PC is randomly rebooting and crashing

[Bob DeFranco]

So, a few weeks ago I posted a question in which I asked whether I should rebuild my entire system, keeping only the case and a few peripherals or whether I should just replace those parts that might be wearing out. I have been experiencing random - and I mean truly random, as far as I can tell - reboots and BSOD crashes. The community consensus (I've seen this in other posts as well) was that I should at least replace my 7-year old PSU, which I have done. I now have a nice new 750W Corsair RM750i. My system is as follows:

PSU: Corsair RM750i
OS: Windows 10 Pro 64-bit (latest update)
CPU: Intel Core2 Extreme QX9650@ 3.00GHz
RAM: 8.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 933MHz
MOBO: EVGA 132-YW-E178-FTW
GPU: ASUS 4GB GTX 970 OC Edition
HD: 1 TB WDC WD10 03FBYX-01Y7B

Obviously the MOBO and CPU are not the latest vintage, but not terrible either. Runs most games just fine, if not at the highest settings. I've checked temps with HWMonitor and they don't seem particularly high. The case is well-ventilated and there are lots of fans and a good CPU cooler. Nevertheless, random crashes and restarts.

Any thoughts?

 

[pierrerock]

Yeah. Last Bios update for your motherboard is back in 2009 ( 7years ago! ). Meaning, it probably has stability issues with anything beyond Windows 7

 

[Bob DeFranco]

Yeah. Last Bios update for your motherboard is back in 2009 ( 7years ago! ). Meaning, it probably has stability issues with anything beyond Windows 7

Thanks. I did look for a BIOS update and, indeed, the last one was a long time ago. I had the same sorts of problems with Windows 7, so I'm not sure it's a BIOS/Windows 10 issue. However, the MOBO is getting a bit long in the tooth, so maybe I need to replace it anyway. I've been reluctant to do that because it's a socket LGA775 CPU and I don't think modern boards will accommodate it. New MOBO plus new CPU starts to get pricey.

 

[pierrerock]

Yeah I understand. My bro has an old Athlon 64 dual core and has tons of stability problems since he went to windows 7, should have stayed on XP, but it is no longer supported by Microsoft.

Also, new motherboards now require DDR4 Memory. Getting an older like haswell, or AM3+ Board/cpu combo won't make you save money as the price doesn't tend to change even when component is outdated.

Since you have a GTX 970, my guess is that you want to play games, so i recommend that you start a budget to buy a Skylake I5 with motherboard and ram. Something like this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M Pro-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $314.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-28 19:52 EDT-0400

 

[pierrerock]

Also, you said you already consulted on your issue, so i didn't ask but to be sure. Did you tested your memory with memtest86 ?, did you noticed if crashes occured more often when watching a stream or when usb devices were plugged in ? This may seem silly, but my motherboard, which is 3 years old, started having issue with usb device (just after warranty ended... how convenient !). So if i leave a flash drive in or my USB headset, my computer crashed and i tried everything in the power management and bios, but nothing solved the problem. I asked ASUS, and they concluded that their motherboard was the problem, but since 3 years passed, repairs would cost the same as buying a new board.

 

[Bob DeFranco]

Yeah I understand. My bro has an old Athlon 64 dual core and has tons of stability problems since he went to windows 7, should have stayed on XP, but it is no longer supported by Microsoft.

Also, new motherboards now require DDR4 Memory. Getting an older like haswell, or AM3+ Board/cpu combo won't make you save money as the price doesn't tend to change even when component is outdated.

Since you have a GTX 970, my guess is that you want to play games, so i recommend that you start a budget to buy a Skylake I5 with motherboard and ram. Something like this :

PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: Intel Core i5-6500 3.2GHz Quad-Core Processor ($197.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Motherboard: MSI B150M Pro-VD Micro ATX LGA1151 Motherboard ($59.99 @ Micro Center)
Memory: Kingston FURY 16GB (2 x 8GB) DDR4-2133 Memory ($56.99 @ SuperBiiz)
Total: $314.97
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-06-28 19:52 EDT-0400

Thank you. I really appreciate the effort you went to in order to provide a complete answer. I have a friend who works for Intel, so I'll see if she can get me a decent processor for a discount and then I'll pick a reasonable MOBO to go with it. As for the second post you made following this one, I did consider how and when the crashes occurred. They seem truly random, though one time when many crashes occur is soon after a cold start. Could be a bad trace or capacitor on the board that settles down mostly after it warms up. Just points to the same solution: new MOBO. So, thanks again for your effort. I'll start saving for a new rig.