Question My PC is falling apart completely after a hardware upgrade.. but why?

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SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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Hi forum,

This has been an ongoing issue for months, and I cannot find out its cause. It has been happening ever since I upgraded the components below:
  • Intel Core i5-7600
  • Asus Prime B250-Plus Motherboard
  • Seagate Barracuda, 2TB HDD
  • 2x Crucial CT2K4G4DFS824A 4GB DDR4 RAM

My first thread was when my PC started to show me a BSOD at startup

As MemTest did not show any RAM errors, I made another thread which seems to have disappeared ever since. A kind member helped me out and was under the impression an unknown driver was causing errors.

It isn't just the BSOD at startup what's wrong with my PC now, so here is a list:
  • BSOD at startup, sometimes 2-3 before a correct boot
  • Unable to install Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 (minor issue, but I think linked to the bigger picture)
  • Random freezing:
    • Does not seem to have a cause
    • Seems to last less long (10 mins) on (visually?) less intensive programs, such as a browser or a small game
    • Sound keeps running (YouTube video plays all the way through, though screen is frozen, game audio is stuck in a ~10 second loop)
    • I wait it out now, when the PC unfreezes usually all applications are suddenly closed
    • When going through the BIOS it froze as well
    • A restart helps momentarily but the PC will freeze again. Waiting out the freeze will usually not cause another freeze
  • Steam suddenly thought two games were no longer installed, but when I tried to reinstall it found all game files
  • Windows is now unable to install an update (error code 0x80073712). It says some files needed by Windows Update are damaged or missing
  • Unable to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 ("There was a problem resetting your PC: no changes were made")
  • PC games have become hard to play recently because of short freezes of <0.5 seconds (sometimes longer). These are more likely to happen when shots/explosions happen, or when my character spawns.
  • I have tried to fix the BOSD by reinstalling my PC twice. Note that with these reinstalls my HDD was untouched (C: is on my SSD)
I am not a PC expert, but I would think that these issues are linked to a failing disk drive.
I really do hope you could help me out, as you can imagine the pain it is to work with my PC now.

Cheers!
 

rgd1101

Don't
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Unable to do a clean reinstall of Windows 10 ("There was a problem resetting your PC: no changes were made")
download windows 10 iso from microsoft and do a fresh install
 
D

Deleted member 14196

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I think what you have here is some buggy graphics drivers and in some cases you need to roll back from the latest driver to an earlier driver they didn’t have this problem
 

SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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download windows 10 iso from microsoft and do a fresh install

I am aware of this option, but since I have already done two reinstalls I am somewhat unsure of the benefits of a third one (although I will wipe my HDD as well this time).
 

SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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Is there a newer bios you can install?

Yes, but I am afraid that one of these freezes will occur when flashing the bios.. That will be devistating

Sounds like mobo is iffy, ram is good internally but not 100% compatible with the mobo, or the psu isn’t good.

How would I know the RAM is not compatible with the MB? MB takes DDR4, which is what I have installed. I also wouldn't know how to check for a bad MB or PSU
 
https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...38.699917178.1550414399-1462141448.1516514780

Guaranteed to work list. May have missed it but dont see it. Ryzen is more particular about ram than intel. Newer bios have a thing called AGESA 1.0.0.6 that improve compatibility.

Try removing one stick of ram and see if it crashes or hangs. If it does, try the other stick.

Finally, was the ram bought as a matched kit or two individual sticks?
 

SirTim

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https://dlcdnets.asus.com/pub/ASUS/...38.699917178.1550414399-1462141448.1516514780

Guaranteed to work list. May have missed it but dont see it. Ryzen is more particular about ram than intel. Newer bios have a thing called AGESA 1.0.0.6 that improve compatibility.

Try removing one stick of ram and see if it crashes or hangs. If it does, try the other stick.

Finally, was the ram bought as a matched kit or two individual sticks?


Thanks! I don't see the sticks I installed either.. If this is the cause of all these problems than my hardware suspiscions are correct.

I'll testing the sticks, but that will take some time. The BSOD doesn't occur when I have already booted it succesfully, even if I were to reboot now.

The sticks were bought individually. If they aren't 100% compatible, would that mean that MemTest doesn't throw any errors because the sticks work fine, just not on this MB?
 
Correct. And sticks should never be purchased separately. I’m betting they’ll work ok individually. If so, after thorough testing if stable might get latest bios with only one stick and see if that makes them play nice.

If not, get a matched set.
 

SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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Correct. And sticks should never be purchased separately.

What's the reason for this? I would think that identical sticks would work just fine (assuming they're compatible with the MB), even if they weren't bought in a bundle. Doesn't the producer just grab two sticks from the production line and bundle them to sell them as a bundle?
I remember the last sticks I had were also bought seperately, worked fine.
 

SirTim

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Would still see about trying a certified set of ram but you could have a bad board :(

The sticks I have are actually bundled. I remember them arriving in the mail in two separate packages, but if you Google the model number it shows it's actually a bundle of 2x4GB.

I'm now looking at a set of corsair sticks that do appear in that list you shared earlier. Do you think I should test a new MB first?
 
Well, that’s a tough call. Swapping the ram out is much simpler than gutting the pc. I’d try to get the ram from a place with a good return policy in case it has nothing to do with ram.

Do have another question - what’s the make/model/age of your PSU and GPU?

You could also try unplugging and replugging all your cables to make sure they’re seated properly.
 

SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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I'll see if I can go to a store where they can test some new RAM modules. Otherwise buying new sticks won't hurt much, only my wallet.

The Seasonic S12II-Bronze 430W is my PSU. Must have been installed around 2013 when I built the PC.
 
Well, that could be the culprit. It’s slightly below the recommended wattage for a 1060 (450w) and the capacitors are aging. Could be coincidental to changing the hardware or the new platform is just enough to make the psu wonky.

Edit: might see if a shop can try a psu instead first. Go with a good 550w unit - corsair cxm on the cheap, but better a seasonic focus plus gold, corsair tx/rmx, or evga g2/3.
 

SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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Well, that could be the culprit. It’s slightly below the recommended wattage for a 1060 (450w) and the capacitors are aging. Could be coincidental to changing the hardware or the new platform is just enough to make the psu wonky.

Edit: might see if a shop can try a psu instead first. Go with a good 550w unit - corsair cxm on the cheap, but better a seasonic focus plus gold, corsair tx/rmx, or evga g2/3.

And this would cause the issues I'm experiencing? I'm no expert on this at all, but not being able to update or reinstall windows, and those two uninstalled games in my mind don't seem to match a bad PSU.

Here's a list of my build
 
Fair point, but would this cause the problems I'm experiencing?
Yes, it most certainly would. An aged power supply may no longer be able to supply its rated output, or, may not be able to filter it's output adequately thereby allowing ripple to enter where it shouldn't. Power supplies are the cause of a majority of the problems that I encounter on a day to day basis.
 
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