Solved Almost Any Game I Play has Texture Flickering and Crashes - How to Fix?

[Luke Rondeau]

I bought a used Dell i5680 from Facebook marketplace.
Specs are as follows:
Intel Core i5 8400
8GB DDR4 2400MHz
Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB

I will include examples of my issues and will explain them here as well. Every game I have tried playing (Enlisted, War Thunder, CS:GO, Rocket League) gives me weird flickering textures including checkered patterns among others. Sometimes when I disable Vsync these go away (Rocket League), and other times this does not work (all others). After turning off Vsync. Rocket League works perfectly, no crashing or artifacts.

Enlisted shows the artifacts even in the menu, and if I wait a little while the game will crash and give me an error "8111000b". Research into this error simply said that my graphics driver was out of date. Windows also gave me an error saying "Application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware". Digging into this error only results in more people saying I should update my graphics driver. I will mention that I upgraded, uninstalled and reinstalled, and reverted my driver numerous times to no avail. I currently have the latest Nvidia driver version 30.0.14.9729.

War Thunder crashes in a similar way to enlisted but only once I have entered a game and began flying; it crashed after ~1 second of gameplay. The visual artifacts are less in this game than in Enlisted.

CS:GO crashes in a different way where I can play the came for a random amount of time; sometimes 1 second, sometimes 1 minute; and then the screen freezes but the music and audio continue and I can still shoot my gun. In this case, I have to alt-tab out and close the app with the control panel. Windows doesn't give me any error and neither does the game.

Here is a Heaven Benchmark test:

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Here is Enlisted crashing:

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let me know if these aren't working

These videos show a benchmark test of my system as well as the textures and artifacts that I'm talking about.

What I've done so far:
- wiped the entire computer as soon as I got it so it should be like-new at least as far as software goes
- Updated and reset and updated graphics driver
- Re-downloaded games
- messed with all graphics settings (especially Vsync)

One of the promising solutions that I came across is to update my chipset drivers. However, I don't know how to find the correct chipset driver. My motherboard is a Blue Skull 17544-1, I couldn't find what chipset drivers to use based on this.

Sorry for the absolute wall of text, I hope this is enough information to get me all fixed up

-Luke

 

[phillpower2]

- wiped the entire computer as soon as I got it so it should be like-new at least as far as software goes

Was the issue already happening before you did the above.

Have you checked the screen and video cable on another computer or tried another screen.

Some info for you;

You do not download drivers from anywhere other than Dell and you must install the drivers in a set order or you are guaranteed to get issues.

Drivers from here manually download and save to a flashdrive the drivers.

Correct order to install them here

 

[Luke Rondeau]

I did not do anything on the computer before I wiped it so I don't know if the issue was there or not. I have not checked the screen or HDMI cable with any other computer. I do, however, know that the screen and cable were used by my brother ~1 year ago and they performed fine for him. I also don't think that it could be the screen or cable because the monitor works completely fine other than when I'm gaming.

I went to your first link and noticed that they have a feature that will automatically scan and download and install the correct and necessary drivers for me. I did that but it did not solve the issues with my games. I also noticed that the BIOS driver always flagged me for needing to update it despite having done so and restarting my PC already multiple times. Because of this, I went through the other link with the order to install and installed each one individually. This still did not fix my issue. After manually installing the drivers and restarting, the automatic driver installer said that my system has the most up-to-date drivers.

I am curious if I should completely wipe my computer and follow those guides again to have a fresh start and do it correctly but I figured that the new drivers would just get rewritten over the old ones.

I will try to test my screen and HDMI cable tomorrow to try to rule that possibility out.

Thank you so much for your help!
- Luke

 

[TechLove]

@Luke Rondeau I will suggest you try the hdmi cable or dvi cable to rule out problem.. But i definetly think if its causing same Texture problems in all games its probably a Graphic card issue & would suggest you get it checked with service center .. Please update us anyways of any progress. Thankyou

 

[phillpower2]

I am curious if I should completely wipe my computer and follow those guides again to have a fresh start and do it correctly but I figured that the new drivers would just get rewritten over the old ones.

Even custom build PCs once Windows has been clean installed you must then install first the chipset drivers, then the storage/SATA drivers and third the graphics drivers, the drivers can either come from a disk provided by the motherboard manufacturer or downloaded from the MB makers site and saved to a flash drive etc, this is a must and Windows should not be allowed to check for updates before it has been done as more often than not Windows installs the wrong drivers or in the incorrect order and this can cause all sorts of problems.

I will try to test my screen and HDMI cable tomorrow to try to rule that possibility out.

Good call, troubleshooting is a process of elimination and doing the above at least rules the items in or out as being the cause.

If the screen and video cable check out as being ok I would do a clean install of Windows and the Dell drivers in their set order, if still the same issue, remove the add on video card from the PCI-E slot on the MB, hook up the screen to the appropriate video port on the MB, reassemble and test to see if the issue is still present, post back with an update for us.

 

[Luke Rondeau]

I'm having no success in fixing my problems. here's what I tried today:

1. tested HDMI and monitor with my brother's computer (also nvidia gtx 1060), they worked as expected
2. fresh install of windows
3. Installed what I think were the correct drivers in the correct order from my flash drive
4. downloaded and tested Enlisted, no good
5. ran Dell's automatic driver updating tool and updated my wifi and ethernet drivers with it, tested Enlisted, no good
6. installed the latest Nvidia GPU driver, tested Enlisted, no good
7. reverted graphics driver back (to 457.51), tested Enlisted, no good

The only thing that I'm not sure of in my testing is which drivers to install and what order to install them. Dell's guide to the order to install the drivers doesn't match up with their catalog of downloadable drivers that work with my computer very well so I'm left guessing a bit.

Other than having a professional take a look at it like TechLove suggested, I'm at my whits' end.

 

[phillpower2]

I doubt that the seller will admit to the PC having issues when they sold it, two reasons, they would have advertised the fact and the price would have been dramatically reduced.

As per my reply #5;

If the screen and video cable check out as being ok I would do a clean install of Windows and the Dell drivers in their set order, if still the same issue, remove the add on video card from the PCI-E slot on the MB, hook up the screen to the appropriate video port on the MB, reassemble and test to see if the issue is still present, post back with an update for us.

The GTX 1060 is an older card and Dell are known for not using the best of quality PSUs so right there are two possible suspects.

 

[Luke Rondeau]

So I removed the graphics card and tried running Enlisted again but after logging on this time it just instantly crashed with the error "8111000b" instead of loading the game menu and then crashing.

I then opened the case of the GPU and blew out what little dust was in there with an air compressor. I reassembled it, reinstalled it, and tested Enlisted but the original error happened again.

I don't see how the PSU could be at fault here, I ran a Heaven benchmark test just fine, albeit with the same visual anomalies, but still, no crashing. Enlisted is not a super graphics-intense game either so I don't think anything is drawing too much power from the PSU.

I think the specific problem that I need a solution for is the "application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware" notification. To be clear I have given the game access through my firewall so that isn't the issue.

Thanks again for your help

 

[phillpower2]

So I removed the graphics card and tried running Enlisted again but after logging on this time it just instantly crashed with the error "8111000b" instead of loading the game menu and then crashing.

I think the specific problem that I need a solution for is the "application has been blocked from accessing graphics hardware" notification. To be clear I have given the game access through my firewall so that isn't the issue.

That is a well documented error for War Thunder so no need for us to go into that, you can read the info for yourself here

I don't see how the PSU could be at fault here, I ran a Heaven benchmark test just fine, albeit with the same visual anomalies, but still, no crashing. Enlisted is not a super graphics-intense game either so I don't think anything is drawing too much power from the PSU.

First and foremost, it is your PC to do with as you see fit, if you don`t agree with what is suggested or wish to follow any suggested steps, no problem, we won`t be offended and will wish you the best of luck with it, just let us know one way or the other.

What did the seller say.

What is the brand and model name or number of the PSU in this Dell.

Are you aware that the GPU in the computer has been modified by Dell so that it requires less power, fine for reducing power demand and overheating but not good for gaming.

An example review for the same model of computer;

1.0 out of 5 stars Value PC not a Gaming PC
Reviewed in the United States on May 13, 2019
Configuration: i7/8/1+128/GTX1060Verified Purchase

This is a good value PC. I wouldn't really recommend this for a gaming system because it doesn't have enough GPU vram. It has a strong CPU but can't be overclocked. I would like to replace the graphics card but the PSU isn't powerful enough. I am disappointed that the day after I bought it Amazon sent me an email saying I could buy the upgraded version with double the ram and twice the hard drive size for the same $$$. Why didn't I get THAT recommendation first

 

[Luke Rondeau]

I have done research into that error code before I started this thread and just browsed through again and they all pretty much recommend updating video card drivers. One website recommended updating Easy Anti Cheat and running the system file checker which I have done already. Do you think running a different version of DirectX could solve my problem?

My PSU model number is AC460AM-01 with Dell branding. I downloaded and ran GPU-Z and checked my power consumption with a Heaven benchmark test. Heaven ran awfully, it froze my computer and I had to restart my PC a couple times before GPU-Z could get an accurate max power reading. When Heaven did run better, I got a max power reading of ~112W. If the motherboard consumes 40W and PC cooling fans ~5 watts total, and maybe 30 watts for everything else; even with an inefficiency of 20%, I still have like 130W of overhead power that goes unused from my 12V 385W output.
It's worth noting how bad Heaven ran this time around, the entire screen went black and my PC froze, the texture flickering was worse and I had to restart my computer. I rolled back the GPU driver and this helped minimally.

The seller said he mostly played Fortnite and that it ran well and he hasn't come across my issues.

I'm just a casual gamer and I'm perfectly happy running an old rig and dialing back the graphics so I think the specs of the computer should be good enough for me if it weren't for this **** issue. Besides, there are many more reviews on Amazon saying that it runs games well enough so I know this PC is capable of what I want out of it.
I was not aware that Dell limited the performance of the GPU, which is unfortunate; However, I still don't think that the graphics card lacks the power to run these games causing the crashing. I have played Enlisted and War thunder on a laptop of mine that only had integrated graphics. The settings were on the very minimum and the framerate wasn't spectacular, but these aren't hugely graphics-intense games. My refuting of your suggestions might come across like I am not appreciative of your help, but that is not the case at all. I greatly appreciate the hours you guys spend at your expense helping internet strangers!

Do you think a PC repair shop would be able to fix my issue? I don't know if I'd be willing to pay an hourly rate for someone to fiddle/troubleshoot with my PC though - that might get expensive.

Thanks again!

 

[Rustys]

Nvidia GTX 1060 3GB

According to the specs for that card requires a minimual of 400 watts. Going by what you have posted that makes hte PSU way undetr powerd.

NVIDIA GeForce 10 Series Graphics Cards

Finds specs and features of NVIDIA GeForce 10 series graphics cards.

www.nvidia.com

Here is another link that may help tp explain better what we are attempting to explain to you.

Which power supply do you need?

1. Power supply requirements for desktop PCs Note that the following only applies to desktop PCs. Power supplies for laptop PCs are always designed with the correct Wattage. The power supply is a v...

support.lumion.com

Within Phils signature are some links covering PSU Guidenace that you can use to referance too.

 

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the above Russ

Only thing that I would be doing would be trying to borrow a good quality brand 500W or above PSU to swap in for testing purposes, if that doesn`t help any you are looking at the GPU having issues and sorry to say that would be something that the seller may well have known about.

My PSU model number is AC460AM-01 with Dell branding.

After Bestec Acbel are probably the worst well known brand of PSU, the PSU in your computer is so poor that they don`t provide a clear picture of the specifications label, that is always a tell tale sign, below are the specs of another Acbel PSU, labelled as 470W but can only actually produce 312W.

PC7004 Discontinued 470 W Acbel Polytech No 0 18 18 - - 312 W No certified No certified No Certified

You can confirm the Acbel PSU specs here

You will note that not one of the Acbel PSUs at the link has a certified energy efficiency certificate, that is how bad they are

 

[Luke Rondeau]

Rusty:
Thanks for those links they're really helpful. Down near the bottom page of your second link I saw something that mentioned downloading MSI afterburner and limiting the power drawn by the graphics card. So I turned it to 80% and ran Heaven and everything seemed ok, the temp never really got over 50C and the fps with vsync on was always at 60fps. Then I ran an actual benchmark on low settings, DirectX 11, and got a score of ~1400. I then bumped the power back up to 100%, ran another benchmark, and got roughly the same score. Then I tried running Enlisted at 80% GPU power and got the same crashing results. I turned the power down to 50% and ran Enlisted again but the same thing happened. Unless there's something else going on, I think we can safely eliminate the possibility of the PSU not being able to supply enough power to the GPU.

Phill:
As shown from my results above, Unless there is a problem with my methodology, I think we can rule out a lack of power causing my issue. This power supply might be crappy, but I think it is at least adequate for now.

Something else weird happened in my testing today, I booted up war thunder, messed with some settings in-game, and I played like 3 battles perfectly fine, no lag, no glitches, nothing. Then I thought I will try enlisted again. Well, Enlisted gave the same problems. So I thought maybe war thunder working was just a fluke so I tried it again. And sure enough, now War Thunder crashes similarly to Enlisted. The reason I tried War Thunder again was that I was trying to change which version of DirectX the game was running but I couldn't find that setting so I ended up just randomly lowering some other settings.

I'm just tired of these issues, I'm thinking that the seller knew perfectly well what he was doing and I made a bad decision. I might just sell it and maybe try buying something else. Don't worry, I will make sure my new buyer know that there are some issues before I sell it to them.

 

[Luke Rondeau]

P.S.
I tried running CS:GO again to make sure the issue isn't a Gaijin thing and CS:GO didn't work either. My HP envy x360 laptop actually ran CS:GO pretty well on low graphics so, in theory, this PC should run it perfectly.

 

[Luke Rondeau]

Thank you for all your help, I have sold the PC. The buyer knows about the problems, he said he researched it and told me that his electrical engineering background should help him fix it.

Again, thanks for spending your time helping me, it's too bad we couldn't pin down a solution.

 

[phillpower2]

Best outcome for you tbh and thanks for letting us know

You are welcome and better luck with any replacement.