Pc Freeze while gaming, approximately 3/4 of the time during months, what could be the reason?
Pc Freeze while gaming, approximately 3/4 of the time during months, what could be the reason?
Hi everyone, I’m facing a recurring issue with my PC freezing completely during gaming sessions. It occurs about 3 to 4 times a month, always while I’m playing. The screen freezes entirely and the computer stops responding. The only solution is to press the power button for ten seconds to shut it down completely or wait for a restart that takes 10 to 30 seconds after I press the reboot button.
I haven’t experienced any temperature issues, I’m not overclocking, and all components are functioning properly—memories have been tested with MemTest and there’s ample power supply for my build. I also don’t have any problems with Windows 10. At this point, I’m curious what might be causing these freezes.
For those asking, my build is a 6600k, Z170 Pro gaming rig with 16GB DDR4, an Intel 4070 Ti processor, and an Ax760 chipset.
Your power supply unit is around ten or eleven years old, which is significantly beyond its warranty period. If Corsair thought their top PSU would only last about seven years, I wouldn’t bother arguing with them. This unit is far past its expected lifespan in terms of reliability, and it’s clear that due to its age, it can no longer deliver its full rated power. Power supplies usually lose efficiency over time, making it unlikely they’ll perform as intended.
Given the issues you’re facing and the age of your PSU, I’d probably consider replacing it with a higher-tier unit first. Still, I understand there’s a chance your problem isn’t related to the PSU itself. Even if it were, considering you’ve been using it since 2016 and haven’t had the same graphics card recently, it’s less likely to be a PSU issue unless everything else points that way.
Let’s go through the basics again.
Have you kept using the same Windows version, updating regularly, or have you performed a clean installation at some point?
What is the current BIOS version on your motherboard?
Are you using any of ASUS’s motherboard tools, such as Armory Crate or AI suite?
Have you visited the official product page for your motherboard and updated the chipset, network adapter, and audio controller drivers? Did you install them yourself, or did you rely on the Windows update drivers?
What is the precise model of your memory kit, and which DIMM slots are they installed in? Starting with the closest to the CPU socket (1, 2, 3, or 4), with slot 4 being the farthest from the CPU. The second and fourth slots are A2 and B2, and if only two DIMMs are installed, those are the ones you should use.
Well, that's not accurate. You've experienced difficulties. Starting around 2016, it seems so. Just because the issues appear only during gaming doesn't imply they're unrelated to Windows. I've noticed systems every day here and elsewhere functioning perfectly for everything except gaming, which consistently point to Windows problems from outdated, corrupted, or improperly installed versions. So, not seeing issues while browsing or using other apps doesn't mean it's not a Windows or OS-related concern.
People often assume these issues arise regularly, even with recently installed drives. It's possible that some of these drives were part of the original system when the problems started and have remained in use over time. Have you checked the health of these drives? What are the precise models of all the drives connected, and how long have they been in the system?