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Topic: Some computer problems... (Read 1703 times) previous topic - next topic
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Some computer problems...

Hi,

I wonder if you might be able to shed some light on an annoying issue I have been having with my computer. If it helps, here are my current system specs:

Asus Crosshair VI Hero – BIOS 8002
AMD Ryzen 7 1800X (8-core) – 3.6GHz
32GB DDR4-2400
NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1600 Ti

The issue is that at random intervals, one of three things will occur:

(1) The computer will "freeze," and I either have to reset or hold the power button to power off the computer.

(2) The monitor loses signal from the graphics card and basically shuts off (the LED turns amber). Unfortunately, the computer itself is still powered, so I have to hold the power button to shut down.

(3) Sometimes, the computer will reboot.

I am not able to reproduce the issue. It seems to have a mind of its own. It happens when it happens.

I have replaced the power supply and reinstalled Windows 10 on a brand new SSD. The issue remained.

I have downloaded and installed updated AMD chipset drivers. However, I don't know if this will have any effect.

I don't know if my graphics card is going bad. I have ordered a new NVIDIA card from Newegg; it hasn't arrived yet. Is it possible the RAM could be going bad?

Got any other ideas?

Thanks.

Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #1
That kinda sounds like a power supply issue.

Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #2
Have you overclocked the CPU?  Almost seems like an underpowered CPU issue.

Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #3
From personal experience, i don't think it's a psu issue. If it was psu, you'd get reboots instead of freezes (at least i've never encountered a freeze due to psu).

Then ram issues usually cause random BSODs, not freezes. Same with disks, since disk data usually is read into ram and then used, so if the read failed or got corrupted - data is corrupted in ram - bsod.

So what's left is gpu and cpu.

Since you have a new gpu on the way, it will rule out/confirm that.

I don't have experience with 1st gen ryzen, but i've read some, and it can be sketchy sometimes, but don't take my word for it.

In some cases bios might be an issue. But if the freezes started only recently and you didn't change anything - new hardware (ram, gpu, any other pcie devices, even usb peripherals) and/or bios updates - then it's unlikely the mobo/bios. If you in fact did add any hardware/devices, then it might be bios/mobo not able to handle something. If you updated bios before this started happening, then try older bios.

And also, this might be a stupid question, but did you check the temperatures? CPU/mobo/vrm might be overheating and then the system freezes to lower the temps - if it can't do that immediatelly, it would just reboot/shutdown.
If you don't know how to check temps, use this https://www.hwinfo.com/
Although you will have to monitor the temps constantly to see if anything is overheating, since if it freezes while you're not looking, you will not know what the temps were before.
Checking temps after a reboot/freeze in bios is not sufficient since the temps drop very fast during a reboot.

If the issue came about due to aging hardware (cpu specifically) you might need to play around with voltages in bios, i.e. increase the vcore voltage very slightly or reduce frequency. But this is a bit advanced.

Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #4
Thanks for the suggestions. I have purchased a newer CPU, but I haven't installed it yet. I think it might be a step above my current chip. It's a 3700X, but all the other specs are the same (8 cores, 3.6GHz).

I'm still waiting for delivery of the new GPU.

I have noticed that these crashes occur when I am using the Chrome browser. I don't notice these crashes occurring when I use Firefox. Also, I can leave the PC running overnight converting FLAC to MP3 without having any issues.


Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #6
I think I may have spoke too soon. I had dBpoweramp's CD ripper open and, right after I inserted a disc, the system rebooted.

My first thought was that it might be a power supply issue, so I purchased a newer one. Maybe 650 watts isn't enough power.

I tried looking at the Event Viewer, but I have no idea how to interpret the data. I notice a few "critical" errors about how the system was not shut down properly.

Re: Some computer problems...

Reply #7
650 watts is more than enough for the parts you've listed. Something else is cursed and/or haunted, or in other words, some one or more defective components. Probably not the CPU. Maybe do a RAM test with memtest86 live media?