Game crashes/PC force restarts after case&cooler upgrade

May 28, 2018
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i just moved my PC into a new case (NZXT h440) as well as upgrading my CPU cooler from an Intel stock cooler to a MasterAir G100M. all runs fine and games run normal (no significant difference from previously) but after a couple minutes of the game running the game will crash and this happens every time without fail on different games (this will happen anywhere from just starting the game to 2 minutes in roughly) i assumed this would be an overheating problem but both my CPU and GPU run at normal temperatures during games and stress tests.

occasionally, not only will the game crash, but the PC will do a forced restart during the game as if something went wrong (this is sudden and the PC performs normally until the moment it crashes or force restarts) one time a blue screen appeared stating that something went wrong and it was searching for errors but after about 35% it restarted and didn't follow up on its results etc.

I think that's all the main details, i would appreciate any help. My specs are:
Motherboard - ASUS Z170X pro gaming
CPU - Intel i7-6700 Quad-Core @ 3.40GHz
RAM - 24GB DDR4
GPU - NVIDIA GeForce GTX 960
 

R0GG

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- HWMONITOR in idle and after 10 min gaming if possible screen captures including all temps, clocks, fan speeds, usage on CPU/GPU and voltages.
- Reseating memory modules and GPU, double checking PCIe connectors to GPU and motherboard PSU connectors, and hard drive cables at both ends, windows full scan of boot drive.
- Adjusting CPU and GPU fan curves to keep them from overheating and thermosetting and ramping up case fan while gaming to help with the extra heat dissipation.
- Eventually checking bios for any unwanted overclock with option to load bios optimal settings if in doubt.
 
May 28, 2018
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i didn't do anything to the cpu other than what was needed to apply the new cooler and i am sure it is applied correctly without too much pressure :/
 

electro_neanderthal

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Jan 22, 2018
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You seem fairly experienced, but I'll ask this out of redundancy anyway: Are there more or less standoffs in the new case than needed?

Also, this part is confusing: "...but after a couple minutes of the game running the game will crash and this happens every time without fail on different games." paired with "...but both my CPU and GPU run at normal temperatures during games and stress tests." How did you get any games or stress tests to run if it only get's a couple of minutes? Or do you mean it never got a chance to heat up? And which stress tests were run?

Now to what I think is the issue: corrupt registry files. I'd suggest a repair/reinstall of whatever OS you use.

Other potential issues: Video card is dying or has corrupt drivers. Use something like ccleaner (if using Windows) to remove all the old video card drivers and install either the newest driver or a known stable one. If that fails, then try a different PCIe slot and/or another video card - if possible.

Could also be a PSU that isn't providing enough power once games start demanding power.
 
May 28, 2018
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I'm fairly experienced yes but im not the best. I monitored my temperatures while playing games before they crashed and they were not over heating, unless im dumb and somehow missed something. and stress tests were able to run for a few minuted without problems. i will attach a picture of the stress test i ran.
5T8aIEr.png
CSeXRny.png
 

electro_neanderthal

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Jan 22, 2018
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Alright, so it doesn't look like thermal throttling. In that case I stick with my previously mentioned corrupt registry files, corrupt driver, or failing PSU.

It might also be the CPU or graphics card starting to die... though I don't think the CPU would actually die this soon, and I'm doubtful it's the graphics card. Still, they are technically things to check if a reinstall of the OS and drivers fix nothing. Especially if the PSU is still good.
 

R0GG

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- Thanks for the quick screenshot upload, CPU looks fine, any GPU temps if possible (Hwmonitor will show all stats in one window).
- If not GPU overheating, could be either Memory issue (slots, clocks) or graphic drivers issue.
- Mobo reported voltages look good too, what are your PSU specs please?
 
May 28, 2018
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i ran a benchmark for the gpu and the max temp it got was 65 so i dont think the gpu is overheating
i fixed my registry files with some software called "little registry cleaner" i dont know how good this software is but it did not solve the problem.
my graphics card drivers are up to date too but maybe there is still something with the drivers thats causing this? im not sure
My PSU is hidden away in this new case, to my memory it is a corsair 750, so it should be able to handle this pc with ease.
 
May 28, 2018
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i checked Event viewer and i got one main error appearing when games crash:
also worth noting is that when i put the pc together the HD audio connector from the case front panel wouldnt connect all the way into the motherboard do the pins are only in the connector by like 60%, its hard to explain ill try to take a picture. it could be linked as audio was mentioned in the logs but i dont know why this would cause the game to crash etc.

Update: i corrected the connector, i was able to play the game for what felt like longer and with 20+ frames than usual but it still crashed after a few minutes

ATKEX_cmd.exe
0.0.0.0
00000000
KERNELBASE.dll
10.0.17134.1
149ab0fd
0eedfade
0010d722
2530
01d3f6f4e1ae3cc9
C:\Program Files\Realtek\Audio\HDA\ATKEX_cmd.exe
C:\WINDOWS\System32\KERNELBASE.dll
4aec3253-f1ae-45fc-bdab-29c5ff5f457c

DeXbcQkXcAAIgQ_.jpg
 

electro_neanderthal

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Jan 22, 2018
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I'm assuming that's the error that you got from the crash (by the way, what does each number indicate)? If that's the case, since that's just the audio, I'd suggest unplugging it entirely and seeing if that helps or fixes the issue. Could be bad wires or a bad header.

If it still crashes, then uninstall the Realtek audio driver and let Windows install the generic drivers. There was a post on the Asus forums (https://rog.asus.com/forum/showthread.php?47776-Problem-with-realtek-hd-manager-load) that indicated an update to the UEFI for some boards was necessary.

And in the Microsoft forums (https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_10-performance-winpc/realtek-audio-drivers-causing-crashes-on-some/10c9bed0-a4ae-42b9-a961-3152ee770917) there was an indication that Realtek uses some old stuff that can be causing issues.

I know this is old information I found, but I'm using as proof that those issues can exist; not that they are your issues. Basically, if the generic Windows drivers work, Realtek is the issue.
 
May 28, 2018
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so i went and bought a "cheap" GPU (gt 1030) to test if it would still crash, i did this to try and figure out where the problem was as i was pretty sure its hardware related at this point. well after testing the new gpu it ran for like 15 mins on games without crashing which is a good sign.
im thinking that this means my gpu was somehow messed up while moving everything over so i am going to buy a new gpu (probably a gtx 1080) which should work fine and if it doesnt work then i think it would be a faulty PSU.

something to note - the test GT 1030 GPU that works does not connect to the PSU, i thought this is weird but it means there is a possibility that the issue is with the PSU (because maybe the high power demands of the other gpu was causing a crash with the psu?), either way this has been a step in the right direction.. kinda

i would appreciate any of your thoughts regarding this update, im not an expert on this stuff so i could easily be missing something obvious
 
As a sidenote, i assume you are mixing ram for a total 24gb. This can cause problems in they are not properly configured. Do a test and leave only 2 identical sticks on the motherboard i.e. 2x8gb and see if it fixes the issue.
PSU is also a possibility but i don't think the gpu is broken.
 

R0GG

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You know Graphic cards internals (Vrms, Vram and other circuits) they get somewhat cooked after awhile if not well ventilated even if GPU
was run within specification temperatures, basically the card would overtime get more sensitive to overheating and become poorly overclock able and would require extensive ventilation upgrade or adjustment while gaming to keep card running smoothly without crashing and avoid further deterioration of card which becomes less tolerant to heat.
 
May 28, 2018
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yeah i thought the same but the fact is the new one is not crashing, and im pretty confident that if it crashes with the new 1080 ill get tomorrow then it means its a problem with the PSU which isnt too much of an issue to replace
 
May 28, 2018
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thank you, this is a really good insight. If my GPU became faulty this would explain why it happened.
 

R0GG

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Blue screen usually means faulty drivers, do a drivers cleansing using Display Driver Uninstaller in safe mode _ link: http://www.guru3d.com/files-details/display-driver-uninstaller-download.html, then reinstall nvidia drivers.
 
May 28, 2018
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soo.. £700 later, as a bit of context, when i moved my stuff into the new case i moved all my ram sticks one slot to the right to make a little more room for my cooler, i just checked my ram slots and in the one on the right (the one that previously had not ram inside it) had something really small in it, like a crumb or something. i took the stick of ram out of that slot and put it back to the left and its working again and no longer crashing.

this is so stupid but i can only assume that when the ram reached a certain usage it would cut out because of the "error" it would be detecting from the object inside the ram slot.
i cant thank you guys enough for helping. i cant believe it was something so unexpected i guess :/