Experiencing issues with PC freezing or crashing while using YouTube or playing games.
Experiencing issues with PC freezing or crashing while using YouTube or playing games.
Last season I faced the same issue but resolved it by swapping the power supply unit. I’m not sure why it worked, but it helped. For a while, I kept using the old PSU in August and noticed the PC would restart again after about a week. This time, my system froze or crashed during certain games—like Need for Speed Payback, Half-Life 2 VR Mod, Shadow of the Tomb Raider, and even Dishonored 2. I tried replacing it with a new one, but the problem persisted for a few weeks. Eventually, after playing for hours, my PC would freeze while watching videos or running games. I could play normally for two hours without issues, but anything else slowed down significantly. After installing a new SSD and switching to Windows 10, the freezing stopped for about three weeks. Now it keeps crashing during loading or gameplay, especially in Dishonored 2 on the Dust District level. I’m unsure what’s causing this—my temperatures and loads look normal, RAM tests passed, and no new hardware was added. The keyboard and monitor issues seem unrelated to the main problem. I haven’t changed anything else except the PSU and SSD.
Both games and YouTube suggest a possible GPU or driver issue since they rely on hardware acceleration. Try running DDU and updating the graphics drivers to check for improvements.
You tried updating the graphics driver after removing it with DDU, but it didn’t resolve the issue—it crashed soon after launching. It looks like the driver itself isn’t the problem. Consider checking other settings or drivers, or trying a different graphics card if possible.
I reinstalled the drivers once more, paused all updates, cut off internet connection, and then launched the game. It didn’t resolve the issue. I also recorded it for reference. You can view the recording here. As you noted, the video froze but the audio played briefly afterward. The GPU was running at around 70°C, which is typical, along with 99% usage.