Question PC freezes on startup a few times each day ?

[ezSonix]

Hello everyone,
Over the past few months, I've been gradually upgrading my computer setup. Initially, everything was running smoothly. However, after deciding to upgrade my AIO cooler and case, I encountered some unusual behavior with my PC. Let me outline the issues and the steps I've taken to address them:

1. After transferring all the components to a larger case and installing the new AIO cooler, I started receiving an error message upon boot: "CPU or Memory changed!!! Press F1 to enter setup or F2 something something." Despite attempting various fixes such as entering setup, resetting the BIOS, utilizing the Clear CMOS button on my motherboard, and even replacing the CMOS battery twice for good measure, the error persists. Consequently, my BIOS settings revert to default, preventing my RAM from utilizing the XMP profile.
   
   
2. On the first startup of the day, the PC loads to the desktop but promptly freezes, rendering it unresponsive to mouse movements, the Windows key, or even the restart button on my case. The only recourse is to force a shutdown by holding down the power button. This freezing occurs intermittently and persists for a few attempts before the system eventually functions normally.

Despite attempting to rectify the issues by reinstalling Windows 11 through the "Fix problems using Windows Update" feature, no improvement has been observed. Unfortunately, I'm unable to perform a full reinstallation of the operating system at the moment due to time constraints, as I'm currently engaged in a contract project and reinstalling all the necessary software would be time-consuming and not even sure if that would help.

Any insights or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

My specs are :
Win 11
MSI Mag Z790 Tomahawk WIFI
64GB Kingston FURY DDR5 6400MHz ( Running it on 4000 bcs of the bios resetting on each startup )
Corsair RM1000x PSU
Gainward phantom RTX 4090
Intel i9-13900KF

 

[Lutfij]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

1| What cooler were you on and what did you upgrade to? What case were you working with prior to the upgrade and what did you migrate to? Might want to relieve some pressure on your AIO's mount and see if that helps alleviate the issue.

2| You forgot to mention the BIOS version for your motherboard and the make and model of your PSU.

Over the past few months, I've been gradually upgrading my computer setup.
Walk us through this. Did you recycle your OS drive without a reinstall while you swapped your motherboard?

 

[ezSonix]

Hello Lutfij,
Thank you for your response. Here's an update on my situation:

1. Previously, I was using the NZXT Kraken X73 RGB cooler, but I was experiencing high temperatures, reaching up to 100°C during gaming or heavy workloads. I switched to the DeepCool LT720, which significantly improved the temperatures. Now, my temperatures peak at 80°C while rendering in Unreal Engine or other 3D programs, and even lower during gaming. Additionally, I upgraded my case from the Corsair iCUE 4000D to the Corsair iCUE 5000D.
2. Prior to receiving your message, I realized that I hadn't updated my BIOS in a while. I've since updated it to the latest version, 7D91vHB, today. It's too early to determine if this update has resolved any issues, but I'll monitor it closely.

Regarding the build process:

1. Initially, I made a significant purchase, acquiring most of the components at once, including the CPU, PSU, motherboard, half of my RAM, AIO cooler, and an additional NVME SSD. After this major update, I installed a fresh copy of Windows on the SSD and now use it as my primary Windows disk.
2. I later purchased a new GPU, for which I simply reinstalled the drivers.
3. Subsequently, I purchased another 32GB kit (2x16GB) of RAM, identical to the existing one. Everything was functioning smoothly up to this point.
4. Finally, I acquired the new AIO cooler and realized it wouldn't fit well in my previous case, prompting me to also purchase the Corsair iCUE 5000D case.

Following these changes, I began encountering the message on startup regarding different CPU or memory configurations, and later on, my PC started freezing during startup, as described previously.

 

[Bob.B]

Hello Lutfij,
Thank you for your response. Here's an update on my situation:

1. Previously, I was using the NZXT Kraken X73 RGB cooler, but I was experiencing high temperatures, reaching up to 100°C during gaming or heavy workloads. I switched to the DeepCool LT720, which significantly improved the temperatures. Now, my temperatures peak at 80°C while rendering in Unreal Engine or other 3D programs, and even lower during gaming. Additionally, I upgraded my case from the Corsair iCUE 4000D to the Corsair iCUE 5000D.
2. Prior to receiving your message, I realized that I hadn't updated my BIOS in a while. I've since updated it to the latest version, 7D91vHB, today. It's too early to determine if this update has resolved any issues, but I'll monitor it closely.

Regarding the build process:

1. Initially, I made a significant purchase, acquiring most of the components at once, including the CPU, PSU, motherboard, half of my RAM, AIO cooler, and an additional NVME SSD. After this major update, I installed a fresh copy of Windows on the SSD and now use it as my primary Windows disk.
2. I later purchased a new GPU, for which I simply reinstalled the drivers.
3. Subsequently, I purchased another 32GB kit (2x16GB) of RAM, identical to the existing one. Everything was functioning smoothly up to this point.
4. Finally, I acquired the new AIO cooler and realized it wouldn't fit well in my previous case, prompting me to also purchase the Corsair iCUE 5000D case.

Following these changes, I began encountering the message on startup regarding different CPU or memory configurations, and later on, my PC started freezing during startup, as described previously.

If you run out of things to try test with just one kit of ram.
If no help test with the other kit of ram.

 

[ezSonix]

Hey Bob,

I can give that a try tomorrow. But as I wrote, it was running fine even after adding extra kit of ram. It started being problematic after moving everything to new case and adding new AIO.

 

[ezSonix]

Welcome to the forums, newcomer!

1| What cooler were you on and what did you upgrade to? What case were you working with prior to the upgrade and what did you migrate to? Might want to relieve some pressure on your AIO's mount and see if that helps alleviate the issue.

2| You forgot to mention the BIOS version for your motherboard and the make and model of your PSU.

Over the past few months, I've been gradually upgrading my computer setup.
Walk us through this. Did you recycle your OS drive without a reinstall while you swapped your motherboard?

So as I wrote, I updated BIOS hoping it would fix the start up "CPU and Memory CHANGED" message, but unfortunately I still see it. My pc also froze again.

By "relieve some pressure on your AIOs mount" you mean I should try loosen the screws a bit on my pump mount ?

 

[ezSonix]

Hello everyone,
Thank you for your assistance. I believe I've managed to resolve the issue. Here's what I did:
I ran the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, and around 50% through the test, I received a message indicating a problem with one of my memory sticks. Following this, I powered down the PC, removed all four RAM sticks, ensured they were clean, blew some air into the RAM slots, and reinserted them in a different order into my PC. Surprisingly, this time everything appears to be functioning properly. It's strange that this didn't resolve the issue during my previous attempts, as I had already performed this process three or four times.
I also noticed an anomaly with the Fury CTRL panel (which I don't typically use). It was only detecting two of my RAM sticks, and any changes to lighting settings were only applied to those two sticks (I usually keep the RGB turned off, so I hadn't noticed this earlier).
Now, all four RAM sticks are visible in the FURY application, and I haven't experienced any freezing on startup or received the message during boot up yet. I'll continue to monitor the system closely over the next few days, but it seems to be the most promising outcome so far.