Updated March 27th: Blizzard has meanwhile in the US-Forum commented on the problem of defective graphics cards when playing Diablo 4 (via PCGH). Accordingly, they are working closely with Nvidia to identify the affected hardware configurations and collect as much data as possible.
As a potential help for those affected, it is stated that the graphics card should be completely disconnected from the power supply by switching the power supply unit on and off. If you still have problems, you should comment in the forum with more detailed information about the case, such as the exact GPU used, the resolution and the level of detail as well as the display mode and the frame rate.
The Diablo open beta runs until the afternoon of today, March 27th at 5 p.m. You can find all the details about the problems that have occurred and how you can possibly prevent them in the original article directly below this info box.
Original article, March 24th: As the Diablo 4 open beta begins, there are worrying reports of graphics cards dying while playing the action RPG. So it may be worth keeping a close eye on your PC if you want to be there.
So far, Gigabyte models from the RTX 3080 Ti series that did not survive playing Diablo 4 seem to be primarily affected. But there are also corresponding user reports from other GPUs.
Although the number of these reports is not yet large, only a limited number of players have been able to try out Diablo 4 at the same time. As is well known, this will change with the start of the open beta today, March 24th.
All important information about the open beta itself can be found in our article Diablo 4 Open Beta: It starts today! Start times, preload and more
. The following performance check for the closed beta also gives you a closer look at the technology of the game including an important tuning tip:
Defective graphics cards in Diablo 4: the current status
Die first reports about defective graphics cards have suggested that the problem should occur when playing certain cutscenes. In the meantime, however, there are also cases in which faulty GPUs have occurred in other areas of the game. A uniform picture has not yet been identified.
Basically, no software should be able to cause a total loss of a graphics card because there are suitable protective devices for it. But if several factors come together, such as an extremely high GPU load due to unlimited frames per second and a problem with these protective devices, something like this can definitely happen.
This brings back memories of similar cases involving Amazon’s New World game. Here, the FPS were partially unlimited in the beta phase, which revealed possible design errors in EVGA’s RTX 3090 models.
How you should deal with it
Basically, from our point of view, despite the current reports, there is nothing against trying out the open beta of Diablo 4. However, we recommend that you keep an eye on your software and hardware. In particular, the following two things are generally better avoided:
- infinite or very high FPS numbers in the four-digit range
- very high temperatures of components such as the GPU chip, the video memory or the voltage converters
A handy tool that you can use to keep track of all of these things while playing is CapFrameX. However, make sure that temperatures of 80 degrees and more can be normal and normal, depending on the component and the cooling situation.
At the same time, setting an FPS limit can be a good idea, regardless of the current reports on Diablo 4. You can find out more about this in the following article:
In our tests with Diablo 4 so far, we have never encountered any problems with defective hardware. We will also test the open beta again on numerous systems in the editorial office and report to you about our experiences.
What do you think of the current reports of defective graphics cards in Diablo 4? Do they stop you from playing or are you rather not worried? And what hardware are you even using to try out Diablo 4? Feel free to write it in the comments!
