Keep getting blue screened while playing games.

[zeus224]

So lately without warning my computer has been crashing, it is only when i'm playing games but it seems to be happening more frequently. I have not added or changed any of my hardware recently. I preformed a memory test but nothing came up. Its really becoming a problem, what do i do to find and correct the problem? Exact blue screen picture included.

Windows 7 64bit
Nvidia Geforce GTX 770
Asus z97 Pro motherboard
Intel i7-4790k 4.00GHz

 

[Greg Gregorich]

you wanna downclock your overclock and check the temperatures of your hardware.

 

[JBURNS489]

4ghz for an i7 4790k is not an overclock...that is stock with boost up to 4.5. There is no overclock to un do...The temperature part is correct though. Get some temperature monitoring software and report back what regular temps are while idle and gaming. Coretemp is usually a pretty good one. CPU's will turn themselves off if they get too hot. This can be due to many factors like dust buildup, or thermal paste on the CPU just getting old. If it isn't a temp issue, I would look at your PSU next, then RAM, and finally HDD or SSD wherever windows is installed.

 

[zeus224]

4ghz for an i7 4790k is not an overclock...that is stock with boost up to 4.5. There is no overclock to un do...The temperature part is correct though. Get some temperature monitoring software and report back what regular temps are while idle and gaming. Coretemp is usually a pretty good one. CPU's will turn themselves off if they get too hot. This can be due to many factors like dust buildup, or thermal paste on the CPU just getting old. If it isn't a temp issue, I would look at your PSU next, then RAM, and finally HDD or SSD wherever windows is installed.

Here is my idle temperatures, nothing seems out of the ordinary. I only built the computer about a year and a half ago so the paste should not be bad. Is there any tests for my other hardware i could do?

 

[Greg Gregorich]

moderators sleeping

 

[JBURNS489]

52c at idle for an I7 4790k is a bit high honestly...I have the same CPU on air cooling (hyper212 evo) and I idle around 24-28c. It will only go above 50c while stress testing. While gaming, it usually stays around 40-45. Watch your temps as you game and see if you get spikes in the 90's or close to 100. I am betting that this is the issue causing your BSOD. If I were you, I would open the PC up and first clean out as much dust as possible. Recheck your temps, and if they are still idling above 45c, then I would do a re paste job. When you're going to re past make sure you first remove any old paste with a q tip and alcohol.
Or, instead of gaming to watch your temps, try a CPU stress test like prime95. Most of these types of software will test your CPU to an extreme. If there is any temp issue at all, a stress test will show it. If you can run Prime95 for 15mins with no crashes, then it may be time to dig a bit deeper. I do however, suspect that your CPU temp is the problem.

 

[JBURNS489]

Here are my idle temps with the same CPU

 

[zeus224]

52c at idle for an I7 4790k is a bit high honestly...I have the same CPU on air cooling (hyper212 evo) and I idle around 24-28c. It will only go above 50c while stress testing. While gaming, it usually stays around 40-45. Watch your temps as you game and see if you get spikes in the 90's or close to 100. I am betting that this is the issue causing your BSOD. If I were you, I would open the PC up and first clean out as much dust as possible. Recheck your temps, and if they are still idling above 45c, then I would do a re paste job. When you're going to re past make sure you first remove any old paste with a q tip and alcohol.
Or, instead of gaming to watch your temps, try a CPU stress test like prime95. Most of these types of software will test your CPU to an extreme. If there is any temp issue at all, a stress test will show it. If you can run Prime95 for 15mins with no crashes, then it may be time to dig a bit deeper. I do however, suspect that your CPU temp is the problem.

Right now my cpu is on a stock cooler, might be time to get a Heat exchange.

 

[zeus224]

4ghz for an i7 4790k is not an overclock...that is stock with boost up to 4.5. There is no overclock to un do...The temperature part is correct though. Get some temperature monitoring software and report back what regular temps are while idle and gaming. Coretemp is usually a pretty good one. CPU's will turn themselves off if they get too hot. This can be due to many factors like dust buildup, or thermal paste on the CPU just getting old. If it isn't a temp issue, I would look at your PSU next, then RAM, and finally HDD or SSD wherever windows is installed.

Just ran a stress test, its for sure a heat issue, computer lasted about 3 minutes before shutting off. Will go out an get some new thermal past and a heat exchange this weekend. Thanks for the help.

 

[JBURNS489]

No problem, glad to help! Also, be careful when removing your cpu cooler thats currently installed. Sometimes the paste can turn into something like glue and you can damage your mobo if you use too much force trying to get it off. Just be careful And make sure you have decent cable management and case fans. Better airflow = lower temps . Good luck!