Unstable build causing many crashes on Windows. Uncertain about the test results. Someone could review my post and help?
Unstable build causing many crashes on Windows. Uncertain about the test results. Someone could review my post and help?
PC Specs:
Mobo: Asus ROG Maximus Z790 Hero,
CPU: 14900k,
GPU: RTX 4090 founders edition
RAM: 128GB (4 x 32) Kingston Fury Beast 5600mt/s,
SSD: WD Black 4TB M.2 2280 7,300MB/s,
PSU: 1000w
OS: Win 11 Pro
This has been my first build in 5 years. I have generally built a new PC every 2-3 years for the last 20 years. Maybe it was luck, but I've always built top-of-the-line and never encountered any issues. I don't even remember QVL tables being a thing?
I built this new PC back in October of 2023. It seemed okay for a while but recently games and applications have started crashing irregularly. The two most common errors in Event Viewer are: c0000005 (access violation
error
) with c0000409(Status stack buffer overrun
)
as a close second.
Most recently the game I've been trying to play has been crashing non-stop to the point of being unplayable. some of the errors pointed toward memory or timing so I suspected RAM. As part of getting my RAM to work with this motherboard in the first place, I had to update the BIOS. So, I updated it again (ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO BIOS 2002) as well as the drivers that Armory Crate said needed to be updated. The crashing seemed to get worse as did the BSODs, which have been pretty rare.
My RAM is not on the QVL tables for the Z790. I honestly didn't even know they were a thing because I'd never used them in the past and had never had issues before. Either way, not being on the QVL made RAM a frontrunner for my concerns. The RAM has passed tests from Windows Memory Diagnostic, Memtest86, and OCCT, all with zero errors though.
Previously this build (with ram config) scored really well on 3dmark. Now I can't even get it to finish a benchmark test. It usually crashes to Windows within the first 30-60 seconds.
I'm lost and not sure where to turn or where to look. I've tested CPU, RAM, and VRAM via OCCT with no errors reported. Trying to run the 3d standard or power tests crashes OCCT back to Windows pretty quickly. The power test seems to also put a load on the GPU as it was pulling about 450w at the time of the crash. So both tests engaging the GPU Failed but CPU ran on its own without issue.
Could the testing indicate a GPU issue? Could it be a RAM issue not being caught by one of the 3 tests? Could it be CPU where it interacts with memory or GPU?
Any and all help would be greatly appreciated!!
Other exceptions logged by Event Viewer (all After Updating the BIOS and Drivers):
c0000374 (status heap corruption)
c000001d (Illegal Instruction)
0x80000003 (exception breakpoint)
BSODs (Also All after updating the BIOS and drivers:
ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY
PROCESS_NAME: VirtualDesktop.Service.exe
CLOCK_WATCHDOG_TIMEOUT (101)
PROCESS_NAME: System
ATTEMPTED_EXECUTE_OF_NOEXECUTE_MEMORY (fc)
PROCESS_NAME: steamwebhelper.exe
UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (7f)
PROCESS_NAME: Taskmgr.exe
I've reinstalled GPU Drivers, ran
SFC /scannow,
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /CheckHealth, DISM /online /cleanup-image /scanhealth, and DISM /online /cleanup-image /restorehealth.
I've tried dropping to 2 DIMM sticks in A2 and B2.
I've updated BIOS and Drivers
I've played with RAM Config (Timing and clock) and re-ran mem tests. The issues persisted through all the stable configurations.
how high are your CPU and GPU temperatures?
to investigate possible issues, try running userbenchmark.com and share the link of your result, for example:
https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/28977730
restart the BIOS using a jumper or reset options (you'll need to adjust boot priority afterward)
perform a clean boot
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help...in-windows
test memory stability with memtest.org usb autoinstaller (bootable USB)
verify RAM timings at standard speeds, not XMP, to see if that helps
examine the hard drive for errors using the manufacturer's tool and update firmware if needed
use ddu uninstaller and reinstall the newest graphics driver
The first thing you should REALLY do, is get fracking rid of Armory Crate. It's is nothing but trash and I can't even possibly relate to you how many threads I've been a part of here where simply uninstalling Armory Crate was all that was needed to correct the problems. Same with all the other motherboard manufacturers bundled monitoring/driver/utility applications like Dragon center, etc. Not even joking. And don't EVER use them for updating drivers.
Drivers should ALWAYS be manually updated based on what you can personally see as being the most recently available directly on the manufacturer's product page for your board, or in some cases also on the AMD, Nvidia or Intel websites. No third party driver updaters. No Armory Crate. Etc.
Then, manually install ALL of these Z790 Hero drivers.
Intel LAN driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/04...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Intel WiFi driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/08...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Intel chipset driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/03...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Realtek audio driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/01...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Intel bluetooth driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/02...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Intel thunderbolt driver:
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/mb/LG...?model=ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO
Then, I would use the DDU (Display driver uninstaller) to do a clean install of your Nvidia drivers.
Have you, at ANY point, done a clean install of Windows, or are you riding on a OS installation that was an upgrade of an existing Windows 10 installation?
What is the EXACT model of your "1000w PSU" and how long has it been in service/use?
QVL lists have been a thing, like, for about fifteen years. Pretty much ever since high density DDR3 came out, if not before. I don't recall if board manufacturers were providing them prior to that with low density DDR3 but I'm pretty sure they weren't a thing back when DDR2 was common. These days, you would be VERY wise to buy only memory kits that are on the QVL list OR are listed as compatible with a given board on the memory manufacturer's memory compatibility listings. For G.Skill, that's the G.Skill memory configurator. For Corsair it's the Corsair memory finder. For Crucial it's the Crucial memory advisor. For others, not so much, so you're rolling the dice with anything from Kingston, Patriot, etc. if you can't find specific confirmation that it's compatible with your specific board somewhere.
Did all FOUR of your DIMMs come together, in ONE kit, or is it two kits of two DIMMs that did not all come together, regardless of whether they are the same listed model or not.
You may want to test them as well.
Memtest86
Go to the Passmark software website and download the USB Memtest86 free version. You can do the optical disk version too if for some reason you cannot use a bootable USB flash drive.
Create bootable media using the downloaded Memtest86. Once you have done that, go into your BIOS and configure the system to boot to the USB drive that contains the Memtest86 USB media or the optical drive if using that option.
You CAN use Memtest86+, as they've recently updated the program after MANY years of no updates, but for the purpose of this guide I recommend using the Passmark version as this is a tried and true utility while I've not had the opportunity to investigate the reliability of the latest 86+ release as compared to Memtest86. Possibly, consider using Memtest86+ as simply a secondary test to Memtest86, much as Windows memory diagnostic utility and Prime95 Blend or custom modes can be used for a second opinion utility.
Click here to download Memtest86 USB package
Create a bootable USB Flash drive:
1. Download the Windows MemTest86 USB image.
2. Right click on the downloaded file and select the "Extract to Here" option. This places the USB image and imaging tool into the current folder.
3. Run the included imageUSB tool, it should already have the image file selected and you just need to choose which connected USB drive to turn into a bootable drive. Note that this will erase all data on the drive.
No memory should ever fail to pass Memtest86 when it is at the default configuration that the system sets it at when you start out or do a clear CMOS by removing the CMOS battery for five minutes.
Best method for testing memory is to first run four passes of Memtest86, all 11 tests, WITH the memory at the default configuration. This should be done BEFORE setting the memory to the XMP profile settings. The paid version has 13 tests but the free version only has tests 1-10 and test 13. So run full passes of all 11 tests. Be sure to download the latest version of Memtest86. Memtest86+ has not been updated in MANY years. It is NO-WISE as good as regular Memtest86 from Passmark software.
If there are ANY errors, at all, then the memory configuration is not stable. Bumping the DRAM voltage up slightly may resolve that OR you may need to make adjustments to the primary timings. There are very few secondary or tertiary timings that should be altered. I can tell you about those if you are trying to tighten your memory timings.
If you cannot pass Memtest86 with the memory at the XMP configuration settings then I would recommend restoring the memory to the default JEDEC SPD of 1333/2133mhz (Depending on your platform and memory type) with everything left on the auto/default configuration and running Memtest86 over again. If it completes the four full passes without error you can try again with the XMP settings but first try bumping the DRAM voltage up once again by whatever small increment the motherboard will allow you to increase it by. If it passes, great, move on to the Prime95 testing.
If it still fails, try once again bumping the voltage if you are still within the maximum allowable voltage for your memory type and test again. If it still fails, you are likely going to need more advanced help with configuring your primary timings and should return the memory to the default configuration until you can sort it out.
If the memory will not pass Memtest86 for four passes when it IS at the stock default non-XMP configuration, even after a minor bump in voltage, then there is likely something physically wrong with one or more of the memory modules and I'd recommend running Memtest on each individual module, separately, to determine which module is causing the issue. If you find a single module that is faulty you should contact the seller or the memory manufacturer and have them replace the memory as a SET. Memory comes matched for a reason as I made clear earlier and if you let them replace only one module rather than the entire set you are back to using unmatched memory which is an open door for problems with incompatible memory.
Be aware that you SHOULD run Memtest86 to test the memory at the default, non-XMP, non-custom profile settings BEFORE ever making any changes to the memory configuration so that you will know if the problem is a setting or is a physical problem with the memory.
Thank you,
@Darkbreeze, for your thoughtful response. I truly value your input!
Haha, it seems I may have reached this conclusion before—my system was uninstalled while dealing with driver problems that seemed to worsen things.
Since these issues started, I haven’t performed a clean install, but I did upgrade Windows 11 on a brand new M.2 drive using a fresh installation. No older Windows version was upgraded.
They all arrived together in a set of four.
I tested the RAM with Windows Memory Diagnostic, OCCT, and Memtest86 (bootable from USB) using the standard RAM setup and XMP profile. Neither test reported any errors. OCCT results can sometimes reveal new issues, but I wasn’t expecting them.
I suspected QVL tables were already in use, so I was lucky to have a stable build before needing to tweak settings.
Tonight I’ll go through all your recommendations. I have some commitments during the day.
Here’s the exact power supply I bought:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0B434...=UTF8&th=1
I also tested after swapping my RTX 4090 for an RTX 2080 Ti from another build.
The new card feels much more reliable. I managed to complete several Time Spy stress tests before it failed. It crashed during the CPU stress test, but passed a 30-minute 3D stability check on OCCT. It also ran for 16 minutes in the power test before my departure (it stopped after 5 minutes with the 4090).
Event Viewer shows fewer errors overall, except for one crash from Time Spy.
I’m planning to manually reinstall all drivers. The 2080 test suggests it might be a CPU or motherboard issue, which is heavily influenced by drivers. Running the 4090 demands significantly more processing power.
I managed to adjust my initial appointment to secure some time. During this period, I went over the suggestions you gave, excluding Memtest86 since it requires several hours. To be clear, I have already completed Memtest86, passing all 11 tests using a USB boot drive—both with and without XMP settings. The memory seems to be the only component showing stability.
I also removed Armory Crate and updated all the Z790 drivers you mentioned earlier. Additionally, I ran DDU and reinstalled the Nvidia drivers. After these steps, I tried another run of 3dmark Time Spy, which appears to be the most reliable method for triggering a crash now. OCCT is no longer causing crashes with the 2080 model.
Stability seems to improve with the 2080TI, though I still experience crashes and encounter errors such as c0000005 (access violation) and c0000409 (stack buffer overflow) in Event Viewer. While things feel a bit better, the problems remain unresolved.
Where should I focus next? Motherboard or CPU? Unfortunately, I don’t have spare parts that I can swap out to test the motherboard or CPU directly. Do you think we’re nearing an RMA situation? I’m also unsure if I can easily replace the 4090 in another system for isolated testing. I don’t believe I have a PSU that wouldn’t throttle the card due to PCIe lanes.
I’m planning to purchase a new case and cooling solution. Regardless of the challenges, it’s evident there’s some thermal throttling on the 14900k.
Edit: Here’s a summary of CPU crash observations:
The GPU tests in Time Spy succeed with the 2080 (not the 4090) but fail during the third CPU test. The screenshot shows the CPU profile benchmark, all failing to complete. Event Viewer recorded exceptions c0000005 and c0000409.
It's also important to recognize that your crashing issues could be significantly linked to the fact that you're using a 4090, which is widely recognized for experiencing substantial power surges (transient response spikes), while your MPG A1000g is equally acknowledged for its poor handling of such spikes. This is clearly mentioned in reviews of that model. For a 4090, I strongly suggest opting for a high-quality 1200w power supply. I've encountered numerous users, including one of our moderators, facing problems with top-tier AMD and Nvidia graphics cards due to transient spikes that trigger crashes—either because certain models struggle with spikes or simply lack sufficient capacity to manage brief power surges. This isn't a definitive cause, but it's highly plausible. Switching to the 2080 ti might somewhat alleviate this concern, though it remains a factor worth considering. When you changed to the 2080 ti, did you perform a BIOS hard reset afterward? If not, I recommend attempting that and observing any changes. Often, hardware-related issues persist unless the BIOS is updated to adjust problematic settings automatically. However, some configurations remain stubbornly unchanged, leading to recurring problems despite a hardware upgrade. Be sure to install all the drivers listed—each one can influence others, potentially causing conflicts that require a fresh driver update tailored to your specific setup. They improve performance for a reason, not just for fun. LOL. BIOS Hard Reset instructions Power down the device, turn off the power supply unit, and detach the PSU cable from either the wall outlet or the PSU itself. Take out the motherboard's CMOS battery for roughly three to five minutes. In certain scenarios, removing the graphics card may be necessary to access the CMOS battery. While the CMOS battery is removed, keep pressing the power button on the case continuously for 15–30 seconds to drain any remaining charge in the CMOS circuit. Once the five minutes are complete, reinstall the battery, ensuring it's oriented correctly as it came out. If you removed the graphics card, you can reinstall it now, but remember to reconnect all power cables and your display cable if applicable. Reconnect the PSU power cable, switch it back on, and restart the system. It should show the POST screen and offer options to configure CMOS/BIOS settings. Enter the BIOS setup program and adjust boot parameters for Windows, legacy systems, or the drive where your OS is installed. Save your changes and exit. If the system successfully POSTs and boots, you can proceed further—this includes resetting hardware tables in the BIOS if needed. It's also wise to consider loading Optimal or Default values in the BIOS after a reset, especially if the issue stems from missing video signals. This helps the boot manager recognize hardware correctly. In some cases, after entering BIOS, you may need to select Optimal default settings and save changes to ensure the boot manager recognizes the hardware tables properly. You might also want to explore alternative displays—such as HDMI—if you're experiencing display-related problems, as certain configurations can prevent access to BIOS settings. If no display is available or visual input is lost, testing a different monitor can be beneficial. This approach should help resolve persistent crashes linked to power supply and BIOS configuration.
You’re welcome again! I’ll get back to the rest of your message later. I got a new AIO and a case, but I’m still facing throttling and my processor is hitting 100°C during heavy use longer than expected. Looking at your past comments, you seem to have a lot of experience helping others—would you mind suggesting a PSU? I’m curious if this one works well: https://a.co/d/04Ax6Qm. Also, are PSU problems usually a sign the PC will shut down automatically or crash to desktop?
@helpstar
Thank you for the reply. You've got a really good number of responses—appreciate the assistance. I plan to reset the CMOS tomorrow after today's delay. I managed to retrieve the 4090 and run the benchmark you recommended. Here are the results: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/67367665. I'm still puzzled why it's marked as incomplete, even though it seemed to finish completely.