PC freezes when under light or low loads, needing a forced shutdown, but works fine with heavy loads
PC freezes when under light or low loads, needing a forced shutdown, but works fine with heavy loads
Hi everyone! I've faced a recurring problem where my computer freezes or crashes unexpectedly, mostly when using lighter tasks. This has happened about 3 to 4 months now, starting with the Dell XPS 8940 I purchased in 2021.
During these periods of light usage—like browsing Chrome, streaming Spotify, or just idling—the system would briefly stutter for a second or two before completely freezing on each cycle. Audio stopped playing, and no input was detected. When I connected my phone charger to the PC, it began charging normally. To escape this state, I had to press the power button repeatedly to force a shutdown and then restart. Under heavier loads, such as stress tests, gaming, or video rendering, the crashes didn’t occur.
Here are the details:
- Operating System: Windows 11 Home 64 bit
- Processor: i7-11700
- Motherboard: Dell 0427JK
- GPU: RTX 2060
- RAM: 2x8GB @1600MHz
- Storage: Boots from a 512 GB NVMe SSD with two 1TB HDDs connected
- Power Supply: 500W 80+Plat Dell H500EPM-00
I've tried several troubleshooting steps:
- Updated drivers using the Dell tool
- Performed a factory reset
- Reset BIOS settings to defaults
- Temporarily disabled C-states in BIOS
- Ran memory checkers with no errors
- Used CrystalDiskInfo for storage diagnostics
- Checked Event Viewer for related errors (mostly from holding down the power button)
Physical fixes included reseating the GPU, RAM, and replacing the CMOS battery. I also cleaned dust from the PC and adjusted the case ventilation.
I'm still searching for a reliable solution and would appreciate any guidance or advice on how to resolve this issue effectively.