- Dec 2, 2024
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Hello everyone,
I’m reaching out for help with a persistent and frustrating problem I’ve been experiencing with my PC. Whenever I connect a second monitor, my system freezes a few seconds after plugging it in. Sometimes, I can perform a task briefly (like moving the mouse or opening a program), but the system ultimately freezes, forcing me to shut it down manually.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of my troubleshooting steps so far:
Thank you for your time!
I’m reaching out for help with a persistent and frustrating problem I’ve been experiencing with my PC. Whenever I connect a second monitor, my system freezes a few seconds after plugging it in. Sometimes, I can perform a task briefly (like moving the mouse or opening a program), but the system ultimately freezes, forcing me to shut it down manually.
Here’s a detailed breakdown of my troubleshooting steps so far:
PC Specifications:
- GPU: Radeon RX 580
- CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 2600 3.4 GHz
- Motherboard: ASUS Prime B450-Plus
- PSU: Corsair CX series 550 Watt
- RAM: Vengeance LPX DDR4 2x8GB
- Storage: SSD 240GB + HDD 1TB
- PC Age: 5–6 years
Steps I’ve Taken:
- Cleaning and Checking Connections
- I cleaned the PC and reseated all internal connections. While I can’t guarantee everything is perfect, the hardware appears to be securely connected.
- Stress Testing GPU with FurMark
- The GPU performed well under stress with temperatures stabilizing around 75–80°C. No immediate issues were observed, and temperatures remained normal until the crash.
- Stress Testing CPU with Prime95
- The CPU handled the stress test without any noticeable problems, maintaining temperatures around 70°C. Temperatures stayed normal before and during tests.
- BIOS Update
- Updated the motherboard BIOS to the latest version.
- Power Settings
- Set AMD and Windows power modes to "Performance" (or equivalent) to ensure the system isn't throttling power unnecessarily.
- Driver Updates
- Reinstalled and updated GPU drivers using Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) and installed the latest version from AMD’s official website.
- Event Viewer and Reliability History
- Checked the Event Viewer and Reliability Monitor for errors. I couldn’t find anything relevant besides the "Kernel-Power" warning about an unexpected shutdown, which I believe is related to powering down the PC via the power button after it freezes.
- RAM Testing with MemTest86
- Found errors during the test:
- Test 8: Address 3998478BC, expected value 4EDB4AAC, but got 4FDB4AAC.
- Test 9: Address 3998478BC, expected value 2CA6C4CE, but got 2DA6C4CE.
- These suggest potential RAM instability, but I haven’t been able to remove or test individual sticks due to physical constraints (CPU cooler blocks the slots).
- Found errors during the test:
Observations:
- The issue occurs only when I connect a second monitor.
- The PC works perfectly fine with a single monitor, even under heavy GPU or CPU loads (e.g., FurMark, Prime95).
- The freezing happens regardless of what I’m doing (idle or active).
- The RAM errors from MemTest86 could be related, but I haven’t confirmed which stick (or slot) is causing the problem.
- Temperatures are always within normal ranges before and during the crashes.
My Questions:
- Could the dual-monitor setup somehow exacerbate an existing RAM issue?
- Is there a possibility that my PSU (550W) is under strain due to the age of the components or the increased power draw from two monitors?
- Are there other steps I should take to isolate the issue or fix the problem?
Thank you for your time!
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