[SOLVED] New build freeze requiring hard restart

[ap3]

Hello!

I recently posted regarding my upgrade build and took the advice to suck it up and reinstall windows, which I did. Now, I am experiencing a strange issue. With basic functions like browsing files and copying things I have no issues. But if I start a game or sometimes while browsing the internet it will freeze completely (mouse will not move) requiring restart. Even sometimes while restarting it will hang and not progress forcing me to hold the power button down. I have updated windows 10 and my Nvidia game ready drivers. I am on the newest bios firmware. I was considering going to windows 11 to best support alder lake.

Mobo: aorus z690 elite ax ddr4
CPU: i7-12700kf
GPU: 3080ti fe
Ram: gskill 8gbx4 ?2800 possibly
PSU: seasonic 80+ gold 850w
Storage: 512 SSD windows drive, 2tb nvme, 2tb HDD

When I attempted to enable xmp it booted but instantly froze and rebooted itself upon login which makes me think it may be RAM related as my ram is very budget/slow compared to everything else. Any other thoughts? Thanks in advance!!

 

[ap3]

Just an update in case anyone discovers this thread later, the problem was a PCie 3.0 gpu riser cable. Direct connection to the motherboard resolved all issues.