[SOLVED] PC Freezes on closing game and when desk is bumped ?

Jan 30, 2021
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Hello, I'm a first timer and built my PC at the end of 2018. I remember having an initial issue when I was seating the motherboard, but after carefully reading the manuals It posted first try and was great from there

However, maybe a year after I started having problems where pc would reboot if I bumped,slammed, or shook the desk. It has honestly become something I'm very conscious of and it's kinda silly how careful I have to be. I have dusted it several times a year and wiggled everything to make sure it is securely in place. I added another ram stick like a year ago and I have 32gb total because I initially only built with 1x16gb

The bump restarts are the first issue, the other is random freezes that have occurred. The game Gears Tactics specifically will hard freeze my pc when I close it guaranteed. About 30 seconds after I close the game no matter how long I've played it my pc will just lock up and have to be hard reset with the power button on the case. It has also frozen a few times where I don't believe I bumped it and it just kind of froze for no particular reason. These events are rare but concerning to me because I rely heavily on my pc.

Specs
Asus prime z390-A motherboard
Intel i7 8700k
Nzxt AIO cooler
Corsair vengeance lpx 2x16gb ddr4 3000
Adata m.2
2x 1tb ssd
Evga gtx 1070ti
Nzxt h500i case
Evga supernova g3 750w gold psu
Win10


A few other oddities to note:
-Sometimes when I boot up my ethernet isn't detected and I have to disable and re enable it for it to work or reboot
-Sometimes when I boot up my color settings are my monitor and not my gpu and sometimes Nvidia control panel won't launch to fix this and I have to reboot
-Pc is kind of loud on startup but virtually silent after

Things I have tried:
-Update gpu drivers
-Disable auto restarts
-Secure all physical connections
-Verify files

I appreciate any help, especially since this is a very generic problem that is difficult to troubleshoot by someone as inexperienced as I am. I mentioned all the issues because I can't help but think they may be related. I should also note I live in a location with somewhat regular power outages. One hasn't occurred at a crucial moment but I feel obligated to say that not every shutdown has been on purpose.
 
Solution
I suspect a loose connection but not where one would suspect. The bumps simply cause some disconnection or perhaps a short somewhere.

Since you have checked the PC several times take a look at other things in the "power path".

First: Try some "controlled bumps". Gently tap around the sides, the top, the bottom of the case. You may have already noticed the some bumps are more likely to cause a problem than other bumps. Perhaps one side of the desk and not the other....

If you can duplicate the bump problem at will that is a good lead as to what and/or where the problem exists.

But first take another look inside the PC. If a bump is involved the problem could simply be just some resulting momentary metal to metal contact...

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
I suspect a loose connection but not where one would suspect. The bumps simply cause some disconnection or perhaps a short somewhere.

Since you have checked the PC several times take a look at other things in the "power path".

First: Try some "controlled bumps". Gently tap around the sides, the top, the bottom of the case. You may have already noticed the some bumps are more likely to cause a problem than other bumps. Perhaps one side of the desk and not the other....

If you can duplicate the bump problem at will that is a good lead as to what and/or where the problem exists.

But first take another look inside the PC. If a bump is involved the problem could simply be just some resulting momentary metal to metal contact that causes a short.

Check around the I/O panel. Ensure that all cards are fully secure and not able to move. Use a bright flashlight, check screws, look for any wires with bare conductor showing, pinches, kinks.

Could be a problem inside the wall outlet, a problem with the plug/wire (s) serving the PC. Just enough vibration to cause a disconnect or short of some sort.

You mentioned problems with monitors and Ethernet: are the monitors, the router, or any other peripherals sharing the same electrical circuits and connections?

Any power strips, surge protectors, UPS's etc.? Try to simplify the electrical connections and/or swap in known working cables and devices. Be sure that desk or something else is not sitting on a power cord or any other cord for that matter. You may discover the problem by elimination.

Lastly: how old is that Evga PSU? Heavy use for gaming, work, etc...? PSU's do wear out and heavy use can lead to an early designed in EOL (End of Life).
 
Solution
Jan 30, 2021
4
0
10
I suspect a loose connection but not where one would suspect. The bumps simply cause some disconnection or perhaps a short somewhere.

Since you have checked the PC several times take a look at other things in the "power path".

First: Try some "controlled bumps". Gently tap around the sides, the top, the bottom of the case. You may have already noticed the some bumps are more likely to cause a problem than other bumps. Perhaps one side of the desk and not the other....

If you can duplicate the bump problem at will that is a good lead as to what and/or where the problem exists.

But first take another look inside the PC. If a bump is involved the problem could simply be just some resulting momentary metal to metal contact that causes a short.

Check around the I/O panel. Ensure that all cards are fully secure and not able to move. Use a bright flashlight, check screws, look for any wires with bare conductor showing, pinches, kinks.

Could be a problem inside the wall outlet, a problem with the plug/wire (s) serving the PC. Just enough vibration to cause a disconnect or short of some sort.

You mentioned problems with monitors and Ethernet: are the monitors, the router, or any other peripherals sharing the same electrical circuits and connections?

Any power strips, surge protectors, UPS's etc.? Try to simplify the electrical connections and/or swap in known working cables and devices. Be sure that desk or something else is not sitting on a power cord or any other cord for that matter. You may discover the problem by elimination.

Lastly: how old is that Evga PSU? Heavy use for gaming, work, etc...? PSU's do wear out and heavy use can lead to an early designed in EOL (End of Life).

The PSU was bought new < 3 years ago, but it is on a lot of the time. I live in an old house and have had outlet issues before so I appreciate that as a suggestion. I will try these things and report back
 
Jan 30, 2021
4
0
10
Update: Can't find any problems with the outlet, surge protector, or anything loose or making contact where it shouldn't.

I have had at least 3 freezes now from absolutely no movement. I can't figure out what the issue is. I think maybe something is corrupted from power outages or a part like my gpu is failing.
 
Jan 30, 2021
4
0
10
Another update here: I ran the system file checker and it found some corrupted files and successfully repaired them. I cleaned my gpu and ram contacts and re seated them. I'll update if problems persist