PC freezes while playing but music still goes on.

[Dartharion]

Hey!
My PC freezes, but not totally, while I'm playing games (titles like Dying Light, AC Unity and Witcher 3). When it freezes, it's like watching a screenshot and listening to soundtrack (looped music). Strangest thing is that I'm able to talk on Skype when it happens! Tried reinstalling graphic drivers, but it's no use. Witcher 3 runs smooth as butter for approximately 5 minutes and then that weird freeze happens every time. Airflow is quite good I think (no dust, and multiple fans running in NZTX Phantom with some horizontal CPU cooling from Zalman).
Did not notice any freezes while running FurMark or Prime95.
Sometimes after reset (have to do this after each freeze), PC gets no imput from USB devices (keyboard and mouse) and I have to reconnect them in order to get them working.

My setup: (No OC used!)
i7-920 @2.66GHz
Corsair XMS3 6GB (1333)
Asus X58 Sabertooth
Asus GTX670 DirectCU II Top
Samsung SSD (does not remember which one but it's 240GB) + WD 1TB HDD (it's like 5 years old 😀)
Win 7

Not sure if related or not, but sometimes I get Bluescreen with code:0x0000003B (but not recently).

Thanks for any advises and sorry if created in wrong sub-forums.

 

[cin19]

When it freezes, it's like watching a screenshot and listening to soundtrack (looped music).

What is your PSU? because the problem maybe from the PSU.

For the Bluescreen with code:0x0000003B, if you use the IEEE 1394 devices, try this: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/980932

 

[Dartharion]

@cin19 - It's a Corsair HX750W (about 2.5-3 years old).

Just in case - voltages are like this (taken from BIOS) -
3.3v- 3.232v
5v - 5.022v
12v - 11.969v

Games like World of Warships, Tera Online, Sniper Elite 3, Space Engineers and War Thunder does not crash at all o.o

 

[cin19]

The PSU is good, and you may try use the asus software or MSI afterburner to tweak the gtx670, like increase the voltage, or under clock the GPU.
Also double check the GPU, or cpu temp by the software like trial version AIDA64 Extreme. http://www.aida64.com/downloads
And update the MB BIOS, and intel chipset driver too.

 

[Dartharion]

cin19 - updated chipset drivers and flashed BIOS from v.0608 to v.1400-something, increased GPU's minimum core voltage slightly (+15mV) and increased power level by 5%. During testing with AIDA64 CPU's temperature were around 62C/143F while GPU under load didn't exceed 65C/149F. And ofc no crash occurred. Yet after starting Witcher 3 it took around 5 minutes before it broke again (HDD LED is blinking as it normally does when idle/browsing internet).

About that hotfix - do you think it would work if I does not use any IEEE 1394 devices (I think that I does not have any port like this at all 😛)?

 

[cin19]

If you don't use any those devices, you don't need.

I think the problem may cause by other software like antivirus ( try to disable it when you play the Witcher 3,but remember when you done the game ), and also I read it from steam, someone said to disable Nvidia Experience, because you have the problem only during playing the Witcher 3.

 

[Dartharion]

Cin19 - well, disabled Comodo Antivirus and Nvidia Experience, yet same thing happened :< Tried burn testing with OCCT and FurMark at the same time, but nothing special happened (there was huge FPS drops at some point, from 60 to 5 and overall GPU power needed decreased drastically, temperature alike). Did some Valley Benchmarking and nothing.
I still don't get it how it's possible that I was able to talk via Skype during those freezes (when playing Dying Light and Witcher - the only difference is, that in TW3, it occurs after 5 minutes or so, and in DL it would randomly freeze after a hour or even four hours.)

EDIT: After restarting temperature reading in BIOS: CPU - 44.5C/112F, MB - 43C/109F, MCH - 67.5C/152.5F (taken after 2 minutes after 'crash').

 

[cin19]

I think the problem related the display, because you can use the Skype, which means the PC runs fine. But it is strange you can run the Valley Benchmark, and you said FPS drops at some point, from 60 to 5 during FurMark. So I think the GPU has problem. If you have other GPU just try it.

 

[Dartharion]

cin19 - It looks like it's GPU having a problem, because I've borrowed my friend's GTX 960, and The Witcher worked flawless in 2 hours. We did even change memory, but it still crashed. But as I wrote before - with his GPU, there were no problems at all.
Now, the question is, if I could do something about my graphic card, or I'll have to buy new one if I would like to play that game?

 

[cin19]

If you want to play the Witcher 3, yes you need the new GPU. Maybe try to update the GPU BIOS http://www.asus.com/Graphics_Cards/GTX670DC2T2GD5/HelpDesk_Download/ or maybe try to lower the games setting when you use the gtx670.

 

[Dartharion]

Tryied to download new GPU BIOS, but the archive is broken on their support site :< So I'll have to wait a bit to buy a new graphic card (considering GTX970 or 980 - depends on how much money I'll have ;P). Anyway thanks for your assistance with this weird problem.