Are your computer getting all messed up?
Are your computer getting all messed up?
Hello, I have been struggling with an issue for the past couple months that's left me stumped. My PC on Windows 11 will randomly crash with no BSOD at seemingly random times. I can be playing a game or running a stress test, leaving it on idle with no programs open, watching a YouTube video, checking emails, etc. and it will crash at a random time. I took it to a repair shop that did a stress test on all components and replaced the motherboard and RAM, but the issue still persists (pc was running fine for 2 weeks after receiving it back). I also just replaced the motherboard 2 days ago and it was running fine, but today I had the same issue again. I have also replaced the PSU and have a UPS so I don't think it's a power issue. My question is do I just have a CPU issue, and what other types of tests can I perform to see what component is faulty? Crashing symptoms: my pc completely freezes and is unresponsive from all inputs for 1-5 seconds before the screen turns off (all components like fans and rgb stay on) before attempting to restart. Sometimes it will crash <10 minutes into booting up and logging into windows, other times I can be using it for 2 hours before it crashes. The luckiest crashes are it just restarts the system automatically, but sometimes I have to reseat the CPU/RAM or do a bios flashback to get back into windows. The worst crashes don't even let me get into BIOS even after a flashback. For some of the crashes, the DRAM light on the motherboard will come on after it crashes but that can usually be fixed if I hold down the power button and restart. In the event of the first two motherboards, eventually the DRAM and CPU lights come on so they had to be replaced. Checking the pins/connections there are no bent pins on the socket or any other visual issues on the RAM or CPU. EventViewer always shows a Kernel Power 41 error, but there's no other crash logs. Specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 7900X 4.7 GHz 12-Core Processor CPU Cooler: NZXT Kraken 360 78.02 CFM Liquid GPU: Gigabyte GAMING OC Rev. 2.0 GeForce RTX 3060 12GB Motherboard: MSI MAG B650 Tomahawk WIFI ATX --> Replaced with another MSI MAG B650 --> ASUS TUF GAMING B650-PLUS WIFI RAM: G.SKILL Flare X5 DDR5 64GB 6000MT/s CL30 --> Corsair Vengeance RGB 32GB DDR5-6000 CL36 PSU: NZXT C850 Gold ATX3.1 --> CORSAIR RM1000x Fully Modular ATX 3.1 Storage: WD_BLACK SN7100 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME SSD What I've tried so far: CPU: Reseating it with new thermal paste (does not fix issue but helps a bit when I can't even get into BIOS) Monitoring temps while idle (crashes when it's <60°C, never goes above 90°C) Running stress tests with OCCT (no errors or crashes) GPU: Monitoring temps while idle (crashes when it's <60°C, doesn't go above 83°C) Updating to the latest drivers through the NVIDIA app, but also using DDU and installing the latest driver manually Running stress tests with OCCT (no errors or crashes) Motherboard: Updating BIOS to newest versions with all 3 motherboards (did not solve issue but helped with stability a tiny bit) Turning off PBO Running stress tests with OCCT (no errors or crashes) Disabling fast boot Enabling/disabling any overclocking for CPU and RAM RAM: Reseating or running with 1 stick (does not fix issue but helps a bit when I can't even get into BIOS) Running memtest + windows memory diagnostic for RAM (passed both, did not find any issues) Misc. Checking all the PSU cable connections and making sure all fans spin Completely reinstalling windows 11 with all the default apps (crashed within an hour with just keyboard + mouse plugged in) Removing all software and components so there's nothing other than the base OS running (still crashes randomly) Running SFC and DISM commands (no issues found), in addition to windows update and windows troubleshooters Checking the status of the M.2 SSD (healthy 100%) Running antivirus on EVERYTHING (Malwarebytes), nothing found Changing power settings to balanced, ultra performance Switching monitor ports, running off just 1 monitor
If you are currently turning on XMP or EXPO with a speed of 6000MHz, turn it off and go back to the default JEDEC setting of 4800MHz instead. The BIOS might be trying to train your memory right after POST but failing because it can't find compatible timings at that fast speed. Are you using two sticks or four? Two sticks should work better than four. Slots A2/B2 are usually the best spot for a two-stick setup. Run a full pass of MemTest86 (which takes hours) on each RAM speed to make sure there are no mistakes. Any errors mean something is wrong. Your RAM should be fine when checked with MemTest86 at 4800MHz, but it might show errors at 6000MHz. https://www.memtest86.com/ If and when you get the system running smoothly at 4800MHz, you can start to overclock your RAM using manual timings if turning on Auto 6000MHz causes crashes.
The only important thing in Event Viewer is Kernel-Power 41 (63) with these details. Mine shows 1.015V Min and 1.054V Max on HWMonitor. Did you change it to a constant 1.250V in BIOS? I am using two DIMMs on A2/B2 with XMP/EXPO/DOCP turned off (running at 4800MT/s, which is the JEDEC speed). These are new ram sticks and they both passed memtest86, but I can test them again if needed. Should I test both sticks at the same time or just one stick? I did a fresh install of Windows with no software installed and it still crashed, so I don't think it's a software problem. Also: after another 30 min CPU + RAM and GPU stress test, nothing crashed, so it is definitely not an overheating issue. I also turned OFF in Settings -> Display -> Graphics -> Advanced -> Hardware-accelerated GPU scheduling to see if that helps stability because sometimes when I alt-tab between windows it causes crashes.
My RAM is Kingston (Hynix) speed 6000MHz with CL32. It runs at 6200MHz CL30, which might be why I need more VDDCR_SOC voltage than usual. The best setting for it should be around 1.1 to 1.2 volts, but that depends on the quality of the memory controller. It can change quite a bit too. I set it manually, but the voltage still swings up or down by about ten percent depending on how much load there is.
Actually, since I posted this, I've crashed just once. The crash wasn't that bad either; it rebooted straight into Windows about 45 seconds later. Here are the changes I made to make things more stable: - Turned off hardware acceleration for the GPU - Rolled back to a BIOS version from early 2024 (instead of one from late 2025) - Turned off Precision Boost Overdrive in the BIOS - Turned off CPU boost clock overdrive in the BIOS - Used Snappy Driver Installer to update all audio and other drivers. I also installed Armoury Crate software for my motherboard, which updated everything there. I'll try again when I have more parts and test this out further to see what the real cause is.
The only way to fix instability is to reset your BIOS to the factory settings and then update it to the newest version. If that fails, try wiping everything down with a Windows USB stick. If still nothing works, you probably have broken hardware.