Occasional BSODs and freezes
Occasional BSODs and freezes
Attached are the dump files and the performance monitor report as requested in the "BSOD Posting Instructions Thread" - I couldn't save the perfmon as an HTML so I just did a PDF instead with things open. So, quick timeline here -- I have a late 2019 Dell XPS 8930. In March, I upgraded from 32GB of RAM to 64GB of RAM - I do a lot of photo processing and video editing, and thought this might improve things a bit. In June, I upgraded my GPU from a GTX 1060 (Nvidia) to a RX6600 (AMD). (I also upgraded my power supply, but I think that's a red herring.) Within the last week alone, I've BSOD'd 5 times. Those dump files are attached. One happened this morning when I woke up - meaning it happened overnight when I wasn't even doing anything on my computer. (Kernel Security Check Failure.) Last week, I had a Page Fault in Nonpaged Area in win32kbase.sys. I've run a memory check and have found no issues. I've double-checked and updated the drivers for the GPU and found no issues. So now, I'm stuck. Suggestions? BSOD 070523.zip bsod070523.pdf
I'll start by undoing the memory upgrade to check if issues persist. If it added another two DIMMs for 4x16GB, I'd assume that's the root cause. Otherwise, I'd focus on compatibility concerns with the RX 6600's PCIe 4.0 interface on a PCIe 3.0 slot—fixing this by forcing PCIe 3.0 might resolve the problem. The goal is to compare simpler hardware changes to pinpoint the issue.
I initially considered the RAM upgrade first, but memory tests showed no problems—so I lost confidence. The upgrade increased from 2x16GB to 2x32GB, though one unit might be faulty. I plan to go back to the old RAM and test for a few days, possibly increasing the thread count if needed.
32GB DDR4 DIMMs can cause issues if they're not properly supported. This is particularly true for OEM systems that may lack QVL support for those modules. The memory controller could also struggle with applying the XMP profile on this 2x32GB configuration.
I switched from 4x8 to 4x16 — not 2x16 to 2x32. I was relying on what I remembered, but I’ll keep an eye on it. The old RAM is back now, and we’ll check what happens.
I installed the old sticks and everything appears to be functioning properly. It seems the problem lies with RAM. I should contact the manufacturer because returns aren't possible through Amazon. Your concern about a faulty new stick affecting memory tests is valid.
Memory testers show inconsistent performance for DDR4 and newer types. Their accuracy was lacking even with DDR3 and older models, but reliability seemed to plummet sharply with DDR4.