What happens when freezing occurs and a black screen appears?
What happens when freezing occurs and a black screen appears?
For some time now, my computer has been experiencing freezing issues, forcing me to shut it down. Currently it runs fine, but a few days ago I encountered a black screen 95% of the time when starting up. The problem seems to appear after extended gaming sessions and has also occurred in the office, though I’m uncertain if it’s related to power supplies or graphics cards. I’ve performed several tests using chatgpt:
- OCCT CPU/GPU/RAM test: no issues
- Stress test GPU with Afterburner: RAS
- Temperatures confirmed via HWiNFO
- Graphics drivers reinstalled completely through DDU and GeForce Experience
Windows system events occasionally show "unexpected shutdown" or "WUDFRd loading failure". I suspect a power supply or graphics card fault. I recorded the data using HWiNFO up to the moment of the last freeze (around 5:23 pm yesterday, first temporary freeze, then at the end for a prolonged one).
Here’s the HWiNFO log file (excel):
https://gofile.io/d/z4MgPg
My setup:
i7 10700KF
RTX 3070
MSI Z490 Gaming Plus
32 GB DDR4
SSD NVMe + HDD
Current power supply: TX750M – I plan to replace it with the Seasonic ATX 750W 80+ Gold, but I can still cancel this change if needed.
Thank you in advance for anyone who takes the time to review my readings.
My configuration details:
i7 10700KF
RTX 3070
MSI Z490 Gaming Plus
32 GB DDR4
SSD NVMe + HDD
Current power supply: TX750M which I plan to replace with the Seasonic ATX 750W 80+ Gold, though I can still cancel if I manage without the PSU change.
The TX unit is from a certain age—just to note, the RTX 3000 series were known for strong transient load spikes, so users often recommended overprovisioning their PSUs and choosing high-quality units.
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wnRyyCsuHFQ
Please include the BIOS version for your motherboard, the cooler you're using for your processor, and a full list of drivers.
Moved the thread from the Components section to the Systems section.
It seems you've already worked hard on fixing things. With normal temperature and stress readings but occasional freezes and black screens outside gaming, instability in power supply under certain conditions might be the cause. Upgrading to a reliable PSU like Seasonic could resolve these issues, as such problems often point to PSU or GPU faults. Make sure all power connections and motherboard links are secure, and try testing RAM one at a time or replacing your GPU if you can. Good luck and have fun!
Open the holy bible of PCs and read it. You can get it from the link provided: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/MPG-Z490...ort#manual. It contains a lot of details about your PC, such as component installation and removal. For example, GPU setup is mentioned on page X (10). Which Seasonic model you have? A new PSU would be advisable because your TX750m was first released in 2017, making the PSU platform eight years old now. The TX750m comes with a 7-year warranty, and since you purchased it in 2020, you still have two years left. However, its build quality is quite average rather than excellent. A higher-quality PSU would be more suitable.
the new PSU was Seasonic ATX 750W 80+ Gold - FOCUS-GX-750-V4 but I canceled it because someone suggested opting for ATX 3.1 and 850W to avoid any power conflicts between CPU and GPU. So I will choose this one if my tests don’t fix the freezes:
CORSAIR RM850x
I’ll run each test individually (disable XMP, adjust GPU position, use only one RAM stick)
V4 is ATX 3.1. Therefore...
🙄
Details:
https://seasonic.com/focus-gx-atx-3/
RM850x is also a solid power supply. Matches Seasonic Focus in performance.
When purchasing a new PSU, keep in mind your current CPU TDP is 125 Watts and your GPU TDP is 220 Watts, totaling 345 Watts. Overclocking could lead to power spikes that exceed your PSU's limits, causing freezing or crashes. It’s wise to choose a PSU with extra capacity to avoid such issues. An 850 Watt unit would be suitable. In my experience, I’ve used PSUs with over 1000 Watts on sale without problems even during gaming overclocking. Just a thought for consideration. Wishing you success and a smooth PC experience again.
Yes, there are no power problems, but you'll face efficiency challenges if you exceed wattage limits too much. PSUs work best when the load is between 50% and 80% of their maximum capacity. For example, with a 1kW unit and only 200W being used (20%), efficiency drops significantly because the PSU uses excessive power and generates a lot of heat. I generally recommend PSUs with a 100W to 200W margin. Also, 1+kW models tend to be pricier than 650W-850W ones, and they might be too large for some PC cases (like a 140mm 750W unit versus a 210mm 1kW unit).
Thank you Aeacus for providing the efficiency details. This information is crucial for rems1989 to evaluate whether they should replace their current PSU with a different one for their PC. It’s important to determine the total power requirements of the system and purchase a PSU that offers some flexibility. I agree that having a more powerful unit than strictly necessary doesn’t always succeed and may lead to efficiency problems, especially in mid-range gaming setups. The systems I built using 1000 Watt PSUs were for high-end gaming rigs.