Question Computer randomly freezes. Requires hard reset.

[abarner99]

I have a custom built desktop running Windows 10. These are my specs:
CPU: AMD 3900x
CPU Cooler: Corsair AIO
GPU: Asus RTX 2060 super
Motherboard: MSI B450 GAMING PRO CARBON
RAM: G.Skill 32GB (x4 8GB)
Memory: 1TB Samsung M.2
Power Supply: Thermaltake 750W

It happens seemingly at random, but my computer will randomly freeze up. There are no other noticeable problems prior to the crash (i.e. no lag spikes, dramatic drop in FPS). Usually the first thing to cut out is the audio (if I'm playing a game, the game will continue without audio). Then there is ~15 seconds where everything else starts freezing. If I move quick enough, I can usually open up task manager, but it freezes once its open. My mouse/keyboard will continue responding during this ~15 second grace period. I have tried to save whatever game I'm playing, but it results in a corrupted save file. This issue is not exclusive to gaming/other computationally intensive tasks. I just had it happen when I was just browsing on Google Chrome with nothing else open (I had maybe 3 or 4 tabs opened). Whenever it happens, I have to hard reboot (I'm hesitant to let it continue incase something is overheating). I've never seen anything in event viewer that could indicate what the issue is. It happens very infrequently, but enough to be concerning. I have never been able to duplicate the crash. I have tried running a memory tests/benchmarks and nothing looks like it's problematic. I'm betting its either power supply (I've heard questionable things about Thermaltake) or the AIO causing my CPU to overheat. I'm usually pretty good at troubleshooting and resolving these things on my own, but I've been stuck on this problem for a while. I'm afraid it will happen during something important (i.e. an online test for school). Testing any individual component is difficult because of the infrequency of the issue. I'd guess it happens ~2-3 times a month. If it's something like the power supply, its a big gamble to throw $150-200+ at a replacement without definitively knowing that it's actually the problem. Any suggestions? Thank you in advance.

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

Thermaltake is the brand of the PSU while 750W is the advertised wattage of the unit. What is the model of the unit? Also, how old is the unit in your system? BIOS version for your motherboard at the time of writing? If you're on Windows 10, include the version(not edition) of the OS you're working with. As for your SSD, have you tried using Samsung's Magician app to see if your SSD is pending any firmware updates?

 

[abarner99]

Thanks for the reply!
This is the PSU I have: link
I don't remember exactly when I bought it, but I'd guess I've had it a year or two. It's definitely not super old.
My BIOS version is 2.50
My Windows 10 version is: 21H1
I have not yet tried using Samsung's Magician app. I will give that I try right now.

 

[abarner99]

Update:
I was sitting with my computer idle and doing something on my phone. I moved my mouse to check something on my computer. It blue screened on me. I got a WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR. From what I read online, it looks like it's most likely hardware related. I'm running Windows Memory Diagnostics Tool (in extended mode) right now. I will post the results when it finishes.

I also updated my BIOS to 2.70 yesterday, so I think it's safe to rule that out as the problem. I also forgot to mention that I upgraded my motherboard/CPU last year and I'm pretty sure this issue was occurring before I upgraded them. Fingers crossed that it's not my GPU. Most of the time, the crash occurs while I'm doing something not too GPU intensive. It's interesting that the last crash happened while the computer was idle. Any other ideas? Thank you!

 

[abarner99]

I took out two of my four 8GB RAM sticks. Everything seemed to go well for about a week, but yesterday I got another crash. It happened while I was playing the game Rimworld (more of a CPU intensive game, not very GPU intensive). I just swapped out my RAM with the sticks that I took out a while ago. While researching the WHEA_UNCORRECTABLE_ERROR BSOD I got, it looked like many other people with this problem also has G.Skill RAM.
It's also interesting that when the error occurred yesterday, the game continued playing but without sound effects. As mentioned it is a CPU intensive game and everything seemed to be fine until I minimized it and attempted to open task manager. Then my entire system froze. Logically, this would be an indicator of a RAM issue... right? Any thoughts? Let's see if the issue continues with the two RAM sticks currently in use.