I really looking at those crazy internet DIY fixes like "baking them in the oven"? I know it sounds absolutely insane, but I feel like I have nothing left to lose at this point.

Thanks so much in advance for any help you guys can give!

What does the card look like on the outside? Are there any signs of burnt or melted components? Also, did you happen to keep an eye on the system's load temperatures?

Sounds like you're looking at a power supply issue or maybe some dodgy drivers. Hard to pin down which one it actually is without more digging...

So, I actually went ahead and cracked one of those two cards open—basically just popped the heatsink off—and honestly, everything looks super clean under there. I didn't spot any signs of damage or any of those weirdly bulged capacitors that usually give you a headache.

Richard Diaz52 said:What’s the card looking like on the outside? Any signs of burnt components or melted plastic anywhere? Also, have you been keeping an eye on your system load temperatures?

Man, I haven't really been tracking my system temps, but I'm guessing there's some kind of software I can just run right in macOS to see everything, or am I stuck digging through the BIOS settings to find that info?

William Richardson12 said:It sounds like you're dealing with either a funky power supply unit or some messy drivers. Honestly, pinpointing which one is causing the headache isn't exactly a walk in the park.

I’m definitely not an expert on all this, but can a driver actually cause physical damage? Like, how could software mess up two different cards like that? And as for the PSU, I'm kind of stuck because I don't really know how to run a proper test without having any spare graphics cards lying around to swap in.🙂

Steven Lopez68 said:I don't know enough about this stuff, but can a driver actually cause physical damage? Especially to two different cards? Not sure how to test the PSU either, ran out of GPUs to swap in...🙂

A driver isn't gonna fry your hardware physically, but since you said both cards are from the same manufacturer and the same generation, it just means one buggy driver is screwing them both over.

For temps, just run Core Temp or Speccy.

William Richardson12 said:It’s not like it can actually cause physical damage, but since you mentioned both cards come from the same manufacturer and belong to the exact same generation, it really points toward a single driver bug messing with both of them at once.

When you're looking at those temps, I'd definitely suggest running either Core Temp or Speccy.

Actually, they aren't from the same maker—the first one is an AMD card, while the second is straight up NVIDIA. I was thinking about maybe tweaking things in the BIOS, but honestly, the drivers aren't behaving right there anyway; they act up on my current rig and even on my older desktop, so I just ended up disabling them altogether.

Anyway, I'll go ahead and run a check with Core Temp, though I'm wondering—what specific numbers should I actually be keeping an eye on?

Core Temp, just minimize the readings for the hard drive and everything else, then slap a screenshot right here (use Imgur or whatever)

Then we can actually see what's going on with the temps, voltages, and all that...

William Richardson12 said:Use Core Temp, maybe minimize those hard drive readings and just paste a screenshot here (you can upload it to Imgur or something).

Then we can really dig into what's going on with the temps, voltages, and all that good stuff.

So, here is that Core Temp link you wanted

https://postimg.cc/image/jeibyfir5/

In the meantime, I actually tried baking one of my GPUs in the oven and now it's completely dead on arrival, so I'm gonna try my luck with the second one once I get a chance.

Look, I don't know. Someone really needs to dive in there and check everything—see if the power supply is holding up, if there's a short somewhere, if the PCIe slot is actually functional... there are just too many variables at this point. You've gotta rule them out one by one, but you need the expertise and the gear to do it right.

Sorry I can't be more helpful. If any of our guys happen to be in your neck of the woods, maybe they could take a look at it for you sometime.

William Richardson12 said:Honestly, I’m just sitting here thinking that someone really needs to get under the hood and perform a full-on diagnostic on this whole setup. You know, like when you take a car into a high-end shop in Chicago because the engine is making a weird clicking sound—you can't just guess which part is failing; you need a pro with the right tools to dig in. We’ve got to check if the power supply is holding steady, hunt down any potential short circuits hiding in the chassis, and verify if that PCIe slot is actually functioning the way it should be. There are just so many moving parts that could be causing a headache here! It’s all about a process of elimination, systematically ruling out one variable at a time until you find the culprit, but man, you can't really pull that off without having the technical know-how and a solid kit of testing gear on hand.

Man, I really wish I could do more to help you out with this one! Honestly, if you happen to be near any of our guys around town, maybe you could swing by and have one of them take a quick look at it whenever you get a chance?

Honestly, I’m still scratching my head over this one because my buddy actually brought over his own testing rig to check out the power supply, and everything looked totally solid. The PSU is actually the newest component in my entire build—it's a top-of-the-line Corsair unit, so that really shouldn't be the issue. To make things even more confusing, the card I’ve got plugged in right now is just an old relic I grabbed from work, and it’s been running perfectly fine for over a month without a single hiccup. The catch is that this older card doesn't even require any extra power cables from the PSU. I’m just going to keep rolling with this temporary setup for a bit, but the ultimate goal is to hunt down a decent used card once I have a little more cash saved up. $67Honestly, you might just have to try plugging it into that second PCI-E slot on the motherboard and crossing your fingers for the best!