Random freezing accompanied by metallic noises
Random freezing accompanied by metallic noises
Hey everyone, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on with my PC. It keeps freezing unexpectedly and makes a metallic noise when the GPU sends signals through HDMI to the monitor. After replacing one M2 SSD, the old drive stopped working completely. I thought everything was fine after the swap, but then the crash happened again. I’ve been stuck in a boot loop since the last crash, which ended up turning it off and removing a RAM stick. Anyone have any ideas or solutions?
Metallic noises could indicate corrupted data being played as audio. After updating your SSD, did you opt for a new Windows installation? This should help eliminate issues from damaged files. GPU driver problems might also be the cause—consider using DDU and reinstalling them. A few possible solutions.
It seems the memory issue might not be the main problem, though a quick check could clarify. I didn’t mention your system details before, so it’s hard to say. If your chip includes built-in graphics, does the problem disappear when you disable them?
In fact, I resolved it—just one stick of RAM caused the issue…the owner didn’t mention he was using the video port from the motherboard instead of a dedicated card. He had the problem even with that setup. I spent over 20 hours debugging, going through many tests, until it became clear the RAM was the culprit. It repeatedly failed tests with that specific RAM. The other unit performed perfectly during testing.
Specs: CPU i5 8600 16GB RAM (two 8GB Corsair modules, one had issues), Motherboard Gigabyte B360M HD3 Video Card, GTX 1070ti, Asus Strix Power Supply, Bronze 80 Seasonic 650W.
Interesting fact! The owner was dealing with integrated graphics all the time until he got an Intel 1070 Ti installed. Some people joke about this, but it’s true that certain motherboards—especially those built for Intel CPUs—let you connect the GPU through the integrated graphics ports. Just needs to be turned on in BIOS and isn’t widely used. Great effort spotting the problem!
It wasn’t that issue with the motherboard after all—he was relying on integrated graphics and still experienced crashes. If I had known this sooner, I wouldn’t have spent so many GPU tests. At least the GPU is working well now with the updated paste, stable temperatures, upgraded CPU cooler, and the PC runs smoothly even under heavy use. The temperatures are improving compared to before after adjusting the GPU paste and CPU cooler.