Question New PC died after 4 weeks

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Hi all,

So I previously made a post in the GPU sub-forum trying to get some help with my dead new-build PC. The thread is linked here: https://forums.tomshardware.com/threads/desperately-need-help-with-new-pc-thats-died.3612804/

The PC would crash and instantly reboot itself every few days. I originally thought this was a CPU overheating error but I bought a new fan and still experienced the crashes every few days. On Thursday of last week the PC crashed, turn on, crashed, turn on, and got stuck in a boot loop. From then onwards I wasn't able to get past the motherboard loading screen (B450 Tomahawk Max Arsenal Gaming logo).

After troubleshooting for the last 4 days, doing loads of different things (more comprehensive explanation in the linked thread), after some advice from a user on here I removed my HDD. Removing the HDD has allowed me to boot into my desktop and bypass the boot loop. For the first time in 5 days I could actually get to my desktop.

After trying to boot up so many times, my GPU was very hot to touch. It's fans spun on boot-up, then stopped when I was idle on my desktop despite the GPU feeling very hot to touch on the plastic (Gigabyte 5700 XT). After trying to run CPU-Z to see if everything was up and running, the PC yet again crashed. It booted straight back into windows and allowed me to get into the desktop again. After sitting on the desktop, I tried running CPU-Z again and it worked for a few seconds before I shut it down out of caution.

I then booted down the PC in fear of the GPU overheating.

Can anyone advise what the issue could be? I'm worried it could be a MOBO issue that's causing the MOBO to short circuit or something. I've tried moving RAM slots, 1 stick, 2 sticks, unplugging all PCI-e cables, etc etc (more comprehensive explanation of what I tried in linked thread)

Known errors during build:

(bare in mind the PC worked, playing high graphics games such as GTA on max settings, only crashing 1 time whilst playing. It crashed every 2-3 days during all kinds of strain from games to google)

• Potential scratches to back of MOBO when trying to align with I/O shield.
• Tiny bit of thermal paste (wiped off with a cloth) on the MOBO when fitting new fan
• MSI drivers installed on a Gigabyte GPU (accident)
• Potentially plugged keyboard into BIOS Flash USB slot (though I don't think this matters)

Any help would be massively appreciated. I can't tell if it's the CPU failing, the MOBO is failing, the Power supply could not be providing enough power, the GPU could be faulty, the GPU drivers could be faulty etc...
I don't have any extra parts to swap out and test, and I'm running a 3600 CPU so don't have integrated graphics.
I tried calling a local PC specialist who said he couldn't diagnose the issue over the phone, but taking it into his shop could cost hundreds in hourly rates to fix.

Again, I would be eternally grateful if anyone could help.

 

[rocktalkrock]

Have you tried running GPU-Z to check your graphics card temperatures?

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Have you tried running GPU-Z to check your graphics card temperatures?

Hi!

Thanks so much for replying - very much appreciated.

What temperature would be considered too high? I previously tried to launch CPU-Z and encountered a crash yesterday - is continuously trying to boot the PC for it to crash potentially damaging anything? Or is it my only method of troubleshooting?

Also - I don't actually have GPU-Z downloaded, only CPU-Z. If I can't get GPU-Z to download because of crashes, what's my next option?

I'll have a look ASAP and feed back the GPU temperature!

 

[rocktalkrock]

Hi!

Thanks so much for replying - very much appreciated.

What temperature would be considered too high? I previously tried to launch CPU-Z and encountered a crash yesterday - is continuously trying to boot the PC for it to crash potentially damaging anything? Or is it my only method of troubleshooting?

Also - I don't actually have GPU-Z downloaded, only CPU-Z. If I can't get GPU-Z to download because of crashes, what's my next option?

I'll have a look ASAP and feed back the GPU temperature!

https://www.techradar.com/news/the-amd-radeon-rx-5700-xt-gets-hot-but-its-supposed-to

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

https://www.techradar.com/news/the-amd-radeon-rx-5700-xt-gets-hot-but-its-supposed-to

Thank you!

Also, would installing the wrong drivers be a possible cause of the crashing? I believe I may have installed MSI drivers on a Gigabyte 5700 XT. How do I remove the drivers from the GPU to install new ones? And is this dangerous to do/could I cause any further harm?

And then further to the above, is there any chance the RAM could be causing the issue? I've tried using 1 RAM stick, both sticks, tried swapping slots etc and nothing helped. However, I (was) running XMP profile 3200Mhz RAM sticks. I've now disabled the XMP profile, but might the sticks be running too fast or something? I'm using a Ryzen 3600 with 2x8GB Corsair 3200Mhz RAM on a B450 Tomahawk Max. Google says they're compatible, but could this be an issue?

Thanks again for all your time!

 

[rocktalkrock]

You can use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove the old drivers.
I don't think RAM should be causing your problems but you could try lowering your memory speed to 2667Mhz while you are troubleshooting these problems.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn8z39tiEL0

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

You can use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove the old drivers.
I don't think RAM should be causing your problems but you could try lowering your memory speed to 2667Mhz while you are troubleshooting these problems.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn8z39tiEL0

Hi,

Having removed my HDD and it working last night, I'm once again getting BSoD trying to make it work the following day. From last night, nothing should have changed. I haven't added or removed anything from last night where it was working.

After a few restarts, it's finally allowed me back into windows again, although I've run under safe mode.

From here, is there anything I can test/check to diagnose what's failing/causing the issue?

Thanks again!

Edit: Even after running in safe mode for a few minutes, whilst checking the event viewer, the PC crashed again...

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

You can use DDU (Display Driver Uninstaller) to remove the old drivers.
I don't think RAM should be causing your problems but you could try lowering your memory speed to 2667Mhz while you are troubleshooting these problems.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xn8z39tiEL0

Hi again,

I tried lowering my DRAM frequency from AUTO to 2666Mhz. PC still fails to boot and gets stuck in a boot loop...

This is getting unbelievably draining - I've spent almost every day since last Thursday trying to fix this and I just can't get it to work!

 

[rocktalkrock]

Hi again,

I tried lowering my DRAM frequency from AUTO to 2666Mhz. PC still fails to boot and gets stuck in a boot loop...

This is getting unbelievably draining - I've spent almost every day since last Thursday trying to fix this and I just can't get it to work!

Are you sure the CPU cooler is mounted properly on the CPU?

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Are you sure the CPU cooler is mounted properly on the CPU?

It should be. I had periodic restarts with the stock 3600 cooler installed. I worried that the temps were the issue and as a result I bought a cool master evo black edition, and installed it, hoping it would stop the restarts. Since installing it, I had a few periodic restarts every few days again, before it completely dying about 10 days later.

Does this sound like a CPU cooler issue? I'm happy to try and reseat the cooler if you think that would help?

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Are you sure the CPU cooler is mounted properly on the CPU?

After starting to boot, I just got BSoD with error:

Win32 base.sys

This is just one of many different types of blue screens I seem to encounter, but it's the first time I've seen this specific one.

Edit:

After removing both my keyboard, and mouse, I managed to boot into Windows and then into safe mode. I reconnected my keyboard and I was able to run chkdsk /f C: - however it responded saying 'The type of the file system is NTFS. Cannot lock current drive' Chkdsk cannot run because the volume is in use by another process.'

I then rank sfc /sccanow - 'Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations'

From within safe mode, are there any tests I can run to help diagnose the problem?

 

[rocktalkrock]

After starting to boot, I just got BSoD with error:

Win32 base.sys

This is just one of many different types of blue screens I seem to encounter, but it's the first time I've seen this specific one.

When you first put this build together did you do a clean install of Windows or just transfer the Windows boot drive from another PC?

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

When you first put this build together did you do a clean install of Windows or just transfer the Windows boot drive from another PC?

I edited the above post with a bit of extra information.

Also - I used Windows Installation Media from a different PC on a USB, and installed it onto this PC. When I installed it, both an SSD and HDD were installed, and windows was installed onto the SSD.

I've now removed the HDD which (after removing it) allowed me to access my desktop a few times.

Now, after removing my keyboard and mouse, it again allowed me to boot into Windows again. I've plugged the keyboard back in and I'm in safe mode at the moment and it hasn't crashed (yet).

What are the best tests I can use from safe mode to help try and diagnose an issue?

(I've tried chkdsk and scannow, chkdsk didn't allow me to run and scannow says it found no integrity violations)

 

[rocktalkrock]

I edited the above post with a bit of extra information.

Also - I used Windows Installation Media from a different PC on a USB, and installed it onto this PC. When I installed it, both an SSD and HDD were installed, and windows was installed onto the SSD.

I've now removed the HDD which (after removing it) allowed me to access my desktop a few times.

Now, after removing my keyboard and mouse, it again allowed me to boot into Windows again. I've plugged the keyboard back in and I'm in safe mode at the moment and it hasn't crashed (yet).

What are the best tests I can use from safe mode to help try and diagnose an issue?

I'm not sure what you can do in safe mode since i have rarely ever used it. That main purpose of safe mode is to prevent Windows from loading any unnecessary software that may be causing problems.

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

I'm not sure what you can do in safe mode since i have rarely ever used it. That main purpose of safe mode is to prevent Windows from loading any unnecessary software that may be causing problems.

I rebooted into normal mode, used it for about 5 minutes (trying to download DDU), and it crashed again.

Turned off and back on, typed my password in, crashed. I honestly can't get my head around this

I can't understand why sometimes I can't even boot past the first windows spinning circle, and sometimes I can boot all the way into windows and use it for 5 minutes.

sigh

 

[rocktalkrock]

I rebooted into normal mode, used it for about 5 minutes (trying to download DDU), and it crashed again.

Turned off and back on, typed my password in, crashed. I honestly can't get my head around this

I can't understand why sometimes I can't even boot past the first windows spinning circle, and sometimes I can boot all the way into windows and use it for 5 minutes.

sigh

At this point i think you should remove the motherboard from the case. Perhaps there is a short somewhere in your build.

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

At this point i think you should remove the motherboard from the case. Perhaps there is a short somewhere in your build.

I've managed to get the PC back on, download DDU, and remove the old drivers. Before removing the motherboard, could you direct me to the correct place to download Gigabyte 5700 XT OC 8GB drivers please?

I think I previously installed them from the incorrect place. Could you please show me how to find the act correct drivers that I need for this specific GPU?

I'll remove the MOBO and CPU tomorrow and try and start fresh.

Would this: https://www.gigabyte.com/uk/Graphics-Card/GV-R57XTGAMING-OC-8GD/support#support-dl-driver

Be the correct driver to install?

 

[rocktalkrock]

I've managed to get the PC back on, download DDU, and remove the old drivers. Before removing the motherboard, could you direct me to the correct place to download Gigabyte 5700 XT OC 8GB drivers please?

I think I previously installed them from the incorrect place. Could you please show me how to find the act correct drivers that I need for this specific GPU?

I'll remove the MOBO and CPU tomorrow and try and start fresh.

Would this: https://www.gigabyte.com/uk/Graphics-Card/GV-R57XTGAMING-OC-8GD/support#support-dl-driver

Be the correct driver to install?

https://www.gigabyte.com/ca/Graphics-Card/GV-R57XTGAMING-OC-8GD/support#support-dl-driver

Make sure the chipset drivers for your motherboard are up to date as well.

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

https://www.gigabyte.com/ca/Graphics-Card/GV-R57XTGAMING-OC-8GD/support#support-dl-driver

Make sure the chipset drivers for your motherboard are up to date as well.

After running DDU, and removing the drivers, I've managed to redownload the drivers you linked without a crash as of yet.

After running DDU, what else do I need to download other than GPU drivers?

After installing the new drivers, something inside my PC is making a buzzing noise when I click and drag my mouse on the home screen, what could this be?

Also - thanks for all your help! I would buy you a coffee if I could!

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Bump, still not fixed

Firstly, I've tried for so long to fix this I'm literally willing to pay whoever can help me fix this. As I'm sure you can appreciate, in the middle of lockdown, to have an issue like this is pretty troubling.

I’m in desperate need of some advice. I’ve tried for a week to fix this issue, I’ve posted on all kinds of forums, websites, I’ve called professionals, everything.

I also made a thread on reddit about a week ago with some further in-depth information here: https://www.reddit.com/r/buildapc/comments/gt0ioj/new_build_pc_died_after_4_weeks_please_help/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

Long story short is:

Built a new PC about 4 weeks ago. Computer worked fine for about 4 weeks, but would crash every few days, restart itself, and work as normal.

Last Thursday, the computer crashed, restarted itself, crashed, restarted itself, and since then, it hasn’t worked properly and has been boot looping.

After a week of troubleshooting all kinds of methods, including removing RAM, removing SSD, HDD, switching RAM slots, reseating GPU, everything, nothing worked.

I had some artifacting on some occasions when trying to boot the PC when my SSD was removed, and thought my GPU may be the issue. I contacted CCLonline (who I bought the GPU from), who refused a replacement/refund (despite being within 30 day warranty) and quoted a repair only with up to 45 working day (8-9 weeks) total wait, for a GPU I had bought 30 days ago...

I thought the issue may have been that I installed the incorrect drivers, and a few days ago, I managed to boot the computer into windows and had a manic rush to install DDU, and remove my drivers.

After removing the drivers, the boot looping instantly stopped and the computer worked fine. I reinstalled the (correct) drivers, and the ran Cinebench with no issues and used the computer for a couple of hours with no errors, nothing in event planner, no BSoD. I even played highly intensive games all evening yesterday and frequently checked my temperatures whilst gaming all night with no occasions where the temperatures were too high.

Today, I turned the computer on again, and yet again it crashed on the windows desktop and boot looped. I used it playing games for hours yesterday with literally no issues at all. I turned it on today, got to the windows screen and crashed. How can it possibly work flawlessly all day yesterday, just to completely die again today?

I’m at a total loss at this point...the only BSoD I’m getting at present is SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED

I just tried completely wiping the computer, uninstalling windows and all files, but the PC crashed yet again whilst in the Cortana section where you select if you want to track diagnostics/connect to WiFi etc.

Can anyone advise what I can do here? It’s my first build and I saved for months to afford this computer, only for it to completely die after 4 weeks. CCLonline want up to 45 working days to replace the GPU which means I’ll be unable to use the computer (I don’t have integrated graphics on my ryzen 5 3600).

I’m completely lost

I’m more than happy to pay anyone who can help diagnose it, or can direct me to someone who can offer professional help. I just want to be able to use my PC!

 

[Deleted member 2720853]

Alright so from your other post it seems like you have Corsair Vengeance LPX memory. That's not very ideal to pair with a Ryzen and might be why your system is failing. Have you ran memtest86?

Another user said you unplugged one of your drives and still had a Windows boot corruption screen pop up which might indicate that Windows is installed across multiple drives, which is bad.

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

Alright so from your other post it seems like you have Corsair Vengeance LPX memory. That's not very ideal to pair with a Ryzen and might be why your system is failing. Have you ran memtest86?

Another user said you unplugged one of your drives and still had a Windows boot corruption screen pop up which might indicate that Windows is installed across multiple drives, which is bad.

Correct. I'm running Corsair Vengeance LPX Memory.

I've never run memtest86, and unfortunately can't get into the PC right now to run it.

I originally installed a HDD and SSD into my PC when I installed Windows. I heard this was a mistake. I installed the windows and everything else onto my SSD. I tried removing the HDD which didn't massively help, although it did allow me, on a few occasions, to boot into Windows Advanced Recovery mode (which I couldn't otherwise get into).

I've been using the PC with no HDD in it, and only a SSD, since then. That's what I was using yesterday when it worked, and again today when it stopped working. For reference, the PC worked for about 4 weeks and would only restart every couple days. It's only since last Thursday that it completely died on me. Nothing had changed from my end between the Wednesday where it was fine, and the Thursday that it died. I hadn't changed any settings/hardware/software.

 

[madmatt30]

You're confusing things by making more than 1 post on the forums.

I replied to another one and then this one pops up.

Humour me here though, switch the GPU to the other full length slot, you'll have to reinstall drivers again.

Just I'm seeing issues with ryzen gen 3 chips on the tomahawk B450 boards and most are down to pci express problems on later bios revisions.

 

[TheRealMacDaddy]

You're confusing things by making more than 1 post on the forums.

I replied to another one and then this one pops up.

Humour me here though, switch the GPU to the other full length slot, you'll have to reinstall drivers again.

Just I'm seeing issues with ryzen gen 3 chips on the tomahawk B450 boards and most are down to pci express problems on later bios revisions.

So just try moving my GPU from it's current slot, to the slot below it, and replug everything in, and see if that works?

Sorry for confusing you with the multiple posts, I'm just in very dire need of some help. No ill intentions, just really in need of help.

 

[madmatt30]

So just try moving my GPU from it's current slot, to the slot below it, and replug everything in, and see if that works?

Sorry for confusing you with the multiple posts, I'm just in very dire need of some help. No ill intentions, just really in need of help.

I understand, been there done that, it is just confusing for everyone though.

Yes, move the GPU to the lower slot just to try.

Ive seen numerous threads where people had issues with aftifactimg and blue screens with newer gpu's in the top slot with a ryzen gen 3 cpu - especially on MSI B450 max boards - it's a stab in the dark but worth trying