Computer random black screen /sound glitch after watching videos or playing games

[Savagehunter12]

Hello everyone, i built a PC quite awhile back and performed a windows 10 reset recently. ever since i did that the computer will freeze and the sound will glitch out leaving the computer completely unresponsive. now this doesn't happen right away it usually takes at least 10 minutes in before the crash occurs. i'm not 100% certain but i think iv'e seen the GPU light on the motherboard turn red right after the black screen but again that might not be true. if someone can plz give me some ideas on what to do to try to fix it that would be great.Thank you in advance!!

PC Specs:
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth x58
GPU: AMD R9 290
CPU: Intel Xeon x5680
RAM: 8GB DDR3
PSU: 700W

 

[rgd1101]

What the cpu/gpu temp and usage?
Make and model of the psu?

 

[Savagehunter12]

What the cpu/gpu temp and usage?
Make and model of the psu?

cpu temps are around 40 and gpu are around 70-80 while gaming. the psu is a RAIDMAX Scorpio series RX-735AP-S 735W ATX12V

 

[Savagehunter12]

does anyone have an idea on what it could be?

 

[Rexer]

A number of things could be causing this. Please read all and try the easiest fix first.
1) Your GPU drivers are fragmented in the registry path and need to be removed. In the unknown days, you had to go into the registry and dig them out individually.. . and that was a pain in the whazoo. Now you can use DDU to dig them out.
Course some people just roll back to the last known good GPU driver and everything works. Whenever you update your GPU drivers, it's wise to first remove the old driver and then install the new one. Years ago, many people just installed the new driver over the old driver and everything was fine. It may have run a little slower but things didn't crash. You can't do that anymore.
I've uninstalled using Windows 'Programs and Features' with some success but I most of the time use a third party uninstaller most of the time. Ccleaner and Revo Uninstaller, Your Uninstaller are free to for 30 days. If you use a third party uninstaller, make sure you get it from the manufacturer's site. Getting it from Cnet or anyone else usually try to throw in a lot of ads with it.
2) Go into your games and find and click 'Reset', 'Reset Game' or 'Default', 'Set to Default'. Write you game control settings down as they will be gone, too. As a courtesy to gamers, Steam games Origin games and game makers like to remember your game settings. This is a good thing. If you ever needed to repair, transfer the games, uninstall/reinstall the games you'd still have your settings. But every once in a while it would remember a 'crash' like a game setting and reprogram it back into the game. When the game reaches the criteria and circumstances to make it crash, it zonks the computer. Run Repair game, or uninstall/reinstall after.
3) Check your connections. To clean off a connection, unplug and plug it back in. Do this with ram, too.
4) Power supply is slowly failing. Do you have a spare power supply around? Not everyone does so you may need to remove and try it in another computer or switch it with a known good.
Here are a few PSU tier list.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

http://i.imgur.com/361pNaI.png

https://techguided.com/the-best-gaming-power-supplies/

5)Windows may be corrupted. You may need to fix Windows. In File Explorer> left hand column scroll down to 'This PC"> right click Local Disk C:> in the window click 'properties'> click 'Tools' tab> in Error checking, click the 'Check' box, let it run. > Then run 'Optimize and Defragment'. The 'Cleanup' tool is under the General tab. Run that also. These tools may take a little time be patient.
Finally run the System File Checker (SFC). In the Search Box, type cmd> right click 'Command Prompt' and select Run as adminstrator> the DOS (black window) opens> on the line, C:\Windows\system 32> type, sfc/scannow> enter.

C:\Windows\system32>sfc/scannow

(if you type it wrong, DOS will tell you the correct command to type in). Let it run till finish.
Hope one of these works for you.

 

[Savagehunter12]

A number of things could be causing this. Please read all and try the easiest fix first.
1) Your GPU drivers are fragmented in the registry path and need to be removed. In the unknown days, you had to go into the registry and dig them out individually.. . and that was a pain in the whazoo. Now you can use DDU to dig them out.
Course some people just roll back to the last known good GPU driver and everything works. Whenever you update your GPU drivers, it's wise to first remove the old driver and then install the new one. Years ago, many people just installed the new driver over the old driver and everything was fine. It may have run a little slower but things didn't crash. You can't do that anymore.
I've uninstalled using Windows 'Programs and Features' with some success but I most of the time use a third party uninstaller most of the time. Ccleaner and Revo Uninstaller, Your Uninstaller are free to for 30 days. If you use a third party uninstaller, make sure you get it from the manufacturer's site. Getting it from Cnet or anyone else usually try to throw in a lot of ads with it.
2) Go into your games and find and click 'Reset', 'Reset Game' or 'Default', 'Set to Default'. Write you game control settings down as they will be gone, too. As a courtesy to gamers, Steam games Origin games and game makers like to remember your game settings. This is a good thing. If you ever needed to repair, transfer the games, uninstall/reinstall the games you'd still have your settings. But every once in a while it would remember a 'crash' like a game setting and reprogram it back into the game. When the game reaches the criteria and circumstances to make it crash, it zonks the computer. Run Repair game, or uninstall/reinstall after.
3) Check your connections. To clean off a connection, unplug and plug it back in. Do this with ram, too.
4) Power supply is slowly failing. Do you have a spare power supply around? Not everyone does so you may need to remove and try it in another computer or switch it with a known good.
Here are a few PSU tier list.

https://linustechtips.com/main/topic/631048-psu-tier-list-updated/

http://i.imgur.com/361pNaI.png

https://techguided.com/the-best-gaming-power-supplies/

5)Windows may be corrupted. You may need to fix Windows. In File Explorer> left hand column scroll down to 'This PC"> right click Local Disk C:> in the window click 'properties'> click 'Tools' tab> in Error checking, click the 'Check' box, let it run. > Then run 'Optimize and Defragment'. The 'Cleanup' tool is under the General tab. Run that also. These tools may take a little time be patient.
Finally run the System File Checker (SFC). In the Search Box, type cmd> right click 'Command Prompt' and select Run as adminstrator> the DOS (black window) opens> on the line, C:\Windows\system 32> type, sfc/scannow> enter.

C:\Windows\system32>sfc/scannow

(if you type it wrong, DOS will tell you the correct command to type in). Let it run till finish.
Hope one of these works for you.

so ive tried everything you've suggested and yet no luck, the only thing i haven't done yet is change power supply. i have also noticed that my pc doesnt make a crash dump file whenever it black screens. so i just ordered a power supply and hoping that solves the problem. Thank you for posting these amazing solutions btw!

 

[Savagehunter12]

also just ran a stress test on aida64 extreme and the computer black screened. im starting to think the psu is dying :/ but weird thing was is that i would test the cpu, gpu, memory, disks, etc all individually and the test ran fine for hours. But once i turned everything on all at once then it would last maybe 10 minutes before it would black screen

 

[Rexer]

also just ran a stress test on aida64 extreme and the computer black screened. im starting to think the psu is dying :/ but weird thing was is that i would test the cpu, gpu, memory, disks, etc all individually and the test ran fine for hours. But once i turned everything on all at once then it would last maybe 10 minutes before it would black screen

-Was any hardware running after the black screen crash? Fans, lights, HDD hum? If there is, it might be pointing to video/monitor failure. Everything has capacitors and MOSFETs which can go bad. Nowadays it's cheaper to replace the hardware than fix them. Unless you've paid $250 or more for a monitor, I'd toss it and buy a new one.
-Here's a clue how repair guys find a motherboard repair. Once the power supply is established with the rated output as good, they follow each section of the motherboard in succession, from stage to stage with a multimeter with the rated input for the motherboard. It's simple only if you know what you're doing.
-Sometimes a resistor can be tested (brought back to life) with a squirt of liquid freeze but dies again at normal temperature. They sometimes show burn marks which point to their failure.
-When capacitors go bad, they have pop tops which expand it and sometimes blow the liquid out of it. Sometimes there's nothing at all.
-Yeah, It's highly possible the PSU is getting tired and wants to take a dirt nap in the trash. The best test I've found was to get a psu from another computer or take take the PSU out and put it in another computer.
I've had some winners in the past. Ultra, Antec Basiq 500w, Dell 350 and one Corsair RM750 recall which fried the system. Personally, I'd stay away from the cheapest units because they really are, 'cheap'.
That RM 750 died little by little, something like, 3 days in a month, three times a week, 3 days, 3 times a day to 3 hrs. a day, then dead. That's when I'd thought I'd better call Corsair to see if I could get it fixed under warranty. Turns out the serial # was on a recall list. RMA'd it to Corsair and had a new one in two weeks.
You can try and contact RaidMax to see if they have a recall list or see if your PSU is still under warranty. Personally, I'd buy middle to best Seasonic, EVGA, XFX. You can get them fairly cheap since they're always on sale somewhere (Amazon, Newegg, B&H photo, Fry's, Micro Center, etc..).
-You might want to find a good UPS unit. Not just for spikes and black outs but for brown outs (line voltage drops) that are notorious for frying PCs.

 

[Savagehunter12]

I dont think it would be a monitor issue because the pc itself crashes and the reason i can tell this is because i can see it go offline on steam, yet all the motherboard lights are green stating that the pc components are fine right? All the fans continue to spin so im not sure what it is at this point. Ive used the monitor with other pcs recently so it cant be that

 

[Rexer]

Sure seems like your PSU is weak. Glitchy sound, laggy and fritzing picture before it crashes but I wouldn't rule out your video. LEDs, HD clicks and fans continue after the video goes black shows there's still power running them. Do you have a spare video card? Can you borrow a video card from a friend?
When you tested your monitor, were those other computers as powerful as yours? You have an R9 290 and that's a pretty powerful and power hungry card. I had a 3770 rig with a R9 390. I replaced it with a R9 390X because of black screen crashes. The monitor still kept black screening on start up. Wouldn't start unless the power was first drained from the monitor circuits (monitor power turned off).
If all your hardware is still running after the screen goes black, it might be your monitor. Is there another monitor around you can test your rig with?

 

[Savagehunter12]

Ended up being a dying psu, just replaced it and now the computer runs fine, going to check if I still have my 2 year warranty

 

[Rexer]

Ended up being a dying psu, just replaced it and now the computer runs fine, going to check if I still have my 2 year warranty

Good on you! Sorry it took so long for you to get this resolved. I replaced a whole computer once only to find out I had a bad monitor. It took about a year to figure it out. For the love of our computers we persevere. Lol, learned whole lot of everyone else's repairs and fixes along the way.