Let me start by saying I'm beyond frustrated at this point. I have had issues with my computer freezing after about 15 minutes of playing games for the last 2 years (Picture on screen freezes, can't Alt+Tab or Alt+ctrl+del, requires pressing the reset button on the case). I was thinking there might be something wrong with the games I was playing, but I'm starting to think there has been something wrong with my GPU this entire time. This issue happens only when playing higher end games (ARK, Need for Speed Heat, CoD), and does not happen when playing games such as (Slay the Spire, Monster Train, etc.). This lead me to believe the issue was with the game itself, as others seemed to work fine. I'm now realizing that the games that stress the GPU more are the ones that are causing the freezing. At this point I have performed the following and still run into freezing issues while playing games:

Updated BIOS + Reflashed to be safe, Clearing CMOS and resetting BIOS settings
Disabled a number BIOS settings including Intel Speed Step Technology, downclocking the CPU and memory, manually setting PCIe settings.
Replaced PSU, Memory, HDD (clean install of Windows)
Tried with just 1 memory stick, and swapped with another known working stick
Updated all drivers including chipset, audio, etc. for all devices, also updated Windows.
Removed all peripheral devices not being used (including DVD drives, USB devices, etc.)
Downclocked core and memory speeds on GPU using Precision software as well as reduced the power to 75%, manually set fan speeds to 100%
Updating and performing a clean install of drivers for GPU (which was already done when I replaced the HDD and reinstalled windows)
Moving the GPU to the 2nd PCIe slot on my motherboard.
 
I thought maybe the issue could be the card overheating so I removed the card, blew out any dust and dirt, and applied new thermal paste. While this brought the temps down a decent amount (around 5*C), I'm still experiencing freezing in games. So I decided to monitor the temperatures while gaming by Alt+tabbing to HWMonitor. My CPU never went over 60*C at any point, and the GPU never went over 67*C yet 30 seconds after I checked and went back in game it froze again. I reduced the graphics settings from 1440p down to 1080p, and although the GPU temp never passed 55*C I'm still getting freezing issues. Luckily I was able to borrow a Nvidia P400 GPU from work and test with that card in, and I had the game running all day without any issues. At this point I'm realizing it has something to do with the GPU or my motherboard, it seems like the GPU but I don't want to rule out the motherboard since the P400 card is not identical to a 980Ti. I was attempting to test the GPU in my old desktop but the EVGA 780i SLI motherboard I have in there doesn't want to make it past POST anymore, so I unfortunately can not test that way, and I do not have a spare 980ti laying around. I did inspect the card as well and there is no physical damage or burnt components on it. I'm very confused at this point as to what the issue could be. I feel like I've paid 700$ for a headache and a paper weight at this point, and now that I realize the issue is with the GPU and not the games, it is probably no longer under warranty. Extremely frustrating to say the least, if anyone could help me figure this out or tell me where to go from here I would appreciate it. I'm going to see if I can borrow a motherboard or desktop from a friend to test the GPU in the mean time. 

System Specs:
CPU: I7-4770K
Mobo: Asus Maximus VI Hero
PSU: OCZ 600 Watt
RAM: 2x GSKILL 8gb DDR3-1666mhz
 

Solder cracking on the PCB was kind of an issue with cards of that era and can cause artifacting, BSODs, freezing, restarting/shutdowns, no POST.

You can disassemble the card and bake only the PCB like this which should reflow any solder cracking that might exist, then hope for the best.

If solder cracking is the problem and not a component failure, baking it might fix it..It might fix it for only a short time, or a long time, or, not at all.
 
If you bake the PCB, do it only with the GPU chip side up..200C (preheated oven) for 10 - 15 minutes will be good.
 
Food for thought.

bob16314
Solder cracking on the PCB was kind of an issue with cards of that era and can cause artifacting, BSODs, freezing, restarting/shutdowns, no POST.

You can disassemble the card and bake only the PCB like this which should reflow any solder cracking that might exist, then hope for the best.

If solder cracking is the problem and not a component failure, baking it might fix it..It might fix it for only a short time, or a long time, or, not at all.

If you bake the PCB, do it only with the GPU chip side up..200C (preheated oven) for 10 - 15 minutes will be good.

Food for thought.

+1

Thanks for the reply! I should be able to test out the GPU in my friends machine tomorrow. I figured I would isolate the GPU completely to see if the issue still exists before baking a 700$ card. I still have a feeling this could be motherboard related, I'm thinking about removing all of the components from the case to make sure nothing is being shorted out in any way. I should be able to update tomorrow on how that goes. If my friends desktop locks up with the card in it, I might as well bake it at that point. Sad this card is still fairly new, I want to believe there is some other issue, it's just unusual it only happens when playing high end games.

Kevinpt8339
I should be able to test out the GPU in my friends machine tomorrow.

That would be ideal.

Ok, so I was able to test out the card in a known working machine and ran into the same issue. I'm 100% positive it is the GPU at this point. So basically I've purchased a defective 700$ GPU that always passes diagnostics yet causes freezing issues. Now that I have realized it has definitely been the GPU causing this the entire time, it is out of warranty apparently. It would be nice if the warranty checker let me know when it actually expired because I remember purchasing this card in 2017 during Black Friday deals, and I feel like it should still be under the warranty. Either way, I feel like EVGA should be reflowing\repairing\replacing the GPU for a known manufacturing issue such as weak PCB solder joints. It's sad that my only option at this point is to bake a 3 year old 700$ card in my oven. I have never ran into an issue like this in my 20+ years of building and repairing computers. I have only ever had 2 components fails on me in my personal builds, both EVGA, and they are the only EVGA products I've owned. Why does this card continually pass diagnostics and stress tests (OCCT, Furmark), yet freezes in games. I would have had this card RMA'ed about 2 years ago had there been any indication there was something wrong with it during diagnostics. I feel like I've been scammed out of 700$ by EVGA at this point. I'm hoping there is something else that can be done before baking this GPU in an oven.

you should find a copy of your invoice. Unless you registered the gpu. the warranty is going by when the product left factory. if you provide them with proof of purchase date they will honor the warranty. Great customer service maybe give them a call.

Kevinpt8339
Ok, so I was able to test out the card in a known working machine and ran into the same issue. I'm 100% positive it is the GPU at this point. So basically I've purchased a defective 700$ GPU that always passes diagnostics yet causes freezing issues. Now that I have realized it has definitely been the GPU causing this the entire time, it is out of warranty apparently. It would be nice if the warranty checker let me know when it actually expired because I remember purchasing this card in 2017 during Black Friday deals, and I feel like it should still be under the warranty. Either way, I feel like EVGA should be reflowing\repairing\replacing the GPU for a known manufacturing issue such as weak PCB solder joints. It's sad that my only option at this point is to bake a 3 year old 700$ card in my oven. I have never ran into an issue like this in my 20+ years of building and repairing computers. I have only ever had 2 components fails on me in my personal builds, both EVGA, and they are the only EVGA products I've owned. Why does this card continually pass diagnostics and stress tests (OCCT, Furmark), yet freezes in games. I would have had this card RMA'ed about 2 years ago had there been any indication there was something wrong with it during diagnostics. I feel like I've been scammed out of 700$ by EVGA at this point. I'm hoping there is something else that can be done before baking this GPU in an oven.

I can modify the BIOS for you.  What I've read doesn't necessarily mean anything is physically wrong with the card to the point of no salvation.