⚠️ SAFETY WARNING / ELECTRICAL AND MECHANICAL RISK. Working on PC hardware (such as replacing components or the heatsink) involves risks of electrostatic discharge (ESD) and, if working on the power supply, contact with residual high-voltage charges. Before opening the case, always disconnect the power cable from the wall outlet and discharge residual energy by holding down the power button for 10 seconds. This diagnosis is provided solely for educational, informational, or study purposes.
CAUSE A: CPU Instability (Intel 13th/14th Gen or Aggressive BIOS Profiles)
- Probability: 45%
- Technical Analysis: During startup or initial shader compilation, the Unreal Engine 5 graphics engine uses the Oodle suite to decompress massive data streams. If the CPU exhibits transient micro-instability due to excessively high supply voltages (Vcore) or motherboard power profiles without limits (unlocked PL1/PL2), the mathematical calculation fails. The DirectX 12 video driver interprets this silent calculation error as a memory allocation failure, returning the false positive "Out of Video Memory".
- Experience Signal: This often happens when you own an Intel i9-13900K or i9-14900K processor with unoptimized factory BIOS settings. A real-world micro-case demonstrated that by applying a negative 2x offset to the P-Core multiplier via tuning utilities, the crash instantly disappears, confirming the hardware origin of the problem.
| Root Cause | Key Symptom | Quick Fix |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| Intel CPU Instability (13th/14th Gen) | Immediate crash at startup / shader compilation | Set "Intel Default Settings" in BIOS |
| VRAM Saturation | Crash after 15-30 mins with stuttering | Reduce textures/Ray Tracing, disable overlays |
| Insufficient Paging File | Sudden crash with allocation error | Set Paging File to "System managed" |
CAUSE B: Real VRAM Saturation and Driver/Overlay Conflicts
- Probability: 30%
- Technical Analysis: Simultaneously enabling "Ultra" level textures, Ray Tracing, and high native resolutions (4K) easily exceeds the physical threshold of 8 GB or 10 GB of VRAM. Physical memory saturation causes a graphics driver timeout (TDR - Timeout Detection and Recovery). This scenario is often exacerbated by overlay software (Discord, GeForce Experience, RivaTuner) interfering with direct DirectX 12 API calls.
- Experience Signal: The crash typically occurs after 15-30 minutes of intense gaming session (and not at startup), accompanied by a drastic drop in framerate (stuttering) just before the system freezes.
CAUSE C: Incorrect or Insufficient Windows Paging File Configuration
- Probability: 25%
- Technical Analysis: When the game saturates the GPU's physical VRAM, the operating system attempts to allocate excess resources in shared memory (system RAM) and on the disk via virtual memory (Paging File). If this feature has been manually disabled or limited by the user on the main SSD drive, the system runs out of headroom (commit charge), forcing an immediate shutdown of the rendering thread.
- Experience Signal: Typical error of users who, in an attempt to preserve SSD space or wear, disable the Windows paging file, ignoring that low-level DirectX 12 APIs require a dynamic swap space to manage asset loading peaks.
WHICH ONE IS YOURS?
Quick Diagnostic Checks
- Enable Safety Profiles in BIOS: If you use a 13th/14th generation Intel CPU, update the BIOS to the latest available version and select the "Intel Default Settings" power profile (limiting PL1/PL2 to 253W and IccMax to 307A/400A).
- Manage VRAM and Overlays: Reduce texture quality or disable Ray Tracing if your graphics card has less than 12 GB of VRAM. Temporarily disable Discord, GeForce Experience, or RivaTuner overlays to rule out API conflicts.
- Restore Virtual Memory: Access Windows advanced system settings and set the Paging File to "System managed" for the main SSD drive (C:).
- Perform a Clean Driver Install: Use the DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) utility in Safe Mode to completely remove old video drivers, then install the latest stable WHQL release.
Recommended Tools and Spare Parts for Resolution
In case of thermal instability or the need for hardware upgrades to overcome physical memory limits:
If you hear an abnormal ticking or buzzing sound coming from the DeepCool LS720 cooler pump block, it could be trapped air bubbles or premature bearing wear. In many cases, setting the pump speed to 100% in the BIOS or performing an external bleeding cycle resolves the issue before critical overheating occurs.
- Thermal Grizzly Kryonaut Thermal Paste (Maintenance - Optimizes CPU heat transfer)
Delivery Report for the Technician (Handoff)
"The PC exhibits systematic 'Out of Video Memory' crashes on The First Descendant (DX12/UE5) during shader decompression. An AVX2 CPU stability test, application of 'Intel Default Settings' profiles in the BIOS, and verification of the physical integrity of VRAM modules via dedicated diagnostics are requested."
Operational Decision: If updating the BIOS with factory Intel profiles (most likely cause) does not resolve the crash, proceed with optimizing graphics details to avoid VRAM saturation and, finally, verify the Windows Paging File configuration. If the CPU is physically degraded or unstable in tests, consider replacing the cooler or the processor itself through a qualified technician.
Caricamento interfaccia di diagnosi...
