Game crashes with "D3D11 Create Device: unknown error" message - Windows 11

Hey. I keep having a VERY annoying error that keeps me from playing POE1 this league. For some context: I am playing Ruetoo's Elemental Hit Slayer, so a very heavy AOE / ailment build.

The issue occurs almost exclusively during mapping (I don't think I ever crashed while bossing), specifically the exact instant I hit a pack of mobs with an ability.
This happens mostly when I use Ele Hit, but I saw it happen even when using dash abilities like Whirling Blades.

At the trigger event:
The game freezes for approximately one second, the screen turns black, and then one of two things happens:
1. The game either recovers and reloads, showing the "gears loading" UI element
OR
2. The game completely crashes to the desktop. When it crashes completely, it throws the "D3D11 Create Device: unknown error" message.

I AM ABSOLUTELY OUT OF IDEAS on what to do anymore. It really sucks the fun out of the game having to reload a map 3-4 times just because I am crashing that many times. Here is a list of everything that I considered relevant. If I can help with any logs, please help me in providing them, as I do not know where to look.

It DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A COOLING ISSUE, as my GPU is at a comfortable ~70°C during load (95°C hotspot) and my CPU is at around the same mark.

1. System Specifications, OS, Driver & Game versions
MOBO: GIGABYTE B550 GAMING X V2
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 5800X
GPU: Sapphire Radeon RX 7600 PULSE 8GB GDDR6 1‎28-bit
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB RS 32GB DDR4 3200MHz CL16 Dual Channel Kit
Storage: Kingston NV3 1TB PCI Express M.2 SSD Gen 4.0 x4
PSU: GIGABYTE UD750GM, 80+ Gold, 750W

OS: Windows 11, latest (KB5083769) (26200.8246)
AMD Driver & Software version: 26.3.1 (latest)
POE1 Standalone launcher (3.28 Mirage League)

2. In-Game Settings & Configuration
Resolution: 3440x1440 (Ultrawide).
Display Mode: Windowed (Have also tested Fullscreen and Borderless Windowed; the issue persists across all).

Graphics Quality: All settings turned down to the lowest possible values. If it can be turned off, I turned it off.

Render resolution: 67%
VSync: Off
Dynamic culling: Enabled
Dynamic resolution: Enabled
Engine Multithreading: Enabled

Renderer API Tested:
DirectX 12: Current setting. Causes the specific crash detailed below.
Vulkan: Game instantly closes when the trigger event happens.
DirectX 11: Game performance/framerate is entirely unbearable, didn't get to play up to the point of a game crash.

3. Troubleshooting Already Attempted
AMD Adrenalin Software Tweaks: Even applied custom GPU tuning which yielded a very minor improvement in stability (game does not crash as much, instead I get the gears loading UI element more often), but did not fix the core issue.

CPU settings untouched, default tuning.

GPU Undervolt: -15mV
Core Frequency: -15MHz
Power Limit: -3%
Tweaked fan curve to hit 100% RPM when at 60°C.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

CPU settings untouched, default tuning.

While searching and fixing the error, it is better to return the entire system to its default state.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

GPU Undervolt: -15mV

This may lead to deterioration in stability.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Core Frequency: -15MHz

-15MHz? Not 150? Even 150 might not be enough.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Power Limit: -3%

This may not be enough to achieve a noticeable effect.


Some people found it helpful to roll back to driver version 25.9.1.

Hi fellow Romanian exile.

The main issue here is due to your system not being able to handle the game at that resolution with that much VRAM. You can try lowering your resolution. Once and you do and have to lower graphical settings, it starts to look ugly - for the sake of getting decent frames. Since your system is about 6-7 years old, it's time for new one altogether.

[Removed by Support] This is not happening due to my system being "old", and I do not want to upgrade my system in order to play a game released in 2013. I can run other AAA titles no problem.

There is literally no other game I have on my PC that crashes at all, let alone this many times per session. Changing the resolution does not improve stability. Even with 67% original resolution with upscaling or running at native 1080p the crashes still occour.

From what I see a lot more people have this issue.

"

Mindeclipse#1593 wrote:

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

CPU settings untouched, default tuning.

While searching and fixing the error, it is better to return the entire system to its default state.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

GPU Undervolt: -15mV

This may lead to deterioration in stability.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Core Frequency: -15MHz

-15MHz? Not 150? Even 150 might not be enough.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

Power Limit: -3%

This may not be enough to achieve a noticeable effect.

Some people found it helpful to roll back to driver version 25.9.1.

For the sake of getting down to the bottom of this, I have rolled back my AMD drivers to 25.9.1 and have kept all the settings but the fan speed at default. This is the only thing that has gotten close to improving stability. So far no more crashes. I will update if I still experience crashes.

"

Lămâie#7408 wrote:

[Removed by Support] This is not happening due to my system being "old", and I do not want to upgrade my system in order to play a game released in 2013. I can run other AAA titles no problem.

There is literally no other game I have on my PC that crashes at all, let alone this many times per session. Changing the resolution does not improve stability. Even with 67% original resolution with upscaling or running at native 1080p the crashes still occour.

From what I see a lot more people have this issue.

Looking through the forums, it seems players with AMD GPUs/CPU setups are experiencing more crashes than those without.

I disagree on a few points here. First, you're not playing a game like is in its state of 2013. You're playing a game originally released in 2013 but that has been upgraded in numerous ways since (and I don't mean content wise).

No, you should not upgrade your system. I recommend replacing it altogether; when it's time to do so. I had a system like yours and the before and after was quite significant.

Here's the golden rule as a gamer. If your system can't handle a game on high settings and native monitor resolution with great fps, then either the game is at fault or your hardware is quite behind.

Further research on your error indicates the following:
"D3D errors typically occur if you are running the game at settings which your machine does not adequately support or if you are running outdated video drivers."

Hope your issues get resolved.

The issue at hand was not because of my PC's overall firepower. I am now running the game @ max settings in 3440x1440, no upscaling.

The only issue was the AMD driver interaction with the game, it seems. Rolling back to graphics driver version 25.9.1 fixed the issue all together. It works the same way on Vulkan and DX12.

The release date of these graphics drivers seems to match with the approximate time I have last been able to play POE1 with no crashes.

Regardless, VRAM is not what was the issue. It is just driver instability. On my laptop where I am rocking a Nvidia GPU (4GB VRAM GTX 1650), I am able to run the game at max settings 1080P without any crashes whatsoever.