New PC constructed, experiencing freezing, stuttering, and crashes even when nothing is running (began after 5 days)
New PC constructed, experiencing freezing, stuttering, and crashes even when nothing is running (began after 5 days)
Hello, my PC was built about five to six days ago. At first, everything worked well after installing Windows 10. But soon after, I faced an odd problem on the very first day: when I switched tabs out of a game and returned, my frame rate would drop drastically to just 1-20 FPS for a short time before stabilizing. I tried restarting the system and updating my GPU drivers, which briefly fixed the issue. However, after four days it returned, getting worse. During gameplay, my frame rate fell from 400-500 FPS to around 30 FPS for a minute. Sometimes the game would crash or freeze entirely. My mouse would stutter every 20 seconds without any games running, and the PC would unexpectedly shut down or freeze, forcing a restart.
At first I assumed it was overheating since my CPU temperatures reached close to 100°C, but after changing the fan settings from silent to normal, the problem continued even when CPU load was low (desktop with no apps). To investigate further, I updated all drivers via Windows Update and used GeForce Experience for GPU updates. I ran a memory diagnostic test, which showed no issues. I created a fresh Windows 11 installation using the Media Creation Tool (also tried Windows 10), flashed the BIOS to the latest version, and disabled XMP settings. Enabling XMP caused the PC to fail to boot, which required a CMOS reset. I tested each RAM stick individually, but the issue remained. I swapped the RAM slots, but it didn’t help. Memtest86 passed all checks.
I hope this organized overview assists in identifying and fixing the problem you're experiencing with your PC. Specs: CPU – Intel Core i9-13900k, GPU – MSI GeForce RTX 4070 Ti VENTUS 3X 12G OC, 12GB GDDR6X, RAM – Kingston Fury beast RGB 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5 6000 CL36, Motherboard – GIGABYTE Z690I AORUS ULTRA - Intel Z690 SSD, Samsung SSD 990 PRO M.2 2TB, AIO CPU cooler – Cooler Master ML240L V2 RGB, PSU – ASUS ROG LOKI SFX-L 850 (850W).
Thank you for reading ahead. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
What bothers me is the XMP failing to function correctly. This shouldn't be caused by Windows updates or faulty drivers. Perhaps the most sensible step is to verify all connections are secure, particularly the CPU. I understand 13th generation Intel chips can be sensitive to uneven mounting and require extra attention. Good luck!
You'll likely need a strong 360mm AIO or a tailored water cooling setup to manage the heat from a 13900K. Since it tends to run hot, you may need to adjust the voltage slightly to maintain performance. RAM in slots 2 and 4? Use just one DIMM to check if the problem continues. Switch to the other one and see the difference.
You can attempt it with a single DIMM. To achieve good temperatures, you'll need to lower the CPU voltage—otherwise, thermal throttling will likely reduce your frame rate.
Thermal throttling can occur during gaming, but I'm also experiencing problems even without any load or gaming. I've tried using each RAM stick individually and swapped the slots. I'll undervolt to achieve better temperatures once this main issue is resolved.
The problem was a defective GPU. I used a different one, and it worked fine.