Computer Hard Freezing, Think It Is Hard Drive Problem, Can't Seem To Fix It.

[Terrestrial]

This has been a persisting problem for about 6 Months now but only recently has it become extremely annoying and obviously it could be too late to solve my problem but im still looking for advice nonetheless. So I've scavenged the internet looking for a solution and have found people sharing similar experiences but no solution still. I've already taken steps to try and fix this such as completely wiping my hard drive and reinstalling windows (did this yesterday). I've already updated and installed my drivers and done all of the windows 10 updates. My computer normally freezes when playing video games specifically terraria which is strange cause I'm able to play witcher 3 and battlefield 1 without any freezes and until I had reinstalled windows it would ONLY freeze during games but now has gotten to the point of just freezing on my desktop. The freeze consists of everything completely locking down and I have to hold my power button to fix it and it reboots fine in a normal mode and what not. The reason I suspect it is a hard drive problem is because upon freezing all my other components seem to work (GPU buzzing, PSU Buzzing, Dont know about CPU/RAM) in addition to this my computer case has two very small lights on the front, one red and one green and I think green is for the power while red possibly means hard drive activity??? Don't know for sure. Here are my specs:

Graphics Card: MSI R9 270
Memory: Hyperx Fury 8gb
Storage: WD 1 Terabyte
PSU: 535 Watt 80+ bronze
CPU: FX-6300

Thank you all so much in advance for helping me and I'll gladly answer any questions

 

[panathas]

Are you sure you don't have an overheating CPU or GPU overthere? It could be a lot of things, PSU, motherboard, software/driver issue and of course the hard drive.In order to check whether your hard drive is dying download Crystal Disk Info and check your drive's health with it. If all the indicators are green and the health status is good, your drive is probably fine but in order to be absolutely certain, download Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows from the Western Digital site and run the quick and extended tests. If your drive is able to successfully pass both tests then it's fine and you should turn you attention to other components, starting from the PSU. Borrow another PSU from a friend and test your system with it. If you are able to reproduce the same issue with another PSU then check your motherboard.

 

[Terrestrial]

Are you sure you don't have an overheating CPU or GPU overthere? It could be a lot of things, PSU, motherboard, software/driver issue and of course the hard drive.In order to check whether your hard drive is dying download Crystal Disk Info and check your drive's health with it. If all the indicators are green and the health status is good, your drive is probably fine but in order to be absolutely certain, download Data Lifeguard Diagnostic for Windows from the Western Digital site and run the quick and extended tests. If your drive is able to successfully pass both tests then it's fine and you should turn you attention to other components, starting from the PSU. Borrow another PSU from a friend and test your system with it. If you are able to reproduce the same issue with another PSU then check your motherboard.

Did both tests all were good and checked temperatures seem to be okay. When my computer is idle my GPU core max is 38celcius while CPU core 1-6 is 53.9celcius max

 

[panathas]

Your HDD seem to be fine. Is your CPU overclocked? What about your motherboard's temperature? Does it overheat? Especially you should check the motherboard's VRM temperature. If it doesn't have any heatsinks over the VRM circuit it may easily overheat. By the way you didn't mentioned what motherboard you have? That said you should definitely check your PSU. Please post your exact PSU model and if you can't post at least the manufacturer. A bad or failing PSU is responsible for many system stability issues.

EDIT: Your CPU temp seems high for idle. You should check your CPU cooler and make sure that it is working and it's dust free. I have a feeling that your CPU is overheating causing all those issues.

 

[Terrestrial]

Your HDD seem to be fine. Is your CPU overclocked? What about your motherboard's temperature? Does it overheat? Especially you should check the motherboard's VRM temperature. If it doesn't have any heatsinks over the VRM circuit it may easily overheat. By the way you didn't mentioned what motherboard you have? That said you should definitely check your PSU. Please post your exact PSU model and if you can't post at least the manufacturer. A bad or failing PSU is responsible for many system stability issues.

EDIT: Your CPU temp seems high for idle. You should check your CPU cooler and make sure that it is working and it's dust free. I have a feeling that your CPU is overheating causing all those issues.

PSU: Raidmax Thunder V2 535W 80+ Bronze certified
Motherboard: MSI 970A-G46

Little update: playing terraria with friends and computer would freeze while I was monitoring my temperatures and within a couple seconds would unfreeze, this went on for about 30 minutes with 10-15 minute intervals between freezes until the last one which I waited 5 minutes and forced shut down, noticed that all temperatures were sub 60 and CPU did not go past 54.1 maximum for the entire session

edit: considering changing outlets and using a powerstrip just for good measure because In the past I've had to move outlets cause occasionally my foot would bump the plug and power off the machine. I don't know how to check the temperature of my VRM and my CPU is not not overclocked.
Only thing I can gather for temperature regarding motherboard:
Temperature 1: 63
Temperature 2: 47
Temperature 3: 36
Thats all it says under the motherboard portion of Open Hardware Monitor

 

[panathas]

Seems like an overheating issue. That temperature 1:63 is pretty high if it refers to a real motherboard component. Maybe it's the VRM temp. In order to find out which temp is it, you have to log into your BIOS and compare the various motherboard temperatures. If your BIOS gives you more than one temp it should be easy to do that but if it gives you only one temp it would be difficult. You could also download a specific MSI utility for your board that should give you more info. Hardware Monitor isn't as reliable as those motherboard utilities and it's just too generic. You could try increasing the airflow inside your case with more fans if you don't have at least 2. One for intake in the frond and one for exhaust in the back.

It also seems strange that your CPU's temp is 53C at idle and only 54 under load. Something is going on there. Maybe your temp sensors are defective and your real load temp is much higher. Make sure that the CPU cooler is dust free and is the fan is spinning freely.

Finally monitor your CPU's clock speed besides its temp. If you see your CPU dropping its clock speed a lot during load then it's definitely a sign of throttling back from overheating. Unfortunately those temp and clock readings may not be accurate at all because of the system freezing.

 

[Terrestrial]

Seems like an overheating issue. That temperature 1:63 is pretty high if it refers to a real motherboard component. Maybe it's the VRM temp. In order to find out which temp is it, you have to log into your BIOS and compare the various motherboard temperatures. If your BIOS gives you more than one temp it should be easy to do that but if it gives you only one temp it would be difficult. You could also download a specific MSI utility for your board that should give you more info. Hardware Monitor isn't as reliable as those motherboard utilities and it's just too generic. You could try increasing the airflow inside your case with more fans if you don't have at least 2. One for intake in the frond and one for exhaust in the back.

It also seems strange that your CPU's temp is 53C at idle and only 54 under load. Something is going on there. Maybe your temp sensors are defective and your real load temp is much higher. Make sure that the CPU cooler is dust free and is the fan is spinning freely.

Finally monitor your CPU's clock speed besides its temp. If you see your CPU dropping its clock speed a lot during load then it's definitely a sign of throttling back from overheating. Unfortunately those temp and clock readings may not be accurate at all because of the system freezing.

So I checked my temperatures in my BIOS and the CPU remained consistent at 51 however the motherboard showed only one number which was 33 but when I booted my computer up this time CPU is reading 23.6 for max while the temperature on my motherboard that was 61 now shows 45 which is strange because up until this boot up those numbers were really consistent regardless of how many times I booted up my computer and the only other thing that has changed now is my CPU clock speeds are consistent at 2000 MHz max and spike to 1400 every few seconds but prior to this they would get as high as 3800 max. My CPU fan seems to be working fine but im gonna check on it again just to be sure, Open Hardware Monitor says my CPU fan is getting 3580 rpm

 

[panathas]

Something strange is going on over there with your motherboard. You may also have bad or stacked motherboard temperature sensors. Besides the strange temp issues your CPU is currently clocked too low. Is this number at idle or under load? If it reaches only 2000 MHZ max under load then either your CPU and/or the board's VRM are overheating or your board's VRM is somehow damaged.

You should also test your system with another PSU. May be your current one can't provide clean power or has abnormal voltage rails causing all those strange issues. I've seen too many cases where a PSU's 5.0V voltage rail would go out of spec (~4-4.3V) causing the same system stability issues. I think you should definitely check your PSU.

 

[muniz_ri]

Seems like an overheating issue. That temperature 1:63 is pretty high if it refers to a real motherboard component. Maybe it's the VRM temp. In order to find out which temp is it, you have to log into your BIOS and compare the various motherboard temperatures. If your BIOS gives you more than one temp it should be easy to do that but if it gives you only one temp it would be difficult. You could also download a specific MSI utility for your board that should give you more info. Hardware Monitor isn't as reliable as those motherboard utilities and it's just too generic. You could try increasing the airflow inside your case with more fans if you don't have at least 2. One for intake in the frond and one for exhaust in the back.

It also seems strange that your CPU's temp is 53C at idle and only 54 under load. Something is going on there. Maybe your temp sensors are defective and your real load temp is much higher. Make sure that the CPU cooler is dust free and is the fan is spinning freely.

Finally monitor your CPU's clock speed besides its temp. If you see your CPU dropping its clock speed a lot during load then it's definitely a sign of throttling back from overheating. Unfortunately those temp and clock readings may not be accurate at all because of the system freezing.

So I checked my temperatures in my BIOS and the CPU remained consistent at 51 however the motherboard showed only one number which was 33 but when I booted my computer up this time CPU is reading 23.6 for max while the temperature on my motherboard that was 61 now shows 45 which is strange because up until this boot up those numbers were really consistent regardless of how many times I booted up my computer and the only other thing that has changed now is my CPU clock speeds are consistent at 2000 MHz max and spike to 1400 every few seconds but prior to this they would get as high as 3800 max. My CPU fan seems to be working fine but im gonna check on it again just to be sure, Open Hardware Monitor says my CPU fan is getting 3580 rpm

I had a similar issue at one point. I had several components plugged into PCIe slots including GPU, M.2 SSD via a PCIe adapter, and a wifi card. To troubleshoot I removed the wifi card and GPU then rebooted (using onboard graphics). All ran solid so it made me realize that I was onto something. I ended up swapping the SSD and the GPU slots then rebooted. Problem solved.

Later installed the wifi card in original PCIe slot and system continues to be rock solid since then.

 

[Terrestrial]

Something strange is going on over there with your motherboard. You may also have bad or stacked motherboard temperature sensors. Besides the strange temp issues your CPU is currently clocked too low. Is this number at idle or under load? If it reaches only 2000 MHZ max under load then either your CPU and/or the board's VRM are overheating or your board's VRM is somehow damaged.

You should also test your system with another PSU. May be your current one can't provide clean power or has abnormal voltage rails causing all those strange issues. I've seen too many cases where a PSU's 5.0V voltage rail would go out of spec (~4-4.3V) causing the same system stability issues. I think you should definitely check your PSU.

So CPU refuses to clock above 2000 and temperature did not go above 28 but not a single freeze occured under any circumstance makes me think its either most definetly the CPU or PSU, I do not actually have a way to get my hands on PSU to test but I should be upgrading my computer in a month here cause I want an i5/i7 which should tell me what the problem is, how serious does this problem seem to you and does it require immediate attention

EDIT: Task manager just displayed that my CPU only has 3 cores! not sure what this means as far as a problem goes but for sure know its not right.

 

[panathas]

Something is going on with the PSU, motherboard or CPU. The Task Manager should report 6 cores. Try resetting the CMOS, maybe it helps. It looks like you may have hardware damage somewhere. I think you should definitely start the upgrade from the PSU. It's the easiest thing you can do and a necessary step you have to make in order to upgrade your system. Get a new good PSU, not a cheap one and test it in your system. If it works and all your issues go away then at least you saved some hardware that otherwise may get fried by a bad or damaged PSU. If all of this is caused by a bad PSU then the situation will get even worse and you may end with a dead PC. That said if your PSU is fine and your motherboard is somehow damaged, it may already be killing the CPU, but in this case there isn't a lot you can do. If you get a new board it may already be too late for your CPU and it doesn't worth investing in old technology.

 

[Terrestrial]

Something is going on with the PSU, motherboard or CPU. The Task Manager should report 6 cores. Try resetting the CMOS, maybe it helps. It looks like you may have hardware damage somewhere. I think you should definitely start the upgrade from the PSU. It's the easiest thing you can do and a necessary step you have to make in order to upgrade your system. Get a new good PSU, not a cheap one and test it in your system. If it works and all your issues go away then at least you saved some hardware that otherwise may get fried by a bad or damaged PSU. If all of this is caused by a bad PSU then the situation will get even worse and you may end with a dead PC. That said if your PSU is fine and your motherboard is somehow damaged, it may already be killing the CPU, but in this case there isn't a lot you can do. If you get a new board it may already be too late for your CPU and it doesn't worth investing in old technology.

Being a highschool student cant really afford a new motherboard, cpu and PSU but can definitley afford 2 out of the 3, any chance we can narrow it down any more? found out that in my BIOS the temperature reads 53c on the CPU but on desktop read 17-20 does this mean anything at all?

 

[panathas]

I'm afraid that unless you take your system to a repair shop, there is no other way to know for sure who's responsible for all those issues. We are only playing a guessing game here. If your CPU is bad there is nothing you can do right now since you are planning to upgrade your rig in the near future. The same goes for your motherboard. It doesn't worth getting a new board or CPU and investing in new but old "technologically" parts. Now if your PSU is already bad the situation may get worse and it may kill both your board and your CPU and since you are planning too upgrade in the near future you certainly want a new and better PSU. You have to know that you must change your PSU if you want to get an i7 or i5. So if you get a new PSU and your issues go away then you may have managed to save the rest of your system from dying, if it's not already to late. If you keep experiencing freezes and crashes after getting the new PSU, then you board or CPU may be bad and you have to proceed with the upgrade sooner than planned. The thing is you won't throw your money away with a new PSU. You should consider it as an investment since you'll use it in your new system. You should also know that your current PSU isn't considered to be a good unit and it won't work with a new i5/i7, even if it's OK. If you read all the reviews out there you'll also jump to the same conclusion. Of course you can always take your system to a repair/service shop and have them check the PSU and the rest of your components.

As for the temps, you should always consider your BIOS readings as more accurate than any other software. Also MSI should have software for your board that reads the temps from the BIOS and reports them back. You should install it. It's way more accurate than Hardware Monitor. That said neither of them should be considered as accurate if your board and its temp sensors are bad or damaged.

Finally you said in a previous post that windows was only seeing 3 cores from your CPU. That and your abnormal temps are a bad sign. You can always reset the CMOS, maybe it fixes some of those issues if they are BIOS related. In order to reset the CMOS you have to read your board's manual for further info. If your current PSU is fine and your board isn't damaged there is a small chance that resetting the CMOS may fix your issues. You should do it since there is nothing to lose. I think we covered almost anything. Good luck.