Question Machine_Check_Exception or WHEA BSODs every two hours

Feb 21, 2020
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As the title states, I would typically encounter BSODs whenever I browse on Chrome. Rarely when I'm playing a game though.

I already got a small memory dump file from a two-week old crash at the time of this writing.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1H6QRzUh2loBKTcgb52q5uG2X_h7Uww8x/view
My PC keeps crashing since then, but I haven't gotten a new minidump file yet. Majority of BSODs are either WHEA or MCE. Rarely System_Service_Exception.

What I've done:
  • Recently purchased a new PSU, CPU, RAMs, and Mobo.
  • Ran checks on the CPU, RAMs, and BIOS to check if there's any overclock or defects. There isn't.
    • Used the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool for the CPU.
    • Used Memtest86 for the RAMs.
    • Used the MSI programs that came with the Mobo. Those got uninstalled after I wiped the SDD of all apps.
    • Updated BIOS through MSI's website.
  • Updated Windows 10 drivers.
  • Did a Windows 10 wipe (including installed apps) of my SSD though kept personal files.
Encountered several BSODs despite all of this.

I am well aware MCE and WHEA are virtually the same, with some issue lying somewhere in the hardware.

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Some other details:
  • MCE would freeze my computer for a couple seconds while WHEA is instant.
  • Sometimes a BSOD appear after 2 or more hours.
  • Rarely will a BSOD (mainly WHEA) arrive approx. 5 minutes after boot-up.
  • Actively being in a game would "delay" the BSOD longer than it should, but crashes mainly occur when I'm using Google Chrome.
I am considering doing another wipe by removing all files in both my SDD and HDD, but I am totally not sure if it will work.

I've been tolerating it for two months by this point, so I'll answer any questions or requests as soon as possible.

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Specs

PSU
: Game Max 850W RGB
CPU: Intel i7 9700k
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 16GB (2PK 8GB) 3GHz PC4-24000 DDR4
GPU: Nvidia 1060 GTX
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB (this is where I boot up my Windows 10 64 bit)
HDD: WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0 (oldest hardware in my system)
Mobo: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON AC
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
Did a Windows 10 wipe (including installed apps) of my SSD though kept personal files.

Do you mean a reset? As that is only way to keep files/settings (unless they are on another hdd). Reset should get new drivers so that might be enough... its normally a good idea to clean install after new CPU & Motherboard as its essentially a new PC

Were you getting BSOD before you got the PSU? or did you get the parts all at same time?

Its possible your new PSU could be cause - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/is-this-gamemax-power-supply-any-good.3345381/
see the advice in this post about what you should get - https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/is-it-a-good-psu.3522322/
 
Feb 21, 2020
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Yep, a reset. Don't know my hardware lingo very well. So would a complete reset (remove all apps and personal files) do better then for a clean install? Or was it fine enough?

and concerning the PSU, I have had my doubts when GameMax was the only $120 option for a "good" PSU on Amazon. I haven't gotten a BSOD on my previous PSU (Corsair RM1000i), though I only had issues with it overheating forcing my PC to shut down. Now it's only strong enough to power up 10-year-old hardware.

I'll try to get a new (reputable) PSU and see where my PC ends up.
 
Yep, a reset. Don't know my hardware lingo very well. So would a complete reset (remove all apps and personal files) do better then for a clean install? Or was it fine enough?

and concerning the PSU, I have had my doubts when GameMax was the only $120 option for a "good" PSU on Amazon. I haven't gotten a BSOD on my previous PSU (Corsair RM1000i), though I only had issues with it overheating forcing my PC to shut down. Now it's only strong enough to power up 10-year-old hardware.

I'll try to get a new (reputable) PSU and see where my PC ends up.
Do a full wipe and reinstall of Windows.

That Corsair RM1000i is a quality unit. If its truly failing you should be able to warranty it.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
I would wait until you have a better PSU and see if your problems go away. Power can cause all sorts of weird errors.

WHEA (MCE) are errors called by CPU but not necessarily caused by it. Sometimes they are caused by overclocking drivers, sometimes by heat. Can be caused by any hardware which makes them possibly difficult to fix.

and concerning the PSU, I have had my doubts when GameMax was the only $120 option for a "good" PSU on Amazon. I haven't gotten a BSOD on my previous PSU (Corsair RM1000i), though I only had issues with it overheating forcing my PC to shut down. Now it's only strong enough to power up 10-year-old hardware.
He isn't using Corsair now, he is using the Gamemax.
Although RMA the corsair and return gamemax, and use Corsair work?
 
Feb 21, 2020
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Okay, so the whole Covid-19 situation made getting a new PSU a bit difficult. Anyways...

I reset the entirety of my main SSD and gotten a new SSD (Samsung Qvo 2TB) to replace my secondary HDD; and while there were no crashes when mounting back my personal files back into the main SSD (ie. the PC can stay on without crashes for two days straight), installing a couple (about four) modestly-sized games has made the crashes return. Even uninstalling all the games didn't help.

I got a new PSU (EVGA 1000W ATX/EPS 80+ Gold) and replaced the Game Max, though that also didn't work as my PC still receives the same BSODs every 15 min to 2 hours.

Replacing my GPU with an older/weaker model (Nvidia GTX 570) also didn't help.

I am thinking of other options, such as replacing the RAMs with older models and perhaps fidget with the CPU (latter of which seems to work for other people in similar situations). I assume I may have gotten a faulty CPU, though Intel Diagnostic Tool told me otherwise. Not sure if that program works best.

Temperatures are running fine for the CPU and Mobo as I applied thermal paste during the initial installation months ago; 31 degrees Celsius and 35 degrees Celsius (according to Speccy) respectively.

Nothing is overclocked because I didn't touch the settings before and after the reset.

Family recommends using CCleaner, though I doubt that will help.

I am also trying to upload a minidump file of the latest crash, though I am also trying to bypass the administrator privileges. Not sure how to do that.
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
PSU: EVGA 1000W ATX/EPS 80+ Gold
CPU: Intel i7 9700k
RAM: Corsair Vengeance RGB PRO 16GB (2PK 8GB) 3GHz PC4-24000 DDR4
GPU: Nvidia 1060 GTX or Nvidia GTX 570
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB (this is where I boot up my Windows 10 64 bit)
HDD: WDC WD30EZRX-00MMMB0 (oldest hardware in my system) - replaced with Samsung Qvo 2TB
Mobo: MSI MPG Z390 GAMING PRO CARBON AC

still getting WHEA errors?

We can remove PSU, GPU & HDD from potential problems since errors happen with them out of PC.

, though I am also trying to bypass the administrator privileges. Not sure how to do that.

I assume thats in the minidumps folder? Leave those as is, make a copy to another folder. You now own the copy. Upload the copy to a file sharing website and show link here.

Have you run prime95? it tests CPU & Ram, maybe a 2nd opinion on intel test and memtest
- https://www.mersenne.org/download/
Prime 95 Guide: http://www.playtool.com/pages/prime95/prime95.html
 
Feb 21, 2020
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gardenman

Splendid
Moderator
Hi, I ran the dump file through the debugger and got the following information: https://unfuelledmachine.htmlpasta.com/

File information:042920-7062-01.dmp (Apr 29 2020 - 17:19:15)
Bugcheck:MACHINE_CHECK_EXCEPTION (9C)
Probably caused by:ntkrnlmp.exe (Process: System)
Uptime:1 Day(s), 3 Hour(s), 31 Min(s), and 20 Sec(s)

Possible Motherboard page: https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/mpg-z390-gaming-pro-carbon-ac
There is a BIOS update available for your system. You are using version 1.6 and the latest is version 1.7. Wait for additional information before deciding to update or not. Important: Verify that I have linked to the correct motherboard. Updating your BIOS can be risky. Never try it when you might lose power (lightning storms, recent power outages, etc).

This information can be used by others to help you. I can't help you with this. Someone else will post with more information. Please wait for additional answers. Good luck.
 

Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
What is left you haven't tested or replaced? Apart from the case which is unlikely to be involved (it would be a first)
were you getting any errors before you replaced the 4 parts? Recently purchased a new PSU, CPU, RAMs, and Mobo.
Admittedly that is a new PC right there.
PSU - 2 used
GPU - 2 used
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1 TB (this is where I boot up my Windows 10 64 bit) - other hdd replaced so have to think it was okay as well
CPU - Passed Intel, currently running Prime
Ram - Memtested. Prime is a good backup since it checks CPU & Ram.
Motherboard... well, no real tests for it. You test everything else...

software tests aren't perfect, sometimes parts test fine here but later found to be fault.

I have seen Occulus cause errors but you wouldn't think it would happen in chrome.
No newer Elgato drivers?

try updating intel chipset driver and Intel Management Engine Interface to latest version, 2nd is found here under Other drivers.
I don't know if it will help but its worth a try - https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/support/MPG-Z390-GAMING-PRO-CARBON-AC#down-driver&Win10 64
 
Feb 21, 2020
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Updated Elgato driver (for some reason), the Intel Chipset Driver and Intel Management Engine Interface. Didn't work. Two MCE and a WHEA in a single day.

Since I updated the BIOS before resetting my SSDs (as stated in the OP) with the BSODs still coming back, most likely wouldn't work even if I updated it again.

Currently running Prime95 for more than 24 hours at the time of this writing. No errors or BSODs. Seems like my PC need to stay well above the regular CPU/RAM usage otherwise it'll crash.

Temperature for CPU appears to be nominal. Not sure about the RAM's usage since IIRC a consistent 90% is supposed to be good. Any more might be bad.

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Would it be entirely possible for a Mobo to have issues if a PSU used different cables? It doesn't now, but would using different cables "break" the Mobo?
 
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boju

Titan
Ambassador
Mixing PSU cables is a bad idea, if that's what has been done at any time. Pin arrangements/quality of wire varies, especially regarding pin layout. Sadly, the wishful convenience of modular cables aren't standardized and run the risk of damage so always use cables the PSU comes with.

Does your CPU cooler have anti over tension mechanism? Too much pressure on CPU can cause problems.
 
Did a Windows 10 wipe (including installed apps) of my SSD though kept personal files.

By this, do you mean you CHOSE the OPTION during the installation to "keep personal files and apps/settings" or that you simply saved all your personal files and documents elsewhere, then did a clean install of Windows (Which is NOT a "refresh", "reset", "restore" or any other method of putting Windows back on your storage device except for removing ALL partitions from the drive, with all other drives disconnected, and then installing a fresh, new copy of Windows) on your storage device?
 
Feb 21, 2020
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Does your CPU cooler have anti over tension mechanism? Too much pressure on CPU can cause problems.

It's a Cooler Master Hyper 212. From what I can see, there is an anti-over tension mechanism and I am pretty sure I haven't put into too much pressure onto the CPU. I can take another look at my CPU and maybe fiddle with it (remove it from the socket and place it back into the Mobo).

By this, do you mean you CHOSE the OPTION during the installation to "keep personal files and apps/settings" or that you simply saved all your personal files and documents elsewhere, then did a clean install of Windows (Which is NOT a "refresh", "reset", "restore" or any other method of putting Windows back on your storage device except for removing ALL partitions from the drive, with all other drives disconnected, and then installing a fresh, new copy of Windows) on your storage device?

I should probably edit the OP since between February to a couple weeks ago, I formatted the entirety of my SSD. Reinstalled most programs and placed back the personal files. The April update is below:

Okay, so the whole Covid-19 situation made getting a new PSU a bit difficult. Anyways...

I reset the entirety of my main SSD and gotten a new SSD (Samsung Qvo 2TB) to replace my secondary HDD; and while there were no crashes when mounting back my personal files back into the main SSD (ie. the PC can stay on without crashes for two days straight), installing a couple (about four) modestly-sized games has made the crashes return. Even uninstalling all the games didn't help.

I got a new PSU (EVGA 1000W ATX/EPS 80+ Gold) and replaced the Game Max, though that also didn't work as my PC still receives the same BSODs every 15 min to 2 hours.

So, right now, there are two initial plans:

  1. Fidget with the CPU.
  2. Get new RAMs and see if my current RAMs are defective or "needed more memory" (personally doubt it, but family suggested it).
I am also theorizing that the Mobo may be broken as I wasn't aware about the PSU cables not being modular. While not fully relating to the current issue, when I used different cables, a SATA cable caught fire (or the SATA cable was broken during the set-up). So, there's that.
 
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Feb 21, 2020
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I bought and installed Corsair - Vengeance LPX Series 16GB (2pk 8GB) 3.0GHz DDR4 RAMs. The RAMs are placed along with the existing Corsair RAMs stated in the OP. All RAMs are virtually the same, with the exception being the RGB. The new RAMs are placed into slots 1 and 3, while the RGBs stayed in 2 and 4.

According to the Task Manager, it dropped my RAM usage from 30% to 19% (with Google Chrome use).

So far, my computer did not crash for more than the usual two hours (ie. regular internet browsing or watching movies without the use of a browser). At the time of this writing, I've been using this PC for the entire day without any crashes.

I'm still being cautious. I'll update this thread if something goes awry in the next couple weeks. If not, then assume everything is fixed.
 
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Colif

Win 11 Master
Moderator
All RAMs are virtually the same, with the exception being the RGB.

no actually, you be very lucky to have 4 sticks that weren't sold as a matching set that will work together without some problems happening. Often mixing sets can cause problems. And thats on a system with no problems already. MIght just confuse matters here.

According to the Task Manager, it dropped my RAM usage from 30% to 19% (with Google Chrome use).

Would hope your memory usage halved (or close) if you add twice as much ram :)
 
30% memory usage is actually ALREADY pretty low to begin with. That means that of the original 16GB you were only using about 4.8GB. Adding more memory shouldn't, and couldn't, have been responsible for you no longer getting any BSODs unless you were using some extremely high end professional applications or VMs that were running you out of memory.

If anything, as Colif said, it should actually have caused MORE problems, due to the use of mixed memory kits, but for the record the use of mixed memory kits does not mean you WILL have problems, it just creates the POTENTIAL for problems. Often it works just fine. Just as often, it causes problems, but the problems it causes are not generally BSOD or error type problems. They are usually "full amount not recognized", "not operating in dual channel", "system won't POST" or "memory won't run at the correct speed" type issues. When there ARE errors from using mixed memory, it's usually from the use of MORE DIMMS, not from disparate memory kits, and upping voltage usually fixes those issues.
 
Feb 21, 2020
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I recently swapped out the EVGA 1000w PSU with the Game Max 850w; latter of which ended up with the machine_check_exception BSOD. I just installed back the EVGA PSU.

Not sure why adding more RAM doesn't make my computer crash into a BSOD whilst under the 1000w (yet). Even then, not using the new set of RAM would make my PC crash into the BSOD despite any PSU wattage.

Also, seems pretty strange that despite the same brand, GB, and GHz, not using another rainbow lightning-based set is inadvisable. Is it due to the amount of wattage/voltage a RGB light consumes?

According to my Bios, it could read the new RAM sets just as fine.

The BSODs could possibly amount up to a potential Motherboard (or CPU?) issue in terms of wattage/voltage, where it may not crash if the electricity use is at a somewhat higher limit, which is why it didn't crash during the Prime95 use and incredibly rarely when playing video games for 4+ hours, like Apex Legends. Of course, that's just my uneducated theory.

I may try to contact MSI about the warranty, if possible to actually exchange the Mobo for a new one.

And speaking of cables, the SATA cables use an extension (think like plugging one end of a cable into a wall socket and plugging the other end into an extension cable) since the PSU cable cannot reach my SSDs. I also had to buy another CPU cable to use with the Game Max PSU since there wasn't enough to fit into my Mobo PINs. Just a thought.
 
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Using cables that didn't come with the power supply is a very bad idea, especially if they came with a DIFFERENT power supply. If they were specifically intended for use with THAT particular power supply, by model, then ok, otherwise, it's asking for a burnt up motherboard or other hardware. Modular cables are not universally compatible from power supply to power supply. Extensions however should be fine, but, low quality extensions might result in quirky problems of their own.

What are the EXACT models of both these power supplies?