Event ID 14 nvlddmkm - Random Complete Video Lock Up

[BlackOilCoder]

I built a new computer early in 2020. I'm super experienced with building and troubleshooting builds.

This machine has had a ghost issue I've been chasing since the beginning. I would get occasional video lock ups - screen just freezes. I think the machine is still running fine, but the total video lockup. Only fix is a hard reset. The initiating error appears to be Event ID 14 on nvlddmkm. This is occasionally linked on NVIDIA GPU to conflicts between software accessing the GPU. The ASUS Armory Crate has been known to cause it - which I have never used - but has some similar functions to Fan Control for monitoring and controlling GPU fans and RGB.

I have chased this around for nearly 2 years now. It is not consistent in anyway. It did seem to be related to recovery from sleep where it would happen most often. It never occurs when the CPU/GPU are highly loaded - i.e. never when gaming. Often when just browsing the internet.

It's finally dawning on me that Fan Control could be a factor here. This is my first air cooled machine I've built in years. I love the software and have it tuned so that I can't hear the machine at idle. It works perfectly for that purpose. I only have the software controlling the CPU fan - GPU fan control is excellent via my ASUS TUF RXT3080.

What I would like to ask the group here is if anyone else has seen similar random video lock ups associated with Event 14? Fan Control could absolutely not be involved, but as I have run down most other paths and Fan Control is one of the only unique factors here. I could just uninstall it and run for a while, but I figured I would see if anyone has seen this before I go down that path as I'll likely have to sit for days with a noisy PC to test the theory.