Complete rebuild causes freezing or crashes without any BSOD or issues.
Complete rebuild causes freezing or crashes without any BSOD or issues.
GPU: MSI 4090 SUPER X CPU: RYZEN 9 7950X3D
Motherboard: Asrock B650E Steel Legend WiFi
BIOS Version: 1.18
RAM: G.SKILL Trident Z5 2x32 6000 CL32
SSD: Samsung 980 Pro
PSU: Corsair RM1000x
Case: O11D EVO
Operating System & Version: Windows 11 PRO 22h2
GPU Drivers: GEFORCE GAME READY DRIVER – WHQL Driver Version: 531.41
Chipset Drivers: AMD Chipset Software 5.02.19.2221
Background Apps: DISCORD, CHROME
Issue: The computer slows down briefly from low FPS to a complete freeze, then restarts. Usually no BSOD, occasionally it triggers CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT but fails to save logs. Most crashes occur when idle, though some under load too. Crash intervals range from about 30 hours with long gaps of weeks without any incidents.
Troubleshooting: I apologize for the confusing description and testing process. Time was tight before needing the PC for work, and even less now. I assembled a brand-new build—only new components except storage—and used stock settings except tweaking BIOS/EXPO/fan controls. Connected a second monitor, ran stress tests, played D4; temperatures were normal, performance solid, core parking worked. Left it idle overnight, crashed during the next day’s D4 session.
Testing: I tried TM5 Anta777, Y-Cruncher, OCCT—no errors. Switched to Windows 10, minimal settings, stable for a week. Installed updates, IGUI drivers, and it worked fine. Removed IGUI drivers, disabled IGUI in BIOS, changed memory from EXPO to JEDEC; still crashed. Possibly software or residual IGUI remnants. Performed another clean Windows 10 install, fixed the next day.
Retrofit: I replaced the 7950X3D with a different motherboard—Gigabyte X670E Aorus Master (F10A). Cleaned Win11 install, encountered BSODs during updates. OCCT reported errors on physical cores; switching memory to JEDEC or testing one stick at a time on EXPO stopped them. Both sticks were healthy individually, so I suspected faulty memory controller. Eventually gave up, returned the motherboard, and bought a 7700X.
CPU swap: Changed CPU, did a clean Windows 10 install; crashes occurred during setup. Tried memory swap—still failed. Received a deal from retailer to exchange CPU for the same memory kit I had, but waited a week before starting work.
SSD/GPU/PSU check: All components functioned normally in tests. I attempted a different SSD and GPU, but only used them briefly before the Gigabyte board arrived. The 980 Pro had worked well for a year on my previous system, but it was installed on a different SSD.
Potential red flags: PSU issues typically appear under load; sudden restarts/stops are unusual. PSU only came with 3 PCIe cables, and the GPU needed 4 connectors—one might be daisy-chained. I ordered a custom cable but expect a delay.
On a side note: Media playback occasionally stuttered or crashed on HDDs, though I can’t confirm its relevance. Overall, the system remains stable under normal conditions except for intermittent crashes. Watchdog BSOD hints it could be CPU, RAM, or drivers—but I’ve already tried all fixes.
I’m still trying to figure out what’s causing these hiccups, especially since PSU problems usually show up during stress. I’ll keep testing with different configurations and hope for a resolution soon.
You're not sure what I'm talking about, but a fresh Windows 11 install would help. People often complain about it, but it solved many issues I had with Windows 10. For instance, the system would crash and freeze when starting up. Try a clean setup of Windows, add only the essentials like gaming software. Avoid installing unnecessary bloatware—just GPU drivers and other key components. Don't overclock or use any extra settings. Play your game and see if it improves things. Stress test your GPU to check if it can handle the advertised speeds. Lower the game resolution and graphics settings to see if the problem lies with the software or your PC. Sometimes faulty drivers, especially for Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, cause big issues. Thanks to Windows 11, it has all those drivers built in.
I went through multiple troubleshooting steps and am now in a stable state. I haven't installed much beyond Steam and peripheral software such as Synapse, G-Hub, or SteelSeries Engine. The engine feels unstable because it ran smoothly for a while after installation, but then I experienced crashes even after clean Windows updates where the engine wasn't installed. It seems like a coincidence.
Feeling spontaneous after reading everything, check your SSD health. It’s best to skip installing extra software or try only Engine + D4 on a brand-new D4, keeping it running until you can. If you see BSODs, look for crash dumps using tools like WhoCrashed—maybe you’ve already done this. Do you have another GPU available for testing? Also, make sure your SSD firmware is up to date; they sometimes had problems with early drive failures due to a bug.
SSD condition stands at 98% in crystaldisc. I recently updated the firmware, though only the 2TB model was impacted—my unit is 1TB. Even during BSODs, no crash dump appears; only a handful of about twenty crashes trigger a BSOD, with the rest just stuttering into a restart.
Does it only do it in games? Have you tested any other games besides D4? (I have no clue what D4 is sorry.) I think your SSD is fine, I didn't realise it was only 2TB variants. Thanks . What is your current setup now then? youve got new ram + 7700X on the asus motherboard? What are the temps looking like btw? You could try running without GPU for games and see it crashes. The FPS will be piss poor though.
Typically crashes occur at night when the PC is running quietly and screens are turned off. I've experienced a few crashes while playing Diablo 4 or Poe, even though my current configuration matches the original setup. Temperatures seem normal.
The 7000 series supports IGPU, so the 4090 shouldn’t be the main concern. You might want to run the PC without the GPU or try it on another machine. Regarding DDU, are you using it to remove GPU drivers? This likely isn’t the problem. Concerning the crash at night, is sleep turned on in the settings? It seems Windows sometimes fails to enter sleep properly, leading to crashes or restarts.
Sleep feature is turned off; only the screens shut down. When I attempted to cause the issue, I toggled sleep on and off multiple times, yet it didn't work. Once I removed the igpu drivers, I used Ddu, but otherwise it was just clean errors. I've reinstalled the latest driver several times now and restarted Windows ten times.
Thanks for your effort. After several Windows reinstalls, it becomes quite bothersome. I suggest trying the GPU testing we discussed before, especially since you haven’t done that yet. I just saw some issues with CPU errors when using OCCT. Would a combined CPU and GPU stress test help? Start with CPU alone without GPU, then add GPU while increasing load. Keep it running for about an hour or two each time. I don’t recall any tools in mind, but Prime95 and OCCT might be useful. The errors seem a bit worrying. You could run them at normal settings if they pass. By the way, could you share my previous message so I can see it and get a notification?