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!
 
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SirTim

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ex_bubblehead said:
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.
Click to expand...

I see. JED recommended me a 550 Watt PSU even though I calculated I needed only around 400 Watt. I'll do around 450-480 but I just don't want to spend too much on my PC. I have other projects that require more money. Would that wattage range be fine?
 
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SirTim

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SirTim

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Good to hear, you're very much welcome.


I have ordered a new PSU. Same as the one I have now, only this one is 520W. I will be able to test it this evening if not tomorrow.

Furthermore, I just had a chat with an IT employee at my office. He very accurately described an SSD/HDD issue where the disk is confronted with a problem and stops working, but the system keeps on running until it runs out of memory for a new process (could be anything, like pausing a video or opening a new tab), which causes a freeze. This is exactly the problem I am having. He mentioned that you can unplug your C: disk when the PC is on and it will continue to operate until you want to do a new task. However, he also said this disk issue should not cause a BIOS freeze like I experienced.
Sorry if this text above is a tad vague, as I am not used to the right nomenclature. Thoughts on this?
 
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SirTim

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Just installed the new PSU, and so far no BSOD or freeze. However, I have launched a game which I know has recently started to freak out in certain moments (listed in my first post). As soon as explosions occur, or anything of that nature, I can tell the HDD spikes. It could be that the PC not showing other issues yet is pure coincidence. Is this disk behaviour normal?

I have attached a screen grab of the task manager. As you can see the HDD spikes as the lag happens.

IyVHenL.jpg
 
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J_E_D_70

J_E_D_70

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Mar 21, 2012
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Ehhh I got nothin' for Squad -- it could be a drive-related thing. Can you shut down and move the HDD to a different SATA port (0 or 1) with a new SATA cable?

Edit: I would see if you are otherwise stable for a day or two before moving anything internally.
 
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spencer.cleaves2

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A faulty PSU can be the cause for so many different trouble shooting issues. Rule of thumb is to never buy a budget PSU because your putting all your nice expensive parts at risk of being nuked. This could be the problem, and it isnt too hard to go to somewhere like Best Buy and buy a PSU to use for testing. They will let you return it if it doesnt fix your issue.
 
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SirTim

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Apr 30, 2015
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J_E_D_70 said:
Ehhh I got nothin' for Squad -- it could be a drive-related thing. Can you shut down and move the HDD to a different SATA port (0 or 1) with a new SATA cable?

Edit: I would see if you are otherwise stable for a day or two before moving anything internally.
Click to expand...

Moved, no effect unfortunately.


spencer.cleaves2 said:
A faulty PSU can be the cause for so many different trouble shooting issues. Rule of...
Click to expand...

New PSU has already been fitted, as I have mentioned before
 
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SirTim

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My PC just froze, so the absence of these freezes before was entirely coincidental it appears. Next up.. New RAM?

I did a 9-hour Memtest today, 6 or 7 passes. No errors were found.
 
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SirTim

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J_E_D_70 said:
Might try running a single stick at a time to see if that eliminates the problem. Could be one stick is a little goofy or that the two just don't play nice together.

Think after RAM might look at the motherboard :(
Click to expand...

I have tried using either of the sticks, but this unfortunately did not solve the issue.

I must add that I still have not seen a BSOD, and that the freezes are now very uncommon. They used to be almost guaranteed. In conclusion, the PSU may have solved the issue partially. I suppose it all comes down to more hardware testing now!
 
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SirTim

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J_E_D_70 said:
Understood. Let us know how it goes!
Click to expand...

It's been a month, so here's an update.

Last week my PC died. Couldn't boot it up, as after showing the windows logo the screen stayed black except for the dotted loading animation playing indefinitely.

I bought a new motherboard, which stupidly turned out not to support my processor (although it could fit in the socket).
Ended up buying a second motherboard, the MSI B250 PC MATE. Installed all of it, but now the CPU/DRAM EZdebug LED's flash intermittently. My monitor shows nothing. Read online that this may be a rare occurance of the RAM shorting out the MB, so I bought new RAM (supported by the MB) which had no effect.

Long story short, I have now a new MB, a new PSU, new RAM and a non-working PC.
I unplugged the HDD, SSD and GPU but none have any effect on the LED's blinking.


My frustration is growing!
 
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