2 year old Octane black screening on heavy load

[Seb.F]

Chassis & Display	Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)	32GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive	1TB SEAGATE HYBRID 2.5" SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	1TB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1800MB/W)
Memory Card Reader	Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor	1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery	2 x Octane Series Battery Pack, 82WH (One Spare)
Thermal Paste	EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card	Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless	GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
USB/Thunderbolt Options	4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Keyboard Language	OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System	Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language	United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software	NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus	NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser	Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only) Change to: Google Chrome™
Notebook Mouse	INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam	INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty	3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee	1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Insurance	1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery	STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time	FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH

Hi all, I purchased the above laptop in October 2017. I don't use it much for heavy gaming etc, but over the last few months it has been repeatedly misbehaving and black screening. If I leave it doing nothing, it's fine for days. Today however I turned it on at around 11am, it's now 4pm and it has black screened around 7 times always right in the middle of games (games such as Heroes of the Storm, PUBG, Human Fall Flat and Golf With Friends - yes I'm at a LAN hence why I don't usually use it for this kind of thing!). I'm in a fairly cold room, with good air flow on the underside, and the laptop never feels overly hot. I haven't modified the BIOS in any way since purchase. Only other thing not working with the laptop is the fingerprint reader, which for some reason always thinks someone is swiping their finger across it.

I haven't applied any new drivers or updates. I've tried various graphics drivers. Nothing is shown in the Event Log on reboot. I've already raised it with PCS support, but just curious if anyone has encountered a specific issue with these models?

 

[SpyderTracks]

When you say you haven’t applied any new drivers or updates, that may well point to your issue as there have been many.

What version of OS are you on?

Have you monitored both gpu and cpu temps when idle and in gaming? Can you post those temps?

 

[Seb.F]

Sorry I meant I hadn't before it started black screening. I have done so now and am on the latest drivers.

I'm running both MSI Afterburner for GPU temps and CoreTemp for CPU temps.

At idle they are:
CPU ~55
GPU ~45

When I restart from the black screen, the CPU is sitting at around 85 though.

I'll set MSI to log monitoring history to RivaTuner and see how I get on.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Sorry I meant I hadn't before it started black screening. I have done so now and am on the latest drivers.

I'm running both MSI Afterburner for GPU temps and CoreTemp for CPU temps.

At idle they are:
CPU ~55
GPU ~45

When I restart from the black screen, the CPU is sitting at around 85 though.

I'll set MSI to log monitoring history to RivaTuner and see how I get on.

That’s a good idea. Cpu at idle is higher than I would have liked. But really need to know in game temps.

 

[Seb.F]

So that's about 2 minutes of being in game. Where the GPU levels all drop is where it's stopping recording any GPU information and the screen goes black. Up until then GPU peak was 76. CPU at that point was around 88, then when it black screens it seems the CPU spikes right up to 99.

Interestingly, the CPU power also spikes hugely. Prior to the blackscreen it's at around 30W, after the blackscreen it's 65W +/-1W

Also there are no data points at all from the GPU after the screen goes black. Not just low levels, literally no recorded data by afterburner at all.

 

[SpyderTracks]

View attachment 14321

So that's about 2 minutes of being in game. Where the GPU levels all drop is where it's stopping recording any GPU information and the screen goes black. Up until then GPU peak was 76. CPU at that point was around 88, then when it black screens it seems the CPU spikes right up to 99.

Interestingly, the CPU power also spikes hugely. Prior to the blackscreen it's at around 30W, after the blackscreen it's 65W +/-1W

Also there are no data points at all from the GPU after the screen goes black. Not just low levels, literally no recorded data by afterburner at all.

It’s likely windows will have crashed once the screen goes black which is why it’s not recording anything. May also be why the power spikes as windows / BIOS is no longer managing voltages.

The CPU appears to be at thermal throttling right before the crash which would certainly be a symptom, but weather it’s the cause or not, hard to say atm.

I would definitely log this with PCS so they’re aware and to cover you if it deteriorates. First place of start would be a repaste of the CPU, personally recommend thermal grizzly kryonaut which you can grab on amazon and elsewhere and it’s not expensive.

The GPU temps look ok atm, let’s leave that for now until we’ve got the cpu sorted.

 

[Seb.F]

It’s likely windows will have crashed once the screen goes black which is why it’s not recording anything. May also be why the power spikes as windows / BIOS is no longer managing voltages.

Weird thing is I can still hear some game sounds and Afterburner has recorded RAM/CPU stats perfectly every second after that, just not GPU! I'll see if I can re-paste.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Weird thing is I can still hear some game sounds and Afterburner has recorded RAM/CPU stats perfectly every second after that, just not GPU! I'll see if I can re-paste.

Oh, I see what you mean.... ah, that's a bit different then, does point to GPU issues.

I'd still get CPU temps under control as that could be contributing to instability.

Definitely log this with PCS and point them to this thread. It's possible there's a power delivery issue, perhaps with the power supply or the motherboard.

 

[Seb.F]

So, I went to do as you mentioned and opened up the machine. To find this:

That to me looks like an overtighted CPU bracket screw which has sheared the head off. The other 3 were EXTREMELY tight as well, 2 of them I've removed, the fourth (pictured as number 6) is proving to be an issue.

Whoever attached this, did so in the hope it would never be removed I think. I have never removed this in the 2 years I've owned it so it could only be PCS.

 

[SpyderTracks]

So, I went to do as you mentioned and opened up the machine. To find this:

View attachment 14324

That to me looks like an overtighted CPU bracket screw which has sheared the head off. The other 3 were EXTREMELY tight as well, 2 of them I've removed, the fourth (pictured as number 6) is proving to be an issue.

Whoever attached this, did so in the hope it would never be removed I think. I have never removed this in the 2 years I've owned it so it could only be PCS.

Well, firstly, good spot and good troubleshooting.

This is really poor, there's no excuse for this. This should never have passed QC at PCS before being shipped.

I would immediately contact PCS and point them to this thread. I would suggest that they'll need to take the machine back for some thorough testing to see if the motherboard has been affected at all, but if it were me, I'd be expecting a replacement CPU at the very least including the mounting bracket.

They will have a record of who built it, there's just no excuse for this. CPU heatsinks need to be screwed in in a certain order and there's no need for it to be over tight, in fact over tightening will put undue stress on the CPU.

But at least this explains the thermal throttling we were seeing on the CPU before the black screen, at least it shows a root cause. Half the time identifying the root case can be the hardest thing.

 

[SpyderTracks]

That's crazy!!!!

How on earth did that happen???

I haven't heard of cracked chips since the early 2000's before the improved the CPU mounts on motherboards, but certainly never with a GPU!!!

That's nuts.

I don't know what to say! I'm sure PCS will look into this and I would hope they would swap out the parts under warranty.

There no way that level of internal damage could have happened by dropping it or something without it affecting the external chassis, this must have been there since it was built.

I'm amazed it's lasted as long as it has in that condition.

Were the GPU heatsink screws also very tight?

 

[Seb.F]

That's crazy!!!!

How on earth did that happen???

I haven't heard of cracked chips since the early 2000's before the improved the CPU mounts on motherboards, but certainly never with a GPU!!!

That's nuts.

I don't know what to say! I'm sure PCS will look into this and I would hope they would swap out the parts under warranty.

There no way that level of internal damage could have happened by dropping it or something without it affecting the external chassis, this must have been there since it was built.

I'm amazed it's lasted as long as it has in that condition.

False alarm, on closer inspection it was actually some residue (didn't seem like thermal compound it was incredibly tough and the ArctiClean didn't remove it) on the GPU cover that makes it looks cracked. I carefully pushed at it with a plastic prying tool and some of it has come off. Think I'm going to leave the rest for PCS now.

 

[SpyderTracks]

False alarm, on closer inspection it was actually some residue (didn't seem like thermal compound it was incredibly tough and the ArctiClean didn't remove it) on the GPU cover that makes it looks cracked. I carefully pushed at it with a plastic prying tool and some of it has come off. Think I'm going to leave the rest for PCS now.

Ah, ok, thank god for that.

Keep us posted with what PCS say.

 

[Scott]

That's pretty poor from a QC front. Can't believe the builder didn't put their hands up when the screw head went flying.

My heatsink was also on extremely tight. I had to carefully select the correct screwdriver head in order to get the screws off without rounding them off, they were on seriously tight...... suggested electric screwdriver to me, which should never be employed with any part of a PC build, even when using torque settings. If it wasn't an electric screwdriver for mine then the manual torque applied was very excessive. Guessing we had the same builder

Hopefully it will be a simple enough fix though. The CPU temps are sky high for idling btw, the CPU is still required to liaise with the GPU so seeing this sort of issue when the CPU spikes doesn't surprise me. I've had it with GTA5 before when my chip hit 100°C. A thorough check of the CPU, repaste and new heatsink setup should see it running well

 

[Mtgscouser]

Chassis & Display	Octane Series: 17.3" Matte Full HD 120Hz IPS LED Widescreen (1920x1080)
Processor (CPU)	Intel® Core™i7 Quad Core Processor i7-7700k (4.2GHz) 8MB Cache
Memory (RAM)	32GB Corsair VENGEANCE 2400MHz SODIMM DDR4 (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card	NVIDIA® GeForce® GTX 1070 - 8.0GB GDDR5 Video RAM - DirectX® 12.1
1st Storage Drive	1TB SEAGATE HYBRID 2.5" SSHD Drive, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64MB CACHE (5400 rpm)
1st M.2 SSD Drive	1TB SAMSUNG SM961 M.2, PCIe NVMe (up to 3200MB/R, 1800MB/W)
Memory Card Reader	Integrated 6 in 1 Card Reader (SD /Mini SD/ SDHC / SDXC / MMC / RSMMC)
AC Adaptor	1 x 330W AC Adaptor
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Battery	2 x Octane Series Battery Pack, 82WH (One Spare)
Thermal Paste	EK-TIM ECTOTHERM THERMAL COMPOUND
Sound Card	Intel 2 Channel High Definition Audio + MIC/Headphone Jack
Bluetooth & Wireless	GIGABIT LAN & KILLER™ WIRELESS-AC 1535 M.2 GAMING 802.11AC + BLUETOOTH 4.1
USB/Thunderbolt Options	4 x USB 3.0 Ports + 2 x USB 3.1 Type C Ports
Keyboard Language	OCTANE SERIES BACKLIT UK KEYBOARD WITH NUMBER PAD
Operating System	Genuine Windows 10 Professional 64 Bit - inc DVD & Single Licence
Operating System Language	United Kingdom - English Language
Windows Recovery Media	Windows 10 (64-bit) DVD with paper sleeve
Office Software	NO OFFICE SOFTWARE
Anti-Virus	NO ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE
Browser	Microsoft® Edge (Windows 10 Only) Change to: Google Chrome™
Notebook Mouse	INTEGRATED 2 BUTTON TOUCHPAD MOUSE
Webcam	INTEGRATED 2.0 MP FULL HD WEBCAM
Warranty	3 Year Silver Warranty (1 Year Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)
Dead Pixel Guarantee	1 Year Dead Pixel Guarantee Inc. Labour & Carriage Costs
Insurance	1 Month Free Laptop Insurance inc. Accidental Damage & Theft
Delivery	STANDARD INSURED DELIVERY TO UK MAINLAND (MON-FRI)
Build Time	FAST TRACK 3 WORKING DAY DISPATCH

Hi all, I purchased the above laptop in October 2017. I don't use it much for heavy gaming etc, but over the last few months it has been repeatedly misbehaving and black screening. If I leave it doing nothing, it's fine for days. Today however I turned it on at around 11am, it's now 4pm and it has black screened around 7 times always right in the middle of games (games such as Heroes of the Storm, PUBG, Human Fall Flat and Golf With Friends - yes I'm at a LAN hence why I don't usually use it for this kind of thing!). I'm in a fairly cold room, with good air flow on the underside, and the laptop never feels overly hot. I haven't modified the BIOS in any way since purchase. Only other thing not working with the laptop is the fingerprint reader, which for some reason always thinks someone is swiping their finger across it.

I haven't applied any new drivers or updates. I've tried various graphics drivers. Nothing is shown in the Event Log on reboot. I've already raised it with PCS support, but just curious if anyone has encountered a specific issue with these models?

Hi did you ever sort this out please I'm having the same problem.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Hi did you ever sort this out please I'm having the same problem.

Have you checked as above?

 

[Mtgscouser]

Have you checked as above?

Yes m8 tried everything the OP has even grizzly. Was hoping he'd got to the bottom of the problem since thread was 8 months old. You've commented on my thread.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Yes m8 tried everything the OP has even grizzly. Was hoping he'd got to the bottom of the problem since thread was 8 months old. You've commented on my thread.

His problem is clearly stated above. The heatsink wasn’t attached properly so he had a replacement heatsink.

 

[Mtgscouser]

His problem is clearly stated above. The heatsink wasn’t attached properly so he had a replacement heatsink.

He says it was over tightened. Then nothing from the op, sorry but Im only asking him how he got on. Doesn't mention he got a replacement

 

[SpyderTracks]

He says it was over tightened. Then nothing from the op, sorry but Im only asking him how he got on. Doesn't mention he got a replacement

No I know, but there’s no point spamming all the posts unless they’re the same issue as yours. Above you can see that this guys issue was that the heat sink screw was sheared off so the heat sink wasn’t on properly. If that’s the case on yours then you need to return it to PCS, but I’d suggest it’s a to totally different issue to yours.