[SOLVED] Gaming PC Freezes Randomly

[Bogdan_16]

So making this as a separate thread because freezes can happen for so many reasons.

Here's what happens with mine:

• Random freeze, the screen sometimes turns black
• Sound on loop, keyboard lights stuck in the position they were in before the freeze
• Needs hard restart
• Happens with no clear logic - it happened a lot while playing Valheim, yet it never happened in my 300 hours playing Cyberpunk or RDR2. It also happened while I was just watching YouTube.
• I've had up to 2 weeks when it did not happen but also one day it happened twice while I was in Valheim. I've also had rare crashes before, but it's gotten a bit more frequent in the last ~4 months.
• CPU Idle is 39 C and GPU is 51 C
• CPU while gaming is mostly in the 60 C range, sometimes 70 C (usually if there's a Windows update or a GOG update)
• GPU while gaming is consistently around 80 C

You can review my system here: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/zLDrsX (ignore the cooler, I have a stock one, can't add it)

I also have a lot of random USB <Mod Edit>

My question: is there an obvious issue (such as my very stock cooler or my PSU being too small)? Crash reports are very inconclusive since every crash basically results in a hard reset. I could dig more - my first instinct is to replace my PSU. But honestly, it could be so many other things...

Most of the system is 5 years old. The CPU & Motherboard were changed 1.5 years ago before RDR2 came out for PC, plus I added 32 GB of RAM (the Corsair ones). I also recently added a 1 TB SSD.

 

[Johnwmel]

Make sure you are dust free, particularly the power supply.

Information about cleaning computer components, including the power supply.

View: https://youtu.be/gcUSl9K2bZs

How To Physically Clean Your Computer [Ultimate 2025 Guide]

Here's a quick and simple guide on how to physically clean your computer and remove all the dirt that prevents your computer from properly cooling down.

www.gamingscan.com

Computer Killers - Pet Hair, Dust and Cigarette Smoke - Technibble

Technicians may occasionally find dusty computers, so dusty that find their way to heatsinks causing the computer to overheat and die.

www.technibble.com

https://www.computerhope.com/cleaning.htm

Cleaning the Interior of your PC

Most people think computers, being electronic devices, don't require any mechanical maintenance, but this is not so. Many computer faults are caused by components overheating due to poor airflow in the case because of a buildup of dirt and dust over time. It's worthwhile cleaning your computer...

www.bleepingcomputer.com

https://www.brighthub.com/computing/hardware/articles/57820.aspx

 

[Bogdan_16]

It's been cleaned pretty recently, but I'll try doing it again. Any other opinions are welcome.

 

[Johnwmel]

"It's been cleaned pretty recently, but I'll try doing it again"
Power supply is usually the area that doesn't get cleaned thoroughly. There may be 3 openings.

 

[Bogdan_16]

FUN FACT EVERYONE: Steam Overlay while in HDR was the reason for my horrid freeze crashes. Yay Valve! Fix your **** Valve. I disabled it and no more crashes for the past 3 weeks.

 

[Johnwmel]

Thanks for the feedback Bogdan_16.