There are a variety of causes that could lead to an abrupt halt in the functionality of your graphics card. Some common factors include the following:
1. Overheating: Excessive heat can cause permanent damage to your graphics card, resulting in it ceasing to function. The Heat Sink, which helps disperse heat from the GPU, may be insufficient or clogged with dust, thus leading to overheating. Other causes of overheating on the GPU might include inadequate airflow or a faulty fan.
2. Computer Crash or Virus Infection: When the computer crashes, the graphics card can become unstable and cease to work. Viruses and malware can also interfere with the normal functioning of the card and even cause damage, resulting in it stopping working.
3. Driver Issues: Outdated or faulty drivers can produce unexpected errors with the card, leading it to fail suddenly. Furthermore, some driver incompatibilities with certain hardware components can also cause the card to malfunction.
4. Incompatible Software: Specific software applications can cause conflicts with the card, leading it to become unresponsive or stop working suddenly.
5. Faulty Hardware: Any hardware component that interacts with the card (motherboard, RAM, etc.) may be defective. This can lead to instability of the card and its eventual failure.
6. Power Supply Issues: If the power supply does not supply sufficient power to the card, it can result in its instability and failure.
7. Physical Damage: Impact from a fall or any other form of physical trauma can cause the card to stop working abruptly.
In order to avoid such issues, it is essential to ensure proper cooling and ventilation of the card, update drivers regularly, and check for hardware compatibility with the card before installation. Moreover, avoid downloading unknown files or applications that could contain malicious code. It is also advisable to get your graphics card checked periodically by a certified technician to detect any underlying issues.