System freezes and behaves unpredictably
System freezes and behaves unpredictably
Hey everyone, I’ve shared this problem before but it hasn’t gotten better. My high-end gaming rig has been really shaky over the past year. The details will be at the bottom of this post. At first I assumed the problem was with the RAM and tried three different kits without fixing anything. Later I considered a memory controller issue on my CPU, but that didn’t help either. Now I’m looking for other possibilities. The main symptoms are frequent crashes, system file corruption, and annoying BSODs. My setup includes an RTX 4090 (still using the adapter), an i9-14900K (previously 13900K), Asus Z790 gaming WiFi d4, GSKILL 32GB DDR4 at 4000MHz, ROG Thor 1200W PSU (not brand new), and three M.2 drives—two Samsung and one WD Black. If you need more info to assist, just let me know. Thanks all!
I've noticed unusual fluctuations because of excessive CPU cooling block pressure. I'm also considering replacing the standard CPU mounting bracket since the original one tends to warp under stress.
Oh no, I really hope I didn’t damage the CPU. I’ll examine a different mounting bracket just in case. If you have any details on how to confirm this is the problem, please let me know so I can avoid wasting money on an unnecessary replacement.
They are referred to as contact frames. Originally made by Thermal Grizzly, I’d use a steel ruler and verify if light passes through the center where it touches the CPU. A contact frame typically costs $10 to $40. DDR4 at 4000MHz? Have you experimented with speeds of 3600 or 3200?
I’m heading to the shop tomorrow to retrieve my PC and will forward the minidump files afterward. He reached out to me and mentioned he couldn’t resolve it, but he thinks it might be related to storage or the motherboard. Do you know what kind of problem could be causing this? Thanks a lot for all the assistance in figuring it out!
consider using Samsung Magician to verify your device's firmware. They've experienced issues with certain models due to outdated updates, but these can be fixed if addressed promptly. I suspect one of your drives—likely the boot drive—is affected rather than the WD model. It appears they've validated RAM, CPU, GPU, and power supply functionality in testing. Those cases seem resolved.
The drive I store my games on is a 980 pro so that might be the issue. I've had it for over a year now so imagine it might be a bit beyond saving if the bad firmware is the issue but I'll give it a go either way. I also have a 970 evo for my OS (I think it might be a 980 evo i'll have a look tomorrow). The WD is just to store photos and videos in so yeah it shouldn't be causing issues. Thanks for the info!