[SOLVED] Newish PC Build, Chrome 'Freezing'

[SyDiko]

I built a new gaming PC a few months ago,

• i5-8600K (Cosair Cooler)
• ROG Strix Z390 MB (formerly Gigabyte Z370 SLI XP)
• 16GB GSKILL V (2 x 8)
• 500GB m.2 (Samsung Evo 960)
• + 1 TB WD Black
• MSI RX 580 8GB
• eVGA SuperNOVA G3 650w Gold PSU

The system itself,

Its not overclocked yet, but while gaming, the build is perfect. Since building it, there have been no crashes. The PC is also very stable and temps show the CPU is not stressed at all.

The annoying problem,

The one problem that I’m having is while using Chrome or Firefox some websites can ‘lock up’ my PC for up to 60 seconds without any events or blue screen errors. The websites that cause the most problems are specifically video websites, but it has happened while browsing other sites like Amazon or eBay as well. What I have found is that the PC isn't actually 'locked up', but rather Chrome's network usage is extremely high and the application is locked up completely, but it isn't doing anything. (Please see pictures.)

(This is basically a screenshot 5 seconds after the ‘lock up.’ As you can see the network usage in Windows Task Manager is extremely high, but in Chrome Task Manager it isn’t doing a thing! The spikes can go upwards of 600mbps and lock up the browser completely.)

Troubleshooting,

I’ve literally tried everything to troubleshoot this problem.

1. Several reinstalls of Windows 10 Pro (Actually, after each major change below, was a reinstall of Windows.)
2. I even went so far to change the USB stick and Install media to see if that helped
3. I ran several Memtests (Windows & MemTest86) and it came out fine.
4. I’ve stressed the CPU and it came out fine.
5. Stressed the GPU and its actually performing as expected
6. I’ve changed the primary HDD from a CM100 (2.5 SSD) to the Samsung Evo 960.
7. I’ve even tried switching motherboards (just installed the ROG Strix last week) and the errors persists. (I thought it might be network driver related.)

Last steps,

I’m at a loss, but even though I’ve tested them, the last 3 items that I have not changed are the CPU, RAM, and GPU. I suspect that one of these are likely causing the issue. I also just rebuilt my girlfriends PC (its a mini version of mine) and I can literally interchange any part, but she’s not letting me touch hers lol.

Any thoughts?

 

[davidgirgis]

Have you tried Chrome vanilla, i.e. without any extensions or mods whatsoever?
Have you tried turning off 1Password?
Does the problem persist with Firefox and Edge?

 

[computerjoe314]

Try reinstalling Chrome.

 

[SyDiko]

Thanks for the replies, its much appreciated.

I've tried reinstalling Chrome.
I've not tried Chrome Vanilla, I'll try that.
I've not tried turning off the 1password addon, but if I recall the problem persists without it. I'll try removing it again.

The problem does happen in Firefox as well.... I haven't tried using Edge full time, but when I did test with Edge the problem did not occur. I

Now that I'm thinking about it... When I was troubleshooting with Firefox and started logging with the developer tools, it locked up the browser completely. While using Chrome in debug, I couldn't get the problem to occur or when I did I forgot to open the stats window in that particular tab.

 

[Azaveruss]

Some of the possible issues could be something most people font think to check, paging size for windows can some times neglect allocation to browsers and cause them to "Lock up" Or "Freeze", try tweaking your windows paging size based on your hard drive size, if that doesn't work it could be an allocation issue with Chrome or Firefox. With it not happening with the edge browser it sounds like windows is not allocating resources need to keep other browsers stable.
I would be happy to help walk you through adjusting paging size if need be.

~Kyle

 

[SyDiko]

Hi Kyle,

Thank you for that suggestion.

In Windows 10, I believe its managed by the OS itself? I'll stop it managing the paging and make the changes to the allocation. Would you recommend adjusting the page file to meet that of the 16GB of ram? I'm thinking since I have a ~500GB HDD, set the page file to 1GB and increment 2 times thereafter or would you suggest setting it way higher? I'll also try turning it off completely if that still doesn't work.

Moreover, I'm looking at my work laptop, which has 16GBs of ram and the page file is set to ,

(Windows is automatically managing it.)
16MB Mininum
2924MB Recommended

I'll use this as a basis when I get home and try it as well.

 

[Azaveruss]

Hi Kyle,

Thank you for that suggestion.

In Windows 10, I believe its managed by the OS itself? I'll stop it managing the paging and make the changes to the allocation. Would you recommend adjusting the page file to meet that of the 16GB of ram? I'm thinking since I have a ~500GB HDD, set the page file to 1GB and increment 2 times thereafter or would you suggest setting it way higher? I'll also try turning it off completely if that still doesn't work.

Moreover, I'm looking at my work laptop, which has 16GBs of ram and the page file is set to ,

(Windows is automatically managing it.)
16MB Mininum
2924MB Recommended

I'll use this as a basis when I get home and try it as well.

Your paging size depends on the amount of free space on your drive that windows lives on it uses free space as virtual memory so that programs can efficiently pull from it and have resources to feed off of.
Depending on the size of your drive I have found that a 1TB hard drive set to a paging size of 5000 works fine so you could cut that in half because you have a 500gb SSD (which i assume your OS is living on) you could start around 3000 and scale up and see if there is any difference.

let me know how it goes

~Kyle

 

[SyDiko]

Your paging size depends on the amount of free space on your drive that windows lives on it uses free space as virtual memory so that programs can efficiently pull from it and have resources to feed off of.
Depending on the size of your drive I have found that a 1TB hard drive set to a paging size of 5000 works fine so you could cut that in half because you have a 500gb SSD (which i assume your OS is living on) you could start around 3000 and scale up and see if there is any difference.

let me know how it goes

~Kyle

So, last night I went through all suggestions with no luck.

1 - Turned off all addons in Chrome... Problem persisted.
2 - Tried using Edge, problem persisted, but it was far more noticable (Even happened on msn.com)

Note the 200+ Mbps doesn't lock up the browser, it will spike over upwards of 600Mbps and lock up around 400. When it gets < 300mbps the browser essentially unlocks and I'm able to screenshot it. (This is happening in all browsers.)

3 - At the same time set the paging file to 2048/4096... Problem persisted
4 - Turned the paging file off altogether... problem persisted
5 - Played a game (Xenoverse 2), and the system ran beautifully lol.

I was not able to figure out what Chrome Vanilla was? I'm assuming its just Chrome with no extensions?

I think tonight I'm going to steal my girlfriends RX570 and see if the problem persists. Might open a support ticket for my CPU as well. The reason why I'm skpetical of the CPU and Ram is because those are the only 'new' parts that I have not changed. I went from an 2.5 SSD to M.2 thinking it was the SSD. Swapped the motherboard thinking I had a faulty Z370 board. The RX580 is from my old build and was flawless in that.

The only outstanding items are the RAM and CPU.

 

[davidgirgis]

Yes, Chrome "vanilla", is just Chrome with no extensions.
It sounds like your network driver is faulty. Have you tried another network card?

How are you connecting to the network? Have you tried switching from WiFi to ethernet cable (physical connection), or the other way around?

Does this happen on your other computers on the same network? Your wife's computer, or a laptop you may have?

What is the Compiler doing? Have you tried one of the free browser stress tests, like: https://web.basemark.com/

Run that, by itself, and let us know what is happening to your CPU, GPU, RAM, and Network.

 

[SyDiko]

Yes, Chrome "vanilla", is just Chrome with no extensions.
It sounds like your network driver is faulty. Have you tried another network card?

How are you connecting to the network? Have you tried switching from WiFi to ethernet cable (physical connection), or the other way around?

Does this happen on your other computers on the same network? Your wife's computer, or a laptop you may have?

What is the Compiler doing? Have you tried one of the free browser stress tests, like: https://web.basemark.com/

Run that, by itself, and let us know what is happening to your CPU, GPU, RAM, and Network.

Thanks for the reply! Let me try an answer your questions to the best of my abilities.

I thought it was the Network driver as well, but after fiddling with this same issue with a Gigabyte Z370 board, I decided to just switch boards (and chipsets altogether.) Upgraded to an Asus ROG Strix Z390 and it persists. It is the same driver, but totally different board. What are the odds of 2 MBs having the same issue? (Which reminds me, I have to put my Z370 on eBay lol.)

My desktop is hard-wired into my network via Cat5 cable - maybe I should try a Cat6? My desktop is the only computer that this happens on. I'm a bit of a computer guy, so I have a bunch of stuff on my network. 1 Microserver, 2 Gaming Desktops, 3 gaming laptops, and 3 standard laptops. And, unfortunately my desktop is the only one with this problem. My girlfriend's desktop is similarily built (8th gen i3 desktop) and its running flawlessly while she's browsing the internet.
The compiler, as far as I can tell isn't doing anything according to Chrome, but as you can see from the screenshots above, Window's Task Manager says otherwise. Its reporting extrodinary network usage. The only other application that breaks 100Mbps is Steam, and that's when I'm downloading games over my circuit.

I have not tried a browser stress test, I will most definitely try it tonight, when I'm home, and report back. I appreciate the link!

 

[davidgirgis]

baffling...
CAT-5 or CAT-6...same difference...you don't "need" to try CAT-6

Run the same exact websites on two different computers and look for differences. Let us know.

My initial response is that one of these tabs is causing the freezing/crashing. Maybe Compiler or Broker...

Also, for troubleshooting purposes, run one tab at a time, to try to narrow down the problem.

My recommendation still stands: run the web stress test/diagnostic tool on two different machines. Try to see what is happening to your resources. Any similarities or differences?

Also, it is not unheard of, to see the same integrated NIC being utilized by two different mobo's. It still may be the culprit.

 

[SyDiko]

baffling...
CAT-5 or CAT-6...same difference...you don't "need" to try CAT-6

Run the same exact websites on two different computers and look for differences. Let us know.

My initial response is that one of these tabs is causing the freezing/crashing. Maybe Compiler or Broker...

Also, for troubleshooting purposes, run one tab at a time, to try to narrow down the problem.

My recommendation still stands: run the web stress test/diagnostic tool on two different machines. Try to see what is happening to your resources. Any similarities or differences?

Also, it is not unheard of, to see the same integrated NIC being utilized by two different mobo's. It still may be the culprit.

Went ahead and ran the Basemark test and it went smooth as silk, see screenshot below. I also ran it on my GFs computer and her score was a little lower (992.83), but she's also running a lower tier processor. Whats interesting is that her Chrome with more extensions loaded, same tab open (this forum website) is utilizing less memory! Right now I'm utilizing 580-600MBs and she's stable only utilizing 470MB. It was a similar usage with the Basetest too. (I have 16GBs or ram and she has 8GB.)

(Basemark Test Results)

 

[davidgirgis]

Your browser seems healthy, and so is your computer and network...

Maybe certain sites, like the ones shown in your screenshot, are the culprit.
Try to visit the same exact sites, on both computers, to try to narrow down the problem.

Try them one at a time, as well as, try different combinations, or all at once...
Monitor system resources on both computers.

It seems like you have a certain workflow that you're accustomed to using.
Resist the temptation to run all tabs at once. We're simply troubleshooting here.

If all goes well with one tab/site...try adding one more...until you discover the breaking point...when it freezes/crashes...

 

[SyDiko]

Your browser seems healthy, and so is your computer and network...

Maybe certain sites, like the ones shown in your screenshot, are the culprit.
Try to visit the same exact sites, on both computers, to try to narrow down the problem.

Try them one at a time, as well as, try different combinations, or all at once...
Monitor system resources on both computers.

It seems like you have a certain workflow that you're accustomed to using.
Resist the temptation to run all tabs at once. We're simply troubleshooting here.

If all goes well with one tab/site...try adding one more...until you discover the breaking point...when it freezes/crashes...

Yep, so I spent the day trying different sites and it seems like sites with a lot of video thumbs cause the high network usage and Chrome lockups. The strange this is that my girlfriend's computer also spikes up into the 300Mbps on these sites, but her browser does not lock up like mine.

I never did swap video cards, but what I might try is swapping RAM with her for a day. While my RAM seems solid I forgot to mention a few things. During a troubleshooting session earlier this week. Basically, I could not get the PC to boot running one of the 2x8GB kit sticks - the other one worked. However, even running off just a single stick, Chrome still locked up on certain sites.

What I'll do is attempt that test again (probably tomorrow), but this time I'll use her 2x4GB kit in my desktop. I'll also stuff my RAM in her PC and hit the sites that cause me the frequent issues.. If her browser locks up with my RAM, then we have our culprit!

(Quit edit),

Maybe a noob mistake on my part, but I just realized double-checking my system that my memory was not running at it's highest clock speed. It was running at 2133MHz... Just turned on XMP and now its running @ the correct voltage 1.35v and frequency 3200MHz! (Fingers crossed.)

 

[davidgirgis]

Newbies are welcome here...

You're definitely thinking the right way about troubleshooting...
From Control Panel, search for "memory" and run the diagnostic, which requires a restart. Run the diag for each stick separately, and then together...

Swap video cards and test again...

It's worth your time, because faulty hardware always causes instability...

 

[SyDiko]

Newbies are welcome here...

You're definitely thinking the right way about troubleshooting...
From Control Panel, search for "memory" and run the diagnostic, which requires a restart. Run the diag for each stick separately, and then together...

Swap video cards and test again...

It's worth your time, because faulty hardware always causes instability...

Lol, just want to thank you for all your help man, but I think I'm coming to the end of the line with troubleshooting. It's been a few days, but I went through a few more troubleshooting steps outlined above and the issue still persists. The good thing is that hopefully this thread will help others that come across such a strange issue.

1 - Turned on XMP, but the browser still locked up under abnormally high network usage. In-fact, I thought the network usage was up around 500Mbps, but I caught a glimpse of the network usage way up over 5,000Mbps. Also, even though the system appears to be 'locked up', its still able to compute operations. (Like I can connect my wireless xbox 360 controller during the lock up.)
2 - Swapped RAM with my GF, browser still locked up. My RAM in her PC works perfectly fine.

So, I can confidently say its not the RAM.

The final 2 components are the Video Card and Processor. My gut has been telling me the culprit is the Processor, but I'm going to do my due diligence and test swapping cards tonight. I'll snag her RX570 and If the problem continues, I'll have no choice, but to RMA the processor.

 

[SyDiko]

So, I think I figured out what the problem was and I'm currently 2 days without Chrome locking up with high network usage.

TLDR: I’ve determined that it was CPU voltage, relating to the over voltage jumper setting on the motherboard. Enabling over voltage has seemed to cure the problem of locking Chrome with abnormally high network usage.

I never did swap video cards because my hunch has always been around the CPU and last Thursday my theory was some-what confirmed. What sparked this revelation was changing/unplugging the network adapter while Chrome locked up. To my surprise after unplugging the cable from the board, Chrome responded instantly. I didn’t do any hard voltage tests, but throughout my tests I could see that sometimes the CPU’s voltage was hitting a threshold. This abnormality also happened when Chrome would lockup too.

I did a quick search in my motherboard’s manually regarding CPU voltage and came across over-voltage. And, I remembered during both motherboard installs, I decided to keep it on the default PIN settings. I figured since I wouldn’t be overclocking right away, it wouldn’t hurt to keep it as is (default) and I could always just turn the feature on later. So instead of swapping video cards, my plan was to enable over voltage. I also wanted to reseat my board, because when I did the swap I used old screws, old risers, and it was just a rushed job (not sloppy, but it felt incomplete). Figured, it would be a good time to clean everything up properly.

This past Sunday was tear down/rebuild day. In the morning, I also made a trip to Microcenter to get some new risers, screws, and a few other goodies. I even cleaned off the CPU and reapplied some fresh thermal paste, because why not? After getting everything back in and switching the jumper, to my surprise, the PC ran even snappier. I’ve been browsing the internet for just under 3 days now without a single Chrome lockup. The network spikes are expected and still occur, but without the 30-second lockups.

(At this point, I’m confident that this has solved my problem, but I’ll post back in a few days with final results.)

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

 

[davidgirgis]

So you set the jumper to enable Overvoltage, and that fixed the problem.
Did you also have to reset the UEFI settings to factory defaults?

Your CPU was struggling for more juice, all this time?

 

[SyDiko]

So you set the jumper to enable Overvoltage, and that fixed the problem.
Did you also have to reset the UEFI settings to factory defaults?

Your CPU was struggling for more juice, all this time?

Yep, I believe so.

After turning the system on, the BIOS detected a new CPU and it also shut off XMP. All I had to do was enabled XMP and it's been working fine while browsing the internet ever since (knock on wood). I have noticed that when browsing the internet and the voltage spikes, it does cause the CPU fan to spin up, instead of just freezing up the browser.

EDIT: It’s weird that just browsing the internet was causing this, but the internet is a very demanding place now.
- The problem did happen with all browsers - Chrome, Edge, and Firefox.

 

[davidgirgis]

Chrome can be pretty taxing, depending on what you're doing with it, video encoders, 3D-graphics enabled HTML5 websites, and what have you...and a RAM hog too...

Yep, basically, I think the system was asking for more voltage, but that parameter prevented it.
In real-time, the software can suddenly spike the CPU, the CPU can get its required overvoltage, and ramps up the fans expecting itself to warm up quickly.

The fans ramping up and down can get annoying, that's where you can adjust your overclock and fan curves so they purr at the desired RPM steadily, software spikes or not. I think intel speedstep has something to do with that also. It adjusts the CPU's frequency on the fly.

I think I have mine running at its overclock frequency all the time...

 

[SyDiko]

3 days and no browser lock ups!

It is weird hearing the fans, but I have low/quiet RPM fans, so it isn't too bad when they spin up.

I'm probably just going to leave it alone at this point and enjoy life without browser lock ups.

 

[SyDiko]

4 days of chrome free crashing! This morning I really hammered the testing down as well and I think the problem has been resolved.

Overvoltage jumper!

 

[davidgirgis]

nice...

For anyone else reading...
first thing to do is reset your UEFI/BIOS to factory defaults...

then reinstall Windows...
then troubleshoot components one at a time using known configurations that work.

 

[SyDiko]

Ahh bad news, the problem returned. 🙁

However, I believe that I am still really close... My next course of action is to actually RMA the chip... It's either faulty or overheating. I'm leaning on it being faulty because in none of my tests did the processor actually go over the threshold of overheating..

 

[davidgirgis]

Alas...