Computer Keeps Freezing

theramkishan

Honorable
Oct 21, 2012
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10,510
So when ever I play a game, after about 15 minutes into it my computer completely freezes and I have to force restart. I have had this problem for quite some time.

I am pretty sure you guys might have come across this problem a gazillion times, I have checked all over the internet. As much as it pains you to answer this again, it pains me to bother you.

So here is the list of things I already tried -
- Check temperature of CPU, installed CM Seidon 120M (Previous temp 90, now its 30 max)
- PSU old and shit, installed Corsair RM750
- check GPU temperature (60 when maxed out)
- check if you are not overclocking anything and restore bios settings to factory default. (Done)
- A few other things i can't remember.

Believe it or not I have been on this problem for months now, saving up to keep buying new components to no avail. I am running out of money and patience.

Setup
CPU- AMD fx8150
GPU - Sapphire 7970OC
MotherBoard - Asus M5a99x EVO
PSU - Corsair RM750
Corsair Vengeance 8GB

All help is greatly appreciated, Thank You.
 
Couple ideas:

Check RAM. Use one stick by itself, then the other.
If you have an old GPU laying around, swap it in and see if that fixes the problem.
Make sure no metal parts, such as motherboard standoffs, are grounding out on the back of your motherboard.

BIOS update could also be a possibility, but do this as a last resort - as you may know it can turn your motherboard into a paperweight. Make sure to do it with a thumb drive, NEVER update BIOS from windows.

I also hate to even mention this, but it is a possibility - having your CPU running at 90° for any extended amount of time, could have damaged it. Please don't go out and buy a CPU because this is very unlikely, but possible.

You should also go to the Event Viewer under Administrative events in windows to see if any it shows anything useful.
 
I already checked both the ram sticks, and I "guess" they both are fine. Gonna swap the ram with a friend tomorrow.
Sadly I have no spare GPU lying around to check if the GPU might be at fault, if it is I think I will go broke.

I checked the ram usage right before it crashed and its usually at 40% for all the applications.
Ram latency and voltage can be checked outside Bios? If it could be I haven't done it.

 
Sounds like a GFX fail - take the GPU out and pull it all apart, clean it all thoroughly, clean off the old TIM and reapply with new paste. Maybe ensure you have adequate case cooling on and around the GFX as well. Yours is the OC edition, so it will run hotter than the 60degC as stated above at load (idle for that card is around 45degC) - what software are you checking the GPU temp with (GPU-Z is accurate)?

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/359078-33-sapphire-hd7970-gddr5-running
http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/364621-33-sapphire-radeon-7970-temperature

There's a good chance you've damaged the CPU if you've been running it at 90degC for a prolonged time - AMD say max temp for the FX8150 is 61degC....
http://www.cpu-world.com/CPUs/Bulldozer/AMD-FX-Series%20FX-8150.html though you can push this pretty comfortably.

 
I am not using a hacked version of windows.

Thank you, that was insightful. I will check up on my GPU and I hope i don't have to replace anymore things.

Will update with the results. Thanks for the constant feedback.
 


Did you end up checking the Windows Event viewer as recommended above? Could definitely be clues there - also if you are having GFX Driver Crashes from time to time (Which can cause the hang as well if it can't recover automatically), this could also be a key indicator your issue is GFX related.

My old MSI 6950 Twin Frozr III used to crash out all the time when I stressed it and cause a freeze, occasionally though Catalyst would restart after crashing back to windows, but would always kill whatever game I was playing. Root cause of that though was old TIM and internal dust build up over the 3 years I had the card - I completely stripped it down, and cleaned the fans, heatsinks, and applied new TIM (the old was quite dry), and the card hasn't played up since (but then the PC it's in doesn't exactly work hard as it's basically just a media server at home now).