Do games stop working when you press the alt key?
Do games stop working when you press the alt key?
Hello All,
I’m experiencing issues with my PC while playing games. Sometimes I tab out, and when I try to re-tab, it just shows a static image. If the game allows, I have to do this multiple times to return to play, and sometimes it crashes too. Could you help identify the cause?
My system details:
Processor: 13th Gen Intel® Core™ i5-13600KF at 3.50 GHz
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 Ti
OS: Windows 11 Pro 64-bit
Model: ASUS Prime Z790-P D4
I’ve heard that this processor might be causing problems, but I’m not sure if it’s related to the CPU overheating or dying. If you can provide more information, it would be useful for diagnosing the issue.
If the problem is with my CPU, what replacement would work best and fit the same socket?
My knowledge is quite basic.
--Mark
Is it a particular game or several variations?
If it's one specific title, consider running Borderless Window (it still shows full screen).
Then there’s the problem that many games pause when they’re not the active window. This might happen because your chosen game doesn’t handle the stop-start feature well—developers can code support for it.
If you’re dealing with several different titles, the situation becomes more complex.
Did you experience this issue consistently, or did it start recently? If not always, what changes did you make to trigger the problem?
Another possible solution is a clean OS installation—reinstalling the operating system and formatting the drive.
For Intel CPUs from the 12th, 13th, and 14th generation (LGA1700 socket), this works.
Essentially these are PC parts:
https://pcpartpicker.com/products/cpu/#k...s=12,13,61
(Note: some CPUs here may be weaker than your system but I can’t filter them out.)
The best upgrade would be an i9-14900K if you can afford it.
Comparison links are provided for reference.
https://technical.city/en/cpu/Core-i5-13...-i9-14900K
The absolute top choice is the i9-14900KS Special Edition, but availability and cost would be significant challenges.
Comparison to i9-14900K:
https://technical.city/en/cpu/Core-i9-14...i9-14900KS
Thank you for your feedback.
Actually, there are several games running in borderless windows, which lets me manage them easily.
The problem just appeared suddenly after a build—no issues before, but now it’s happening.
I assumed it might be software-related, so I performed a full OS reinstall, but the issue persists.
Now I’m considering hardware as a possible cause.
I’ll check the new chips you mentioned and see what they say.
Does this seem like a processor problem or something else?
Yes, even after a clean OS installation, problems persist and often point to hardware issues. It might be related to RAM. Try downloading and executing memtest86: https://www.memtest86.com/ Download the instructions here: https://www.memtest86.com/tech_creating-window.html
Follow the guide for installation and usage: https://www.memtest86.com/tech_creating-window.html
Performing a full pass (15 tests) is the minimum; two passes are better, and four are acceptable. Since it takes time, it’s best to run it overnight.
An 8GB RAM typically requires about an hour per full pass—about 4 hours for four passes.
Double the RAM size increases time: 16GB takes roughly 5 hours per pass, totaling around 20 hours for four passes.
For thorough testing, 32 full passes are recommended (per test #7), but most users settle for four due to time constraints.
Alternatively, GPU could be the cause; if you launch a game and it fails to start, the GPU might not reinitialize properly. Use Unigine Superposition for GPU testing: https://benchmark.unigine.com/superposition
Other tools include 3DMark, FurMark, PassMark, and various in-game benchmarks for CPUs like Cinebench, Prime95, AIDA64.
For Superposition, use preset settings and compare your score with the same GPU from the Unigine leaderboard to assess performance. Link: https://benchmark.unigine.com/leaderboar...gpu/page-1
1080p Extreme is a demanding GPU test. Superposition evaluates performance rather than detecting fundamental flaws, but noticeable stutters or artifacts during testing suggest further GPU investigation.
When deciding, consider benchmarking your CPU as well—Cinebench is useful for comparing scores across different CPUs online.
Using 7zip to unpack a large file (>1GB) and observing the failure indicates your 13600kf is no longer functional.
You might want to experiment with some methods I discovered that help when you pause a game and it freezes or locks up, just as you described.
The issue stems from having several PCs connected via a KVM switch. When you pause a game on one machine and switch to another, the PC becomes frozen.
My solution is: for Steam games, open the overlay in Steam using Tab + Shift, then press the Windows key—it keeps the game active so you can click back later.
If the overlay isn’t available, use Ctrl + Alt + Delete while paused; this will open Firefox and suspend the game without freezing it. To return, just click the game icon in your taskbar and resume playing.
However, some games don’t respond to these tricks, especially original titles like Crysis and F.E.A.R 2/3.
I will perform the RAM test this evening and check the results.
I completed the GPU benchmark and found it to be quite similar to the others on the site you shared.
I plan to run Cinebench as well.
Thanks a lot for your assistance—it's been really helpful!
Thanks, I've experimented with various methods in Steam games, but now with Space Marine 2, if I even press alt tab while doing that, I can't return to the game.