RTX 3000 Series artifacts, black squares that flicker in desktop and 2D mode

[Dr. Dro]

Ofc its not, I already stated I change 2x 3070 and one 3080 and all have the issue in my case, but people always say VRAM , VRAM VRAM when they saw some graphic glitches...withot knowing whats the issues about

I'm 100% sure in this specific case that the tiny black squares are caused by bad VRAM settings. It's the exact same symptom my 3090 shows to the letter when I push the memory too far. It'll happily run most games at +900 and even bench at +1000, but as soon as it returns to 2D performance the little squares will be all over the place. With reports that the card being seated poorly can also result in the same issue, it only means that there is some issue with data transfer between the graphics card and the host system.

 

[LFaWolf]

Maybe then dirty contact of the PCIe slot.

 

[qubit]

Are you running the latest build of Windows with the latest patches?

It's not really likely to cause this, but it's good practice to keep updated.

is it affecting some brands and models more than others? If so, then likely a hardware problem design fault.

 

[NEC_HaoZ]

Sorry, I use the translation software；I have two 3080 12G video cards at the front and back; They all encounter the same problems as your video card. After restart, the problems disappear and will not appear in the game and test. I don't think it's a hardware problem, because I've used two different brands of video cards. I've been looking for the reason, but I haven't found it. I just tend to have a driver problem. Have you found the reason？

 

[Dr. Dro]

Sorry, I use the translation software；I have two 3080 12G video cards at the front and back; They all encounter the same problems as your video card. After restart, the problems disappear and will not appear in the game and test. I don't think it's a hardware problem, because I've used two different brands of video cards. I've been looking for the reason, but I haven't found it. I just tend to have a driver problem. Have you found the reason？

It's caused by unstable memory settings. Lower frequency, even if stock. If your cards were previously used in cryptocurrency mining setups,they may have suffered through serious heat stress over a prolonged amount of time and degraded. We're going to see a lot of that in the tech forums in the coming years, as miners drop their refuse for unsuspecting buyers to purchase for gaming purposes.

My advice: avoid cryptocurrency mining cards at any and all costs. They are e-waste.

 

[NEC_HaoZ]

It's caused by unstable memory settings. Lower frequency, even if stock. If your cards were previously used in cryptocurrency mining setups,they may have suffered through serious heat stress over a prolonged amount of time and degraded. We're going to see a lot of that in the tech forums in the coming years, as miners drop their refuse for unsuspecting buyers to purchase for gaming purposes.

My advice: avoid cryptocurrency mining cards at any and all costs. They are e-waste.

Thank you for your reply. I bought the 3080 12G video card shortly after it was shipped. It can be ensured that neither of the two video cards has ever used cryptocurrency, which is consistent with the description of BenchAndGames. In our domestic forums, I can also see many similar phenomena. They are all consistent. When such small squares appear, restart the computer to solve the problem. The problem will not occur in games and tests. There was a time when such a suqares. I tried to take a screenshot and record the screen, but I did not find them in the screenshot and video recording

 

[Bomby569]

as a ex-owner of the famous rx5700, always try different driver versions

 

[Dr. Dro]

Thank you for your reply. I bought the 3080 12G video card shortly after it was shipped. It can be ensured that neither of the two video cards has ever used cryptocurrency, which is consistent with the description of BenchAndGames. In our domestic forums, I can also see many similar phenomena. They are all consistent. When such small squares appear, restart the computer to solve the problem. The problem will not occur in games and tests. There was a time when such a suqares. I tried to take a screenshot and record the screen, but I did not find them in the screenshot and video recording

Yeah, it doesn't occur while playing, which is very odd. Just after the card powers down to 2D. I firmly believe it has something to do with the memory clocks and temperature. Try removing and reinstalling the GPU in its slot, too. Out of that I'm fresh out of ideas, I have not run into the problem in normal operation, just with unstable overclocks.

Good luck

 

[CrimsonMorrow]

Hey there guys. So I've read the whole thread and it seems like the issue is the drivers.
Just wanted to add that I have kind of the same issue. But it doesnt happen when I'm in desktop instead it happens in read dead redemption 2. It occures very rarely but it seems to be a common issue with that game as well.
Still a little bit concerning so if anybody finds the actual cause of this, I would love to hear it.

 

[Nike_486DX]

These are artifacts, plain and simple. Can be caused by either of the 3 factors: drivers (unlikely), unstable vram/gpu clocks, and hardware issues (unstable psu, defective gpu/vram, etc). The monitor can also be at fault, and changing cables is not that useful, ideally you should test it with another monitor.

 

[And-so]

Hi!
Read several threads about this problem. Have same, but also got artifacts in game.
Card:
Bought brand new Gigabyte 3070 Ti VISION from store (no crypto, no OC done from my side or previously) in april, so card 7 month old. Have dual screen setup (main gaming screen on DP, browser screen on HDMI).
Situation:
Yesterday got artifacts as showed in videos, in game (World of Warships, port .. on UI parts that is 2D) and in browser shortly after in google maps. Also in WoWs ship texture had triangle artifact, launched battle .. got ~10 sec freeze at start of battle, then around 3-4 min later again ~10 sec freeze of game. Artifacts where trigered by alt-tabing to browser. Exited game, launched another (Vermintide 2), no artifacts, but game crashed when loading in mission, when alt-tabed to browser, both screens went black for about 30 sec.
Installed newest nvdia driver, restarted ... no problem so far.
So a bit paranoia is ON. At moment of artifacts didnt had temp monitoring software, so instaled it now and if anything repeats, will check temps too.

 

[ThirtyNinety]

Had the same issue today (again, as it was not the first time) with my Asus Rog Strix OC RTX 3090, but certainly not a random issue here. It occurs maybe 2 times a month or so, only in desktop mode, never in games. I then have this issue right after startup or reboot. So never had it when the computer is already booted for longer than a minute.

It starts first with the nvidia driver crashing and auto-reinitializing. Some times several times after another, after which some small black/grey artifacts start appearing on the screen.
First these stay tied to the foreground application (f.i. google chrome) itself, which makes them disappear upon minimizing. But when I wait longer, the stains start to occur in every application and even on the Windows desktop, after which my screen goes totally black and the pc just freezes if i did not shutdown it in time. Other times I get a BSOD instead of the freeze (with newer or latest drivers after using DDU does not matter).

After resetting the pc, I then always find a dmp file in c:\Windows\livekernelreports\watchdog which points to the nvlddmkm.sys Nvidia driver. I have no OC active on my cpu, ram or gpu, it's just a default OC'ed 3090 which is set in Gaming Mode in GPU Tweak and in Quiet Mode on the physical dip switch.

This was already done and did not work:
- Update GPU to latest driver after using DDU in safe mode
- Updated AMD Chipset to latest driver after using DDU in safe mode
- Motherboard was updated to latest bios.
- Made gpu, fans, slots and mainboard itself also completely dust-free
- Disabled Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows and in all running applications
- Removed Asus GPU Tweak v2 and v3
- Removed Geforce Experience
- Removed Asus AI Suite + scheduled tasks for it
- Removed Armoury Crate with the official uninstall tool
- Disabled Resizeable Bar in BIOS
- Replaced PSU (now Corsair HX1200)
- Configured GPU in Nvidia Control Panel to Prefer Maximum Performance
- Ran GPU driver in Nvidia Control Panel Debug Mode to reset it to the reference clock speed
- Switched between Performance and Quiet Mode on the dip switch of GPU
- No OC on CPU, RAM, GPU, also underclocked GPU
- Memtest RAM: 0 errors
- Tried tool TDR Manipulator.exe
- Replaced GPU (because first I had the same GPU model, only in RTX 3080 where I had the same issue)
- Tried PCIe X16 slot all Mode Options Auto, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4
- Move GPU to another pci-e slot of the mainboard
- Set GPU in Line-Based Mode instead of default M.S.I. using MSI_util_v3.exe
- iCue Enable Plugins removed + deleted folders ASUS and NvidiaPlugin: but did not remove the application completely as I need it for G-key function
- Upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 latest build and also clean install
- Disabled all startup programs like Brother software, Asus AI Suite, GPU Tweak, Razer Synapse, Actual Multiple Monitors, iCUE, ...
- Irrelevant here, but also tested with other monitors and DP cables

For me, it still looks like something in the Nvidia kernel driver that goes horribly wrong sometimes at startup, cause by some conflict, which makes freeze or even BSOD my pc, but still was not able to find what exactly.

Now I'm nearing the mood to buy an AMD 7900XTX, just to get rid of this issue.

 

[NEC_HaoZ]

Had the same issue today (again, as it was not the first time) with my Asus Rog Strix OC RTX 3090, but certainly not a random issue here. It occurs maybe 2 times a month or so, only in desktop mode, never in games. I then have this issue right after startup or reboot. So never had it when the computer is already booted for longer than a minute.

It starts first with the nvidia driver crashing and auto-reinitializing. Some times several times after another, after which some small black/grey artifacts start appearing on the screen.
First these stay tied to the foreground application (f.i. google chrome) itself, which makes them disappear upon minimizing. But when I wait longer, the stains start to occur in every application and even on the Windows desktop, after which my screen goes totally black and the pc just freezes if i did not shutdown it in time. Other times I get a BSOD instead of the freeze (with newer or latest drivers after using DDU does not matter).

After resetting the pc, I then always find a dmp file in c:\Windows\livekernelreports\watchdog which points to the nvlddmkm.sys Nvidia driver. I have no OC active on my cpu, ram or gpu, it's just a default OC'ed 3090 which is set in Gaming Mode in GPU Tweak and in Quiet Mode on the physical dip switch.

This was already done and did not work:
- Update GPU to latest driver after using DDU in safe mode
- Updated AMD Chipset to latest driver after using DDU in safe mode
- Motherboard was updated to latest bios.
- Made gpu, fans, slots and mainboard itself also completely dust-free
- Disabled Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling in Windows and in all running applications
- Removed Asus GPU Tweak v2 and v3
- Removed Geforce Experience
- Removed Asus AI Suite + scheduled tasks for it
- Removed Armoury Crate with the official uninstall tool
- Disabled Resizeable Bar in BIOS
- Replaced PSU (now Corsair HX1200)
- Configured GPU in Nvidia Control Panel to Prefer Maximum Performance
- Ran GPU driver in Nvidia Control Panel Debug Mode to reset it to the reference clock speed
- Switched between Performance and Quiet Mode on the dip switch of GPU
- No OC on CPU, RAM, GPU, also underclocked GPU
- Memtest RAM: 0 errors
- Tried tool TDR Manipulator.exe
- Replaced GPU (because first I had the same GPU model, only in RTX 3080 where I had the same issue)
- Tried PCIe X16 slot all Mode Options Auto, Gen1, Gen2, Gen3 and Gen4
- Move GPU to another pci-e slot of the mainboard
- Set GPU in Line-Based Mode instead of default M.S.I. using MSI_util_v3.exe
- iCue Enable Plugins removed + deleted folders ASUS and NvidiaPlugin: but did not remove the application completely as I need it for G-key function
- Upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11 latest build and also clean install
- Disabled all startup programs like Brother software, Asus AI Suite, GPU Tweak, Razer Synapse, Actual Multiple Monitors, iCUE, ...
- Irrelevant here, but also tested with other monitors and DP cables

For me, it still looks like something in the Nvidia kernel driver that goes horribly wrong sometimes at startup, cause by some conflict, which makes freeze or even BSOD my pc, but still was not able to find what exactly.

Now I'm nearing the mood to buy an AMD 7900XTX, just to get rid of this issue.

Sorry about the translation software I used:

Yes!!!, my RTX 3080 12G is the same as you described.
It occurs after power on. If it does not occur after power on, it will not occur.
The small square is usually triggered when using the browser or on desktop.
If I continue to use the computer, the nvidia driver will restart, and even the computer will automatically reboot.reboot computer will return to normal.
this issue happens about once a month for my computer. But I runing the game and test is normally.
I used MATS software to test the VRAM.The result is normal.
This issue occurs on my two 3080 12Gs. They are different brands, one is colorful RTX3080 12G ADOC, and the other is MSI 3080 12G suprim X.
Our descriptions are so consistent, and I have seen a lot of the same examples on the Internet. I can't remember how many.
So I think this is a nvidia Driver bug in 2D mode.

 

[ThirtyNinety]

I think it too. And I might have a workaround: setting "Always 3D Clock" in GPU Tweak II (it's a small red button button in the left top corner when opening the Advanced Mode). One problem with this however is that this consumes 150W when my GPU is idle, instead of the normal 50W ...

 

[eidairaman1]

RMA the cards

 

[GerKNG]

Had the same "issue" today with my 4090.
Only for a couple seconds.

 

[Ascender52]

Bought 3070 master Aorus LHR in August.
Have the same exact problem as ThirtyNinety.
No memory or GPU overclocks.
Undervolted to 1800mhz at 925mV (awful silicon lottery)
Flicker/artifacting/black screen only appears within 0-40 minutes after a cold boot or restart and only in desktop mode, never ingame.
At first I thought the cable was bad, but then I noticed audio stopping and nvidia driver restarting on some occasions.
Only happens a few times a week.
Funnily you can barely find google results about AMD gpus artifacting while idle, while Nvidia result pages are filled with 3070/3080/3090s all having problem with idle artifacting.

 

[maxfly]

Have any of you tried underclocking your memory yet?

 

[ThirtyNinety]

Yes as everyone mentioned, lot of us here even replaced the GPU at least once and despite rinsed and repeated attempts, the problem stays the same.
So: memory underclock did not fix the issue, RMA did also not fix it.

I still think the nVidia driver sometimes get screwed while loading during Windows startup, and now wondering if it could be related with the application of the P-states.
From https://docs.nvidia.com/gameworks/content/gameworkslibrary/coresdk/nvapi/group__gpupstate.html :

P-States are GPU active/executing performance capability and power consumption states.
P-States ranges from P0 to P15, with P0 being the highest performance/power state, and P15 being the lowest performance/power state. Each P-State, if available, maps to a performance level. Not all P-States are available on a given system. The definitions of each P-State are currently as follows:

• P0/P1 - Maximum 3D performance
• P2/P3 - Balanced 3D performance-power
• P8 - Basic HD video playback
• P10 - DVD playback
• P12 - Minimum idle power consumption

Also noticed today that after booting my GPU is sometimes stuck in P0-state and keeps on consuming around 150W while the pc is 100% idle and no programs are opened. After rebooting , P-state is dynamic again and I get my normal 40-50W back, in mostly an expected P8-state.
I wonder what is the cause of this occasional stickiness to P0. Yes I know there was recently a bug in the nVidia driver where it never leaves the P0-state, but as this was mentioned under the fixes in the next driver version its release notes, this should be fixed, right?

Maybe an idea for everyone to check the P-state when the artifacts occur with the tool Nvidia Inspector, or has someone already done that and do these still shift dynamically at that moment, as supposed?

 

[BenchAndGames]

I already said that its nothign related to GPU as I got on 3 different GPUs atleast....

Other people with same issue RMA the GPU but still have the black/white small squares flashing on screen.

Stop saying its a GPU hardware issues, NVIDIA has drivers with same open issues months ago...without fix them....so just stop beeing ignorant...nvidia drivers are not perfect and sometimes are very pain in the a55

 

[Conrado77]

First of all, thanks for admitting me to the forum.

Another here with the same problem. I have an EVGA 3090 Ti FTW3 Black. Brand new from Amazon. One week of use. No overclocking. Today I have seen for the first time the little black and gray squares. Just as soon as Windows 10 is loaded and in Firefox. After a while they have disappeared and have not returned. In games and benchmarks everything is going well.

I also have a Zotac 3080 12GB Holo Extreme and it doesn't have this problem.

 

[eidairaman1]

I already said that its nothign related to GPU as I got on 3 different GPUs atleast....

Other people with same issue RMA the GPU but still have the black/white small squares flashing on screen.

Stop saying its a GPU hardware issues, NVIDIA has drivers with same open issues months ago...without fix them....so just stop beeing ignorant...nvidia drivers are not perfect and sometimes are very pain in the a55

Finally someone admits nvidia drivers are not great.

 

[Melo Alienware]

Good day all today we turned on a desktop we have not used in months and it was working perfect and Nvidia driver update showed up so we updated the driver and immediately black boxes started on the monitor so i uninstalled the driver and the vanished and i installed it again and the appeared when i opened the Nvidia command center and vanished when i closed it and when i opened the Firefox it appeared again and vanished it looks like the Nvidia driver is no good

 

[Anomalistics]

I am also experiencing this issue with my Gigabyte 3080 OC. It is very random, sometimes I will go weeks or months without any issues whatsoever. I usually get the issue when my machine is idle and I am simply browsing the internet or watching Youtube videos. Restarting seems to fix it.

Judging from the comments here, it looks we still have no idea what causes it. It also sounds like an RMA would be pointless as well given that it is happening with replacement cards.

Don't really know where to go from here, are we just supposed to put up with it? I have no idea how to reproduce this problem either, it doesn't happen in games.

 

[jrm523]

I own an EVGA 3090 and have consistently been dealing with this issue since day one. I've tried everything except a new monitor. Some drivers seem to work better than others but it seems like the issue gradually gets worse over time. Ironically, mine acts up when the PC has been idling for a while and then I go to game on it. A reboot always solves it for the gaming session.

This is not a memory clock issue. I have no doubts that this is a driver related issue. N India doesn't have a good track record with tracking down and fixing interment issues. I get they are hard to identify the root cause but nobody should be dealing with this after paying for a $1500 GPU!