Skyrim Bug or is my GPU dying?

[Vai1lyn]

In the last days, I've noticed some strange graphical glitches when playing Skyrim. It only happens in Skyrim, and I didn't change my load order, or any meshes.

 

When I booted up Skyrim, the spells in the inventory (for instance the Calm spells) didn't display correctly: instead of a fluent light that fades away, there were sharp edges with blurry light texture, and on the southern part of the world map, there were purple stripes.

 

Since I just installed a new Linux kernel version (which came with updated GPU drivers), I reverted to the older kernel and booted Skyrim again. The map and spells went back to normal, and everything seemed fine.

 

However, when I went to a Dwemer Ruin, some meshes had a strange blue hue. For instance, one surface of a dwemer metal pedestal was blue, while the rest was normal. It still had the normal texture, but it was slightly blue instead of yellow. This occurs with every instance of the model in the same fashion. I did not install a mod that changed that mesh, and it displayed just fine before.

 

Is this a "normal" Skyrim bug for saves with long play time? Or is it an indicator of a hardware issue? I never overclocked and continuously monitor the system heat while playing, and it does not overheat. What's happening?

 

Thanks!

Edited August 9, 2021 by Vai1lyn

[7531Leonidas]

Have you checked your graphics card for dust build-up? You could also make sure that the card hasn't loosened in the slot over time, just loosen the mount screw, and re-seat the card (make sure that your system is powered down, and the power supply turned off/unplugged). The larger and heavier the card, the more likely that this could be a problem.

 

It is also possible that some files have become corrupted over time. Have you tried verifying the game files in Steam? There is a mod - More Informative Console - that will let you see which mod was the last to modify a particular item in game. Just get the suspect area in your view, engage the console, and click on the area.

[Vai1lyn]

Huh, apparently, some meshes got corrupted!

 

The GPU re-seating shouldn't be a problem, since I'm using an integrated GPU.

 

However, I just opened the affected walls and bowl meshes in Nifskope, and apparently, they now really have a blue emissive color, which wasn't present before.

 

Edit: ...or I have never noticed, and the paranoid f*** I am, I looked for anything unusual, first noticed it & thought it wasn't fixed :P

Edited August 10, 2021 by Vai1lyn

[Vai1lyn]

It appears that I never had GPU issues in the first place! I only hit this strange Skyrim bug that has already been experienced by other people:

[RatB0Y68]

When my old EVGA GTX 680 was about to kick the bucket, the graphical glitches I noticed were rainbow coloured spots and beams. Various multicoloured geometry in menus prior to crashing. Then of course, blue screens and eventually black screens of death.

[Vai1lyn]

So, the exact same as shown in the video? I have experienced pixel for pixel the exact same glitch as in the video (for instance on the map). However, this exact same error has now been posted by like 10-15 different people with different GPUs, and none have reported their GPU failing afterwards. For me, this specific issue seems more like a game bug, especially as it fixes itself on reboot and doesn't come back. Should I still be worried about hardware failure? I don't see any of these glitches in other applications, and I don't have crashes or BSODs. Although I don't use any other apps that rely on the GPU as strongly than Skyrim.

Edited August 10, 2021 by Vai1lyn