Please help me fix this well over a year old issue
Please help me fix this well over a year old issue
Hey there, I'm really struggling right now. After setting up my system, it keeps acting up unexpectedly. No matter what I do, it suddenly stops functioning. Whether I'm running heavy tasks or just using normal apps, the main screen goes black while the second one stays green. If audio is playing, you'll hear a strong buzzing noise from the speakers; otherwise, it's silent. All fans spin, the RGB lights stay on, and there are no error messages on the motherboard. After powering down completely and restarting, everything works fine again.
My specs are pretty standard: an RX 6800 I5-12400F from MSI Pro B660M-A, Corsair RM850PSU with 16GB DDR4 (2x8), 3200MHz, Corsair Vengeance RAM. I've already done a lot of troubleshooting myself—sent the GPU back for stress testing, replaced it, applied new thermal paste, tried different RAM slots and fans, swapped the PSU, reinstalled Windows on a fresh SSD with updated drivers, tested various GPU drivers, ran endless stress tests, even used my old GTX 1060 (which also had crashes), did memtest86, and checked power connections.
I've logged everything—cleaned the PC, checked all connections, but I don't remember much now. Sometimes it won't crash for a month, then suddenly it does. It's really frustrating because I can't reproduce the issue. Could it be something with the motherboard? I'm considering replacing the RAM since that's the easiest fix and cheapest option. But I haven't managed to get my RAM to fail or show errors during stress tests either (OCCT, TestMem5, Anta777 Extreme config, MemTest86).
Run a stress test on the CPU using Prime95. Observe where and how it fails to determine if the problem lies with the CPU or memory. The process requires time, so remain calm. For testing, select a standard FFT (L1 and L2) for all cores, which is the default setting, and begin the test. Any errors will appear in results.txt, stored in the root directory of the executable file.
I recall checking it when I reinserted it and everything appeared normal. No bent pins on the socket, no dirt present. I wasn’t sure if the motherboard was warped, but it seems unlikely and might be worth investigating further. I’ve run countless stress tests over hours, including Prime95. It doesn’t crash. Interestingly, my system stays the most stable during these tests, lol. I plan to do six hours of testing without issues before diving into Reddit and suddenly feeling like living is pointless.
No events, no logs, no results, and no time frame on when the next one will hit. Yeah, good luck with this one. Is your PC connected to a UPS? If you stress test everything and it never crashes, then the culprit lies on the motherboard or the PSU, but you have swapped the PSU already, so yeah, the motherboard is a big contender for being your issue.
Thanks, I’m hoping for all the positive vibes I can get. I’d prefer whatever caused the problem to stop working right away, making diagnosis simpler. No, my PC is linked to a new Belkin power strip connected to the wall. I think if there were any power drops, my other gadgets—like the desk lamp—might even flicker briefly. I’m really hoping it’s the motherboard. I ran Prime95 for 8 hours without any crashes, which suggests the CPU is fine. If swapping it out fixes the issue, I’ll share the details here.
Well, it seems I might have solved the issue. It looks like when I assembled this device I overlooked that I needed to remove the pre-installed standoffs for an ATX motherboard and fit them properly into the correct slots for my mATX board. Even worse, instead of noticing, I used some long screws and simply fastened the bottom of my motherboard directly against my case. It probably caused a short circuit throughout. I'm genuinely surprised the system is still functioning and that nothing completely failed. After a year and likely over a hundred crashes, it really shows how tough the MSI b560A pro motherboard is. You think you understand things, but honestly you're not very knowledgeable.