Beware! This game could brick your GPU! WARNING!
**Full Article Based on Provided Video Transcription**
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### Introduction: A Critical PSA About Playing New World with an RTX 3090
Hello, everyone! This is js2 cents bringing you a crucial public service announcement (PSA) about some concerning news that came to light this morning. If you own an NVIDIA RTX 3090 or an RTX 3080 Ti and are playing Amazon's new MMO game *New World*, there’s a real risk of causing physical damage—or even death—to your graphics card. This issue is serious enough that we strongly advise watching the entire video to understand the situation, its scope, and potential solutions.
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### NZXT's Build Expansion: Building Gaming PCs Just Got Easier
Before diving into the main topic, let’s quickly mention another important update. NZXT has announced the expansion of its "Build" service, which makes it easier than ever to assemble a gaming computer on your budget. Now available in Australia, the Netherlands, France, and Italy, this service allows users to configure their ideal gaming PC using an intuitive built-in tool. With the BLD Peace of Mind Warranty backing all builds, you can rest assured your new gaming rig will perform as expected. To learn more, visit the link in our video description.
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### The Problem at Hand: Graphics Card Failures in *New World*
Now, let’s get back to the critical issue at hand. Players with high-end graphics cards—specifically RTX 3080 Ti and RTX 3090 models—are experiencing a severe problem while playing *New World*, Amazon's new MMO that recently transitioned from alpha to beta.
The story began when a Twitch streamer and YouTuber (whose identity we don’t know) tweeted about their experience. During gameplay in the alpha phase, their computer experienced an Over Current Protection (OCP) shutdown—where the system shuts down to prevent damage. Initially, this didn’t cause any harm, but upon restarting the game, they encountered a physical "pop" sound from within their PC tower. Unfortunately, this pop rendered their graphics card unresponsive and unusable.
As more users reported similar issues on forums like Reddit, it became clear that this wasn’t an isolated incident. Many players with RTX 3090 cards—especially EVGA’s popular "For The Win" model—were facing the same problem. However, reports indicate that other brands may also be affected, though EVGA dominates the market for these high-end cards.
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### Analyzing the Data: Is It Exclusive to EVGA?
While EVGA seems to be the most commonly mentioned brand in these reports, it’s essential to approach this with caution. The data we have is still anecdotal and limited to user experiences on forums. To determine whether this issue is exclusive to a specific manufacturer, we’ll need more comprehensive reporting from users across different brands.
One thing to consider is that EVGA has sold more RTX 3090 cards than any other AIB (Add-in Board) vendor. This market dominance means that even if the problem isn’t unique to EVGA, it’s statistically more likely to appear on their cards first. As more users report their hardware configurations and outcomes, we can cross-reference these cases with broader market trends to identify patterns.
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### The Role of Reddit in Troubleshooting
Reddit threads often serve as a hub for discussing technical issues, but they’re not always reliable sources of information. While some users provide detailed accounts of their hardware setups and experiences, others use such threads to vent frustrations or spread misinformation about specific brands. As a result, sifting through these reports requires careful consideration.
When evaluating user claims, focus on those who provide concrete details—such as their GPU model, power supply (PSU), CPU specifications, and settings during the crash. Without this information, it’s impossible to draw meaningful conclusions or identify root causes.
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### The Technicalities: Power Delivery and Card Failure
The core issue revolves around the power delivery systems within graphics cards. When *New World* is launched, users have reported that their GPU immediately spikes in power consumption, core clock speed, and frames per second (FPS). In some cases, the card reaches absurdly high FPS levels during the game’s menu loading screen—levels that far exceed practical limits for gaming performance.
This extreme load places immense stress on the GPU’s power delivery system, which consists of voltage regulators, chokes, and capacitors. These components are responsible for stabilizing the power supply to the GPU’s core and memory. When overloaded or subjected to unstable power conditions, they can fail, leading to physical damage that renders the card unusable.
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### Why vsync Matters
One simple solution to mitigate this issue is enabling **vsync** in your graphics card control panel. Vsync caps your frame rate to match your monitor’s refresh rate, preventing the GPU from unnecessarily overworking itself. While some gamers may prefer unrestricted FPS for competitive or immersive experiences, the risks of damaging your hardware outweigh the benefits.
For users with high-end GPUs like the RTX 3090, which are designed to deliver ultra-smooth performance, disabling vsync can lead to an unmanageable load on your graphics card. If you’re convinced that *New World* demands every ounce of graphical power from your system, consider carefully whether the short-term gaming experience is worth the long-term risk of hardware failure.
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### A Bigger Theory: Power Supply and Daisy-Chaining Issues
Beyond vsync, there’s another layer to this problem: how you power your GPU. Many high-end cards like the RTX 3090 require multiple power connectors, often using both an 8-pin and two 6-pin PCIe plugs. If you’re daisy-chaining these connectors—using one plug from a single PSU rail—you might be creating a suboptimal power delivery scenario.
Modern GPUs are designed to handle high power loads, but even minor fluctuations or instability in the power supply can cause significant stress. For example:
- **Overclocking**: Pushing your GPU’s power limits beyond factory settings increases its power draw.
- **Stock Power Draw**: Even at stock settings, an RTX 3090 consumes around 350 watts, and higher-end models like the RTX 3090 Ti can exceed 400 watts.
- ** PSU Limitations**: If your power supply isn’t sufficiently robust or is of lower quality, it may struggle to deliver stable power under such heavy loads.
The combination of these factors creates an environment where even minor issues in power delivery could lead to catastrophic failures. This highlights the importance of using a reliable PSU with sufficient wattage and efficiency ratings for high-end gaming systems.
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### The Role of Amazon: Did They Overlook QA?
As *New World* moved from alpha to beta, many users were excited to dive into the game. However, the issues we’re discussing today should have been identified during the game’s internal testing phases. This raises questions about whether Amazon adequately addressed these problems before releasing the game to the public.
The development cycle for large MMOs is complex, and it’s possible that certain edge cases slipped through automated QA processes. However, given the severity of this issue, it’s hard not to wonder if more thorough testing could have prevented these hardware failures.
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### A Burning Question: Who’s at Fault?
This brings us to a crucial question: who bears responsibility for these hardware failures? Is it the GPU manufacturers, the power supply companies, or Amazon themselves?
- **GPU Manufacturers**: These companies design and build the cards that are failing. While they include safeguards like overcurrent protection, repeated stress can eventually lead to component failure.
- **Power Supply Manufacturers**: If your PSU is inadequate or faulty, it could exacerbate the problem by delivering unstable power.
- **Amazon**: As the developers of *New World*, Amazon bears responsibility for creating a game that places excessive strain on hardware. The lack of frame caps in the menu system and during gameplay seems to be a critical oversight.
Ultimately, this issue is a perfect storm of factors: poor QA from Amazon, insufficient safeguards in GPU designs, and user choices regarding power delivery setups. Each party shares some responsibility for the outcome.
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### Conclusion: Protect Your Investment
As we wrap up today’s discussion, here are our key takeaways:
1. **Enable vsync**: This simple setting can prevent your GPU from hitting extreme FPS levels that stress its power delivery systems.
2. **Invest in a reliable PSU**: Ensure your power supply can handle the load of high-end components and avoid daisy-chaining power connectors if possible.
3. **Stay vigilant**: If you’re experiencing issues with *New World* or any game, pay close attention to your system’s behavior and report problems with as much detail as possible.
If you’ve experienced this issue yourself, we encourage you to share your hardware specs and settings in the comments below. Every piece of information helps us narrow down the root cause and find solutions for others.
Finally, if you’re in Southern California and have a damaged card you’d like us to investigate, reach out—we might be interested in borrowing it for further testing!
Thank you for watching, and as always, stay informed and take care of your hardware.