Computer freezes during gaming

[Av8tion]

OK, I just built a new computer for gaming and everything is going great until... when I play Arma II (also happened once during Fallout New Vegas) The screen freezes, the LCD display on my g19 keyboard freezes, and the computer is completely non-responsive, requiring a hard-boot to get it back working again. In order to help the diagnostic process along, here are a few helpful tidbits of information.

The CPU is NOT overheating, my g19 is configured to monitor temps and loads. At the time of crashes, the CPU is reading between 50-60c which is well below the red zone. I have a Cooler Master Hyper T4 that keeps idle temps in the upper 20s, so cooling isn't an issue.

I am NOT running out of memory. MY display reads between 4-5GB used during the freeze of the 16GB available for the system. Tested the memory and it is functioning properly.

There is NOT an excess of dust causing any parts to overheat. Like I said, this is a brand new build, and I ensure there is proper airflow.

Here is the build

Intel Core i7 4770k 3.5GHz overclocked to 4.1GHz (stable)
Running Intel HD Graphics built-in to the CPU
MSI Z87-G45 Gaming Motherboard
Crucial Ballistix Sport 16GB(2x8) DDR3-1600 RAM
Seagate Barracuda 1.5TB 7200RPM HDD
OCZ ModXStream Pro 700W Semi-Modular PSU

Any helpful thoughts would be appreciated.

 

[huilun02]

Your overclock might be unstable, which can cause the system to hang.

Do a looping graphics benchmark to simulate playing a game and it might flesh out the instability.

 

[Av8tion]

Your overclock might be unstable, which can cause the system to hang.

Do a looping graphics benchmark to simulate playing a game and it might flesh out the instability.

Testing this possibility out now by getting rid of the overclock... will report back with the verdict tomorrow after some testing

EDIT: after about 6 hours straight gameplay, no crashes... so I think it was an unstable overclock. Thanks for the help!