PC crash only in Gw2

[StevenL.3761]

Hello, my PC started crashing a few weeks ago whenever I play Gw2. It started happening after I transported my computer by car, so I think some component might have gotten unseated. Or perhaps it was the update to Windows 11 22H2 that is causing my problems. The only strange thing is that it doesn't happen with any other game or stress test like Furmark. Has anyone ever seen anything like this?

Specs:

• ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming motherboard
• Intel i7 7700k processor
• 32GB DDR4 memory (4x Corsair CMK16GX4M2B3000C15)
• NVIDIA Geforce GTX 980 Ti graphics card (PCIe x8, I guess I have too many expansion cards to run at x16)
• Intel SSD 750 Series boot drive (PCIe x4, NVMe)
• Intel Wi-Fi 6E AX210 network card (PCIe x1)
• Windows 11 (22H2)

I can play Gw2 for a few minutes and then I start seeing weird colors and shapes just moments before my PC restarts. I can play for longer without crashing if I turn down the graphics settings to Best performance, up to a few hours. The crashes are almost immediate if I set the game to Best appearance. There is no BSOD, just an immediate reboot. I checked temperatures but that is not the issue, everything stays quite cool. I tested with motherboard defaults to check it's not a bad overclock, but the crashes still happen. Again, the crashes don't happen in any other game or stress test/benchmak tool.

Thoughts?

UPDATE

I tried reseating the video card but that only made it worse somehow! Furmark also started showing artifacts and crashing my computer in the same manner. I took out the video card again and cleaned the connector with isopropyl alcohol. My computer has not crashed again since I did that. I really hope that was it!

Edited November 19, 2022 by StevenL.3761