If your graphics card is malfunctioning, you will usually experience a variety of symptoms. These can range from visual issues like artifacts, distorted images, and crashing games to driver crashes, system slow-downs, and even system freezes.
Visual Symptoms
One of the most common signs of a malfunctioning graphics card is visual errors, such as artifacts, distorted images, and crashing games. Artifacts are strange shapes, lines, or colors that appear on your monitor and may indicate a faulty component. Distorted images can occur if your system is running at too high a resolution for the graphics card to handle. Finally, if your games are crashing immediately after launch, this may be a sign that something is wrong with your graphics card.
Driver Crashes
Another symptom of a malfunctioning graphics card is frequent driver crashes. If you’re experiencing driver crashes, this could be an indication that the card is not able to handle the current resolution or level of detail. The driver may also crash if it is out of date or if the card wasn’t designed for the specific version of software you have installed.
System Slow-Downs
If your system is running noticeably slower than usual, this can be a sign that the graphics card is having trouble keeping up with the workload. Poorly optimized graphics settings or too high a resolution can cause the card to struggle, resulting in reduced performance and slower system speeds.
System Freezes
Finally, one of the most serious symptoms of a malfunctioning graphics card is complete system freezes. This can be especially problematic if you are running a mission-critical application or playing an intensive game. System freezes can be caused by hardware incompatibilities, over-heating, or a bad connection to the power source.
If you suspect that your graphics card is malfunctioning, you can try troubleshooting by checking that your drivers are up to date, lowering the graphics settings or resolution, and ensuring the card is connected securely to the power source. If these measures do not help, it is best to contact a professional for further analysis.