Several GPUs, but particularly Gigabyte Nvidia 3080 Ti's are giving players of Diablo IV issues to the extent of bricking graphics cards.
Modern PC components have gamers shelling out thousands of dollars to upgrade or build new rigs entirely with the anticipation of playing the hottest new games in stunning quality and performance, but some have fallen victim to faulty graphics cards that have ended in a saddening disaster when running some of the newest games as of late.
Regardless of how much gamers pay for their PC rigs, there isn't anything more frustrating than running into PC components failing– particularly if that component fails by playing a game that gamers built their PCs for. That case couldn't be more true than for fans of the Diablo series after playing the closed beta last weekend. It would seem yet again a new PC game is finally pushing graphics cards in just the right way to pose concern for owners of Gigabyte's 3080 Ti cards primarily, and might be exposing a manufacturing flaw that is echoing back to 2021's New World.
Back in 2021 when the Nvidia 30-series cards were the latest and greatest graphics cards, PC gamers ran into a similar problem with Amazon's MMO, New World. This was especially troubling to owners of Gigabyte and EVGA graphics cards, as poor soldering of MOSFETs turned GPUs into e-waste at a time when buying a GPU was frustrating due to shortages of parts. Many reports suggested owners of 3090 cards were at the biggest risk at first, but as time went on, even a Gigabyte 3070 Vision GPU ignited into flames, after playing New World.
Years separated from the New World debacle, Diablo IV seems to have been the newest cause of several reports for players who purchased Gigabyte graphics cards– and according to Tom's Hardware's findings, an EVGA 3080 Ti, Gigabyte 3080, and a Gigabyte 6900XT all showed signs of crashes and instability with Diablo IV. Another forum user reported issues with their Gigabyte 3060 Ti which showed constant crashes similar to the reported Gigabyte AMD 6900XT graphics card and Gigabyte AMD 3080.
In minor cases, users report notable black screens or loss of video signals, or power to the PC temporarily. This was resolved by switching off and on the power supply of the PC. However, cases of GPUs becoming completely unusable seem to be the biggest problem as a result of playing Diablo IV with a 3080 Ti from Gigabyte. While the earliest faults found during New World's release were reported to be from running the game with a 3090 initially, that didn't mean other cards can't pose threats either. Users who might have purchased their Gigabyte and EVGA graphics card from 2020 through 2021 might want to consider that their MOSFETs might also have been part of the faulty batch and the issue might be laying dormant because the right instructions haven't been triggered through their graphics card yet– such as running Diablo IV.
The common point where GPU issues occur comes within the opening hour of Diablo IV. Once players reach a chapel, a cutscene is supposed to play. That is where owners of Gigabyte 3080 Ti's are witnessing either a black screen, crashes, or their graphics cards failing to function, though some also report their GPU failed by normal gameplay and not during a cutscene. Regardless, the issue is proving to show some consistencies towards particular cards, but there isn't a safe solution to these problems yet.
This news is especially concerning as Diablo IV launches its open beta today after having its closed beta last weekend. With many unbeknownst of this information, Diablo could claim even more GPUs this weekend. If you are the owner of a Gigabyte 3080 Ti, or purchased a Gigabyte or EVGA graphics card from 2020 through 2021, it might be best to wait for further updates directly from Blizzard, Nvidia, AMD, or Gigabyte before sending your GPU to Hell.
