Problem with 4-year-old gaming PC
Problem with 4-year-old gaming PC
I own a gaming PC I assembled myself in 2020. It's nearly exactly four years old now. This machine is solely dedicated to gaming and has generally been used sparingly over the years. I was getting ready to upgrade some parts at the start of the new year.
Original specifications:
- Motherboard: Asus ROG Maximus XII Hero Z490
- CPU: Intel Core i9-10850K
- RAM: G.Skill Tridentz 32GB DDR4
- GPU: FE 3090
- Storage: Samsung 860 and WD SN750
- Power supply: Corsair HX Series 1200 80+ Platinum
- AIO case: NZXT Kraken X73 360mm
Two weeks ago, I added two upgrades:
1. An Asus xg27aqdmg as my primary monitor, while using the previous one as a secondary display.
2. A brand new NVMe drive from WD SN850x, installed in one of the NVMe bays next to another SSD. Unfortunately, there was no riser available for this drive because it's shorter than the bay it was placed in. It seems to be functioning properly.
Issues: After installing the new NVMe and the OLED panel, I've encountered several problems. During startup, the system would attempt to boot, then shut down and restart repeatedly. Sometimes it only powers on my old second monitor, other times it hits a black screen with no response, and occasionally it boots into the second monitor before flashing the 3090FE lights and switching to the new OLED. Once everything powers up, it runs smoothly for hours.
During installation, I lightly dusted most external components but didn't handle any power connections closely. The 3090 needed removal to fit the NVMe drive properly.
Troubleshooting steps:
- Switched the GPU to a different PCIE slot just to rule out the original location.
- Reconnected all GPU power cables to ensure stability.
- Tested each monitor separately, though some still exhibited unusual behavior during boot.
- Monitored temperatures and performance while playing CPU and graphics-intensive games. Everything appears normal except for occasional spikes on the CPU.
- Occasionally managed to wake the system from sleep, but the monitors wouldn't turn on.
The main concern is that once everything is operational, the PC runs perfectly. I only had to clean up a bit of dust during the NVMe installation.
There are some notes regarding the specifications:
*1 Support PCIe bifurcation for RAID on CPU function.
*2 The PCIEX16_3 shares bandwidth with M.2_2. It will be disabled when M.2_2 runs x4 mode.
*3 When M.2_1 is operating in SATA mode, SATA6G_2 will be disabled.
*4 M.2_2 shares bandwidth with PCIEX16_3. In x4 mode, PCIEX16_3 will be disabled; in x2 mode, it will run x1 mode.
*5 M.2_3 shares bandwidth with SATA6G_56. When M.2_3 is populated, SATA6G_56 will be disabled.
*6 Because of HDA bandwidth limits, 32-Bit/192kHz is not supported for 7.1 Surround Sound audio.
Is your motherboard BIOS up to date?
If not, are there any fixes that might help?
Run memtest86+
It boots from a USB stick and does not use Windows.
You can download it here: Memtest86+ | The Open-Source Memory Testing Tool
memtest.org
If you manage to complete a full pass with no errors, your RAM should be fine.
You have a solid PSU with a 10-year warranty.
Perhaps the PSU is failing.
Can you test using a known good PSU that provides enough power?
Thank you for the update. I'm trying to locate a USB for the Memtest. Right now, I don't have another power supply to test. I'll also check the BIOS settings, as it keeps appearing on my side monitor in a horizontal orientation unless I disconnect that cable.