PC Freezes Random times

[manthos]

Hi,
My specs:

CPU FX 6350 (stock settings)
GPU SAPPHIRE R9 280 3G
8 GB RAM KINGSTON SAVAGE 2400 Mhz (it is set at 1600 Mhz)
Zalman aftermarket cpu cooler
WD 1TB HHD CAVIAR BLUE
PSU 650w Coolermaster bronze

Its a custom pc built one year ago.

My problem is that my pc every 2 months or more locks up , i mean it completely frozes and i cant
move mouse or use keyboard. No blue screen and no restarts.
I ve got all my drivers updated and i can play BF3 or ROME 2 , Wolfeinstein the new order and other games for days with zero problems. Yesterday after startup pc froze.I had to force it to shut down and after that i played for 2 hours without issues. The last time this happened i was just browsing back in November(not after startup). It behaves very strange and i dont know if its a hardware issue or not. Maybe the ram??
I am really disappointed and i would appreciate it if someone could help me or advice!!
I know is very difficult to find the cause of this problem because it happens very rarely.
I am available for further information.

 

[jollypirate]

I doubt something that happens so rarley is a hardware problem, it may be that something started dying though.
I think its more likley that it has something to do with software and drivires

 

[manthos]

thank your very much for your time and answer jollypirate.
My pc is 1 year old and it behaves like this since i purchased it, random lock ups every 2 months but never when i am gaming and i play a lot , thats why i wonder why...
I ve disabled unnecessary tasks and i run only the basics... and i know it not a heat issue.

 

[monkeymanz]

Check the graphics card and ram connections. Such behavior is typical of faulty connectors or loose connections.
Also dust everything off. Dust may affect performance in some situations.

 

[manthos]

OK thank you monkeymanz.....i cleaned it 2 months ago but i ll do that again...and i will check the connections.
In other case you think is a hardware problem?? I mean if it is, why i am able to play for hours without an issue?

 

[monkeymanz]

OK thank you monkeymanz.....i cleaned it 2 months ago but i ll do that again...and i will check the connections.
In other case you think is a hardware problem?? I mean if it is, why i am able to play for hours without an issue?

Well I'm not 100% sure if its a hardware problem or not, but pretty much because if it's a software problem, everything will be fixed by reinstalling windows. Also because a lock up tends to happen when the motherboard fails to synchronize with everything and perform its job, and therefore it has no other option than to freeze. It may be happening only from time to time due to certain process not using certain parts of the CPU, GPU etc. For example, each pin on the CPU has a designated job, but if its faulty, only when time comes to use that part, will an error occur.
I've had this problem too when I first built my PC, and I realised that the edge of my case was up against the power connector on the GPU, so each time I would bump against it or something, it loosens it and an error would occur where everything would freeze. I fixed it by reattaching everything and pushing the pins in super hard (not that hard, but making sure it's secure).

 

[manthos]

Thats a good point for start searching ..thank you very much...

 

[manthos]

Well, i checked the graphics card and ram connections everything seems to be fine .
I also cleaned it from dust (not too much) and i played for 3 hours... zero issues as i expected. I noticed a new BIOS version on Asrocks website 2.50 , mine is 1.80.
It is worth to update?
I am reading in forums for similar problems and a bios update tend to solve these lock ups BUT mine is once a month or 2 not daily....

 

[monkeymanz]

Well, i checked the graphics card and ram connections everything seems to be fine .
I also cleaned it from dust (not too much) and i played for 3 hours... zero issues as i expected. I noticed a new BIOS version on Asrocks website 2.50 , mine is 1.80.
It is worth to update?
I am reading in forums for similar problems and a bios update tend to solve these lock ups BUT mine is once a month or 2 not daily....

People don't tend to update BIOS unless its absolutely needed, simply because if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do not think the BIOS would be doing this, although I could be wrong. Also, if you do update the BIOS, there is a risk of breaking everything if you don't update it correctly, so make sure you do it right.

 

[manthos]

Well, i checked the graphics card and ram connections everything seems to be fine .
I also cleaned it from dust (not too much) and i played for 3 hours... zero issues as i expected. I noticed a new BIOS version on Asrocks website 2.50 , mine is 1.80.
It is worth to update?
I am reading in forums for similar problems and a bios update tend to solve these lock ups BUT mine is once a month or 2 not daily....

People don't tend to update BIOS unless its absolutely needed, simply because if it ain't broke don't fix it. I do not think the BIOS would be doing this, although I could be wrong. Also, if you do update the BIOS, there is a risk of breaking everything if you don't update it correctly, so make sure you do it right.

 

[manthos]

Well i had a bsdo (caused by driver ntoskrnl.exe) yesterday while i was playing batman arkham city. Very strange...
I opened again the pc and i saw that one of the psu power cables (atx power cable connected to the mobo) was passing from a hole under the gpu and touching - ''squeezing'' the electrolityc capacitors. I am very confused... might this be the problem??
Sorry from my bad english and thank you for your time..

 

[monkeymanz]

Well i had a bsdo (caused by driver ntoskrnl.exe) yesterday while i was playing batman arkham city. Very strange...
I opened again the pc and i saw that one of the psu power cables (atx power cable connected to the mobo) was passing from a hole under the gpu and touching - ''squeezing'' the electrolityc capacitors. I am very confused... might this be the problem??
Sorry from my bad english and thank you for your time..

The cable should be insulated so it shouldn't be affecting anything.

 

[manthos]

Hi monkeymanz , after the bsdo is the Firefox keeps on freezing my whole computer.
When i start the pc i get to firefox and after 3 min. my pc locks up and needs hard reset. After the restart i start browsing again with FF and works just fine. It happened 3 times in a row. Then i opened again the pc and i left it idle for a hour...no freeezes....
I ran prime 95 for an hour no errors...temps just fine.
Is my pc .....haunted....???
Updated the gpu drivers and know i am waiting...no bsdo...i just dont know why is acting like that..
Can someone help ??