[SOLVED] !! Freezing Computer!! Help wanted!

[Wiscool]

Hello everyone,

First of all thank you for reading my topic, I'm fairly new to this site but I have already checked multiple topics where people had (more of the same) problem as I did but I haven't found a solution yet.

I'm having a freezing/Deadlocking/lock-up computer issue for quite a while now and I'm totally lost. I've tried several things but nothing seems to efficiently work. I sincerely hope that you guys can offer me a new solution or find something that I didn't try before.

Here's an example of my pc freezing while playing the game "Minecraft" including HWmonitor on screen:

https://imgur.com/a/j8yaPIa

View: http://imgur.com/a/j8yaPIa


If there's any info I didn't provide or you have some different questions about tthis topic I would love to hear.


HOW/WHAT DO I NOTICE

• Can't do anything with the pc.
• Audio stops.
• Screen freezes/stays the same.
• Can't move cursor.
• Numlock, caps lock etc. can't be turned on/off.
• Cntrl Alt Delete does nothing.
• Waiting doesn't solve anything.

INFO

• Most of the time it happens while playing games, but even occasionally when the PC is idle or doing simple things like YouTube/Streaming.
• It mainly happens when there's warm weather/room (approx 20-25c and up).
• I doubt any heating problems, I once accidentally didn't add enough thermal paste when I reseated the CPU and my pc shut itself down when it reached a certain temp. Also while stress testing CPU won't exceed 70c/158f.

Edit: While using Win10, CPU reaches temps of 50-60c/122-140f idle and the pc restarted several times while using. If I rememberd right it also froze more often so I'm currently back at Win7 as it runs "more" stable.

• There are no stutters or anything ordinary whatsoever before freeze; freezes are suddenly, instantly and totally random. It's not at a specific point or game, which makes them hard to recreate. Sometimes I can last hours (even days or weeks) without a freeze, other days I'll have multiple freezes.
• 1 time the PC froze During Windows Memory diagnostic, 6+ other times no errors (tested on extra with cache enabled).
• I once noticed the HDD light on case keeps blinking (like its in use) while the pc froze while rest of the times (I think it froze over a 100 times - I'm not exaggerating - over the last 2 or 3 years, ) it also stops blinking with the rest of the PC.

STRESSTEST

• powerMAX GPU 30 min; no problems.
• powerMAX CPU AVX + SSE completed.
• With Prime 95 the pc froze within 1 minute other times 5 min+ without problems
• Prime 95 (Blend) after 15 mins. screenshot /w HWmonitor:

  https://imgur.com/a/eBlQsAe

  View: http://imgur.com/a/eBlQsAe
• Prime 95 (Smallest FFT s) freeze after 3 mins. screenshots with HWmonitor

  https://imgur.com/a/UwmJ0XM

  View: http://imgur.com/a/UwmJ0XM
• Prime95 in safe mode; pc froze @ 13 mins

  https://imgur.com/a/22seK9Q

  View: http://imgur.com/a/22seK9Q

please look at worker#3.

• Memtest more than 2, 5 hours, no errors.
• another Memtest but completed :

  https://imgur.com/a/yG64sqy

  View: http://imgur.com/a/yG64sqy
• Aida64 in safe mode Tested everything separately; no problems.
• Aida64 normal boot tested everything separately:

  https://imgur.com/a/Hp3NMaD

  View: http://imgur.com/a/Hp3NMaD
  again no problems.

TRIED

• The pc components are dust free. I even took apart the GPU a few times to clean it from dust. I also took off the heat sink from the CPU multiple times to clean it from dust. I reseated the CPU multiple times and I also frequently remove dust with a vacuum cleaner.

  https://imgur.com/a/WoRBRJO

  View: http://imgur.com/a/WoRBRJO
  (my apologies for cable management).
• Different ways of using the fans and keeping chase open or closed.
• I tried to install multiple different sets of RAM (3 to be exact).
• Also tried RAM in multiple slots.
• The CPU temp is around 60c-70c/140F-158F while gameing/stresstest.
• I don't have a stock cooler but an "Gelid Solutions Tranquillo Rev.3." https://gelidsolutions.com/thermal-solutions/cpu-cooler-rev-3-tranquillo/
• The GPU won't exceed 60c/140F, even under heavy load.
• CPU temp in BIOS is 45 - 55c (113-131 F).
• BIOS is on default settings.
• BIOS has latest firmware. https://www.asus.com/us/Motherboards/M5A97_R20/HelpDesk_BIOS/

My Bios:

https://imgur.com/a/HFPcAfs

View: http://imgur.com/a/HFPcAfs

• SFC / scannow; gives nothing.
• Event viewer doesn't give any info, it only sees one critical error: "unexpected shutdown, maybe to power loss etc. ".
• All drivers updated with Driver Booster 7.5.
• Removed GPU Driver with DDU in safe mode, installed latest GPU driver from NVIDEA website.
• I Earthed the pc via an grounded extension box (thing like this:

  https://imgur.com/a/3I7gFf5

  View: http://imgur.com/a/3I7gFf5
  into a grounded wall power outlet.
• Also reinstalled (clean) windows multiple times.
• I used different SATA cables and different HDD power cables, even different SATA slots on MOBO (since HDsentinel found some communication errors, not able to fix this yet.)

  https://imgur.com/a/9EBGlQy

  View: http://imgur.com/a/9EBGlQy
  .
• CrystalDisk says everything is fine.

  https://imgur.com/a/OnmuxXA

  View: http://imgur.com/a/OnmuxXA
• Installed and reinstalled windows (7 and 10) on different hdds.
• Doesn't freeze while in safe mode (due to lack of usage possibilities I may haven't tested this enough).

Edit: DOES freeze in Safe mode while torturing CPU with PRIME95.

• MSI Afterburner; custom fan speed for GPU.

SETTINGS I TRIED TO CHANGE

• Fast startup option unchecked (Win10).
• No sleep/hibernate.
• Power plan: high performance.
• Barely no 3 party software.
• Deleted all %temp% files.
• Deleted all prefetch files.
• Run CCleaner.
• Run Malwarebytes.

SPECS

• Case: ms-tech ca-0300 husky.
• OS: currently Windows 7 professional. 64-bit SP1 all updates installed (same windows on different pc, no problem) or Windows 10 pro 64-bit.
• MOBO: Asus M5A97 EVO R2. 0.
• CPU: AMD FX-9590.
• (currently) RAM: 12 GB singel-channel DDR3 @ 1333 MHz.

• Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3-1333 DDR3 SDRAM.
• Corsair Value Select 4GB DDR3 -1600 DDR3 SDRAM.

CPU-Z overview:

https://imgur.com/a/9TL8f21

View: http://imgur.com/a/9TL8f21

• GPU: ASUS NVIDEA GeForce GTX 1060 6GB.
• PSU: Thermaltake "Hamburg" 530W.
• Storage:

• 1TB Seagate ST1000DM010-2EP102 ATA device.
• 500GB Western Digital WDC WD5003ABYX-01WERA0 ATA device.

I sincerely hope there's someone out there who has an idea what could be the problem or has any suggestion that I can try. I'm totally lost and can't stand that I haven't been able to fix this problem yet, so any help is much appreciated!

Kind regards,

Wiscool

 

[Grobe]

That post is the most comprehensive I've seen on a long time, and you've covered the most.

Normally, I'd suspect the HDD, but the s.m.a.r.t. values seems ok (is the language Netherlands?). You can always post a new one if you can manage to set the language of the program to English just to get most possible of readers to understand.
Therefore HDD seems not to be the part responsible to the unstability here.

In theory, it can be any of the components, and then the only way of locating the faulty one is to replace all components one by one. But that may be very expensive before the actual faulty component are replaced, and therefore need to look at the least expensive first:

Motherboard. In the Bios menu - try to disable components that are possible to disable:

• Ethernet chip.
• WiFi
• USB ports (do not disable all of them in case you make yourself unable to use keyboard to get into bios in first place)
• Other onboard devices that I don't remember just like that.

 

[Flayed]

Freezing in Prime95 but passing memtest86 making me think the CPU is faulty. I know it is usually the last thing considered but still. Nice post very comprehensive.

Perhaps the motherboard VRM feeding the CPU. Hard to say without swapping out components as Grobe said. If it was me I'd consider replacing the CPU, motherboard and ram r ather than trying to source replacement parts.

 

[Wiscool]

That post is the most comprehensive I've seen on a long time, and you've covered the most.

Normally, I'd suspect the HDD, but the s.m.a.r.t. values seems ok (is the language Netherlands?). You can always post a new one if you can manage to set the language of the program to English just to get most possible of readers to understand.
Therefore HDD seems not to be the part responsible to the unstability here.

In theory, it can be any of the components, and then the only way of locating the faulty one is to replace all components one by one. But that may be very expensive before the actual faulty component are replaced, and therefore need to look at the least expensive first:

Motherboard. In the Bios menu - try to disable components that are possible to disable:

• Ethernet chip.
• WiFi
• USB ports (do not disable all of them in case you make yourself unable to use keyboard to get into bios in first place)
• Other onboard devices that I don't remember just like that.

Dear Grobe,

Thank you very much for your time, compliment and reply!

As shown in the picture below, I turned off everything I could find in "Onboard Devices Configuration"

https://imgur.com/a/JuUiZtm

View: http://imgur.com/a/JuUiZtm


Unfortunately, within 4 minutes after running PRIME95 on Blend (since that's the fastest way of recreating an freeze) the PC froze.

https://imgur.com/a/JaiEB8L

View: http://imgur.com/a/JaiEB8L


Thank you again for your time and suggestion!

 

[Wiscool]

Freezing in Prime95 but passing memtest86 making me think the CPU is faulty. I know it is usually the last thing considered but still. Nice post very comprehensive.

Perhaps the motherboard VRM feeding the CPU. Hard to say without swapping out components as Grobe said. If it was me I'd consider replacing the CPU, motherboard and ram r ather than trying to source replacement parts.

Dear Flayed,

Thank you very much for your time, compliment and reply!

I understand what you are saying. I just might have an option to replace the CPU in the near future (prolly couple of days) but I'm just so curious which component is bugging me all this time!

Thanks again for your reply!!

 

[Wiscool]

Thanks Flayed and Grobe for your guys input;

I've installed my wife's old AMD FX 8320 CPU and now I'm able to run Prime 95 for more than an hour!

I'll consider the freezes Solved for now! Of om having another problem, I know where to find you guys!

Best wishes,

Wiscool