System stops unexpectedly after a brief freeze and repeated sound cycle
System stops unexpectedly after a brief freeze and repeated sound cycle
My computer freezes with a black screen, audio loops game and platforms like YouTube or Discord, then restarts after about thirty seconds. My system specs are Ryzen 5 5600X, MSI B550M PRO VDH, 32GB DDR4 RAM, ASRock Steel Legend RX7800XT, and a few other components. The issue happens unexpectedly, even after replacing the CPU. Troubleshooting hasn’t fixed it, and no blue screen appears. I’ve updated my BIOS via MSI and AMD tools, but help is needed. This is my first PC, so I don’t have spare parts to test.
Hey @Awesomemaster11! That wait was longer than usual. Without spare components it adds complexity, but you can try return windows if a part isn’t working. If your temps are fine, likely the issue is one of these factors, listed from most to least probable: Motherboard. Usually I’d suggest PSU first, though you mentioned it only appears during gameplay (see #5). PSU. It does show up when gaming, so maybe it’s not providing enough power. It’s odd it happens just for YouTube, but it’s a hard reset—no blue screen. That points to power or heat problems. Drivers are a simpler solution, though I’d expect different results. I’d begin with chipset drivers for your board and fully uninstall/reinstall graphics drivers. Unknown. Disassemble the whole PC and rebuild it. Fix it, but keep this in mind. RAM? Check out https://www.memtest86.com/, run a test for at least two cycles. I’d expect different behavior if it were faulty, but it’s possible. Now I see—if the RAM needs re-seating instead of being broken, it becomes more likely to be the culprit. I should have placed it higher on the list, but I’m not feeling like doing that now. It seems like a straightforward fix. Turn off the PC, unplug it, remove all RAM modules and reinstall them carefully—match slots and orientation. Go slow, one at a time. I can’t help with event viewer setup except to recommend you ask your preferred AI. The looping audio comes from the audio chip repeatedly reading the same memory area. That’s its normal function, but Windows should refresh that space with new data via the driver. It means more than just the display is stalled—your whole system is reacting. Hope you’re lucky and come back with your findings!
Thanks for your effort. I hope this works out. I should have uploaded these earlier but I’m adding the hardware specs during a R23 test on the cinema bench. Around the 5-minute mark, I’ll restart my PC (they have four ARGB fans in one socket) and run Memtest86 to verify my RAM.
Right click → Save a few of the WHEA events and upload the .evtx files here.
It won't be fixing it today; I'll check again later if needed Whea18.evtx
I typically depend on a utility that collects and interprets these details; doing it manually is tedious (refer to UEFI guidelines), so I can't confirm if I missed anything. This appears to be the CPU.
I faced the same problem before, returned my R5 3600 CPU via RMA, received another 3600 CPU (with a different serial number), but the issue persisted. Changing the GPU I owned at that time (an used RX5600XT) to my older RX550 resolved it. In short, the GPU was responsible. I sold that outdated GPU and got a new one; since then, I haven’t seen WHEA 18s again. If you have an old GPU or a friend who can lend one, try swapping it out and check if it still works.
Sorry, it took a while—I've been pretty busy and haven't played much lately. The crash keeps happening even after I've cleaned up everything, like reseating parts and unplugging the HDMI cable for my secondary monitor. I reached out to a friend who has an RX7800xt and plans to swap our cards at his place. Since I removed the HDMI cable, the frequency of crashes has dropped. Thanks everyone for your advice, but I'm hoping it's the GPU issue and then I can return the part.
After about a week of using my RX7800xt on my PC, I encountered the same issues. The main screen goes black, the second monitor shows green, there’s an audio glitch, and it restarts quickly—often staying on the black and green screen for around 10 seconds before switching. It happens faster on his card than on mine, with restarts after about three attempts. I’m planning to reinstall GPU drivers using DDU again and would appreciate any advice.