Question pc will randomly freeze, then crash. after around 4-5 hours of using it no matter the situation what could be the cause??

[SecondGreatFlood]

hi! for at least this last week (windows 11 23h2, install is over 3 months old) ive been having a very weird issue with my computer, where it would freeze first, then crash 5-ish seconds after with no messages, no nothing, just restarts the entire system after the freeze
i first noticed this when some of my games (mainly The Finals and Borderlands 3) would crash very arbitrarily after those 4-5 hours of my system being on (Borderlands 3 would outright freeze, then crash after a while, even on the main menu! The Finals would occasionally throw up a Unreal Engine error and then crash), then i found out it will crash even when im only watching a video on firefox with 2 other programs open! (doesnt matter any)
at first i thought it was my overclock, so i reverted it but nothing, then i thought it was my ram, but i ran windows' built-in memory diagnostics tool and MemTest and both ended up fine (i do have XMP on), ive just now tried upping the pagefile as im really running out of ideas... my last thought could be the power supply, but im sure it can handle my system just fine??
full specs:
Ryzen 5 1600
RX 5600 XT
16GB DDR4 @ 3200mt/s
EVGA 450BR (bought it new in january 2023, used it in various systems, never had problems)
things i tried:
-Testing my memory (with XMP on) with MemTest and Windows' built-in memory diagnostics tool
-Resetting my CPU back to stock (was 3.75ghz @ 1.38v before)
-Upping my pagefile (im trying that right now)
-Resetting my firefox's profile settings
-Reseating my power cable
-Stress-testing my GPU (turned out fine)
im really not sure what to do anymore, any (genuine) help is appreciated!

 

[DaleH]

You don't mention the CPU/GPU temps at the time of failure. Your power supply may have been able to handle the power requirements at the time of installation, but not necessarily now. Borrow a PSU if you can for troubleshooting purposes. 450 Watts would seem inadequate to me.

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

You don't mention the CPU/GPU temps at the time of failure. Your power supply may have been able to handle the power requirements at the time of installation, but not necessarily now. Borrow a PSU if you can for troubleshooting purposes. 450 Watts would seem inadequate to me.

the temps are very controlled! i have a ton of airflow in my case, when i was testing my gpu it was going around 75-77c, my CPU was always under 60c!
i do know power supplies degrade over time, but doesnt it seem weird that if its the cause, it would restart itself even when just web browsing?
im not sure about 450w being inadequate either, this PSU has seen a lot of systems and they all ran good! i used to mostly run it with my I7-3770S + HD 7950 and then a R7 370, i upgraded my system to ryzen this August and the gpu in October

sadly if its the power supply id have to outright buy a new one, since the other psu that i have around is an old Antec EA-430D in my AM2 system

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

You don't mention the CPU/GPU temps at the time of failure. Your power supply may have been able to handle the power requirements at the time of installation, but not necessarily now. Borrow a PSU if you can for troubleshooting purposes. 450 Watts would seem inadequate to me.

also, asking out of curiosity - could it still be an issue with my RAM (namely an issue with XMP)? or would i get a bluescreen if that was the case? the kit is pretty new, i bought it august of this year along with the motherboard and cpu

 

[DaleH]

the temps are very controlled! i have a ton of airflow in my case, when i was testing my gpu it was going around 75-77c, my CPU was always under 60c!
i do know power supplies degrade over time, but doesnt it seem weird that if its the cause, it would restart itself even when just web browsing?
im not sure about 450w being inadequate either, this PSU has seen a lot of systems and they all ran good! i used to mostly run it with my I7-3770S + HD 7950 and then a R7 370, i upgraded my system to ryzen this August and the gpu in October

sadly if its the power supply id have to outright buy a new one, since the other psu that i have around is an old Antec EA-430D in my AM2 system

It doesn't seem weird. It could cause restarts at any time for any reason. The PSU is known to be the highest failure item. Really, unless one can see something like smoke coming from a component, the only sure way to eliminate a component is to temporarily replace it with a known good part. One could use a DVM or oscilloscope to troubleshoot it, but the results would still not be definitive.

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

It doesn't seem weird. It could cause restarts at any time for any reason. The PSU is known to be the highest failure item. Really, unless one can see something like smoke coming from a component, the only sure way to eliminate a component is to temporarily replace it with a known good part. One could use a DVM or oscilloscope to troubleshoot it, but the results would still not be definitive.

do situations like these, with those very random and sudden crashes / "instabilities" - point to a PSU failure most of the time? and would a CX650 be a good replacement? im able to afford it

 

[digitaldata77]

A faulty or insufficient PSU can cause random crashes, instabilities and failures. Doesn't matter what OS you are using. A 650 Watt PSU installed in your system will have more headroom for reserve power during gaming and productivity applications. It would be worth the investment. The end result should be a smoother running experience with your PC. Hope this will work for you. I have used 750 Watt PSU's and up to 1200 Watt PSU's for my rigs with no power issues. My current computer is used for office applications and for gaming. It has a Seasonic 1050 Watt PSU. Cheers. Please kindly post your result with the new PSU.

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

A faulty or insufficient PSU can cause random crashes, instabilities and failures. Doesn't matter what OS you are using. A 650 Watt PSU installed in your system will have more headroom for reserve power during gaming and productivity applications. It would be worth the investment. The end result should be a smoother running experience with your PC. Hope this will work for you. I have used 750 Watt PSU's and up to 1200 Watt PSU's for my rigs with no power issues. My current computer is used for office applications and for gaming. It has a Seasonic 1050 Watt PSU. Cheers. Please kindly post your result with the new PSU.

i havent bought it yet as I'll be able to get it in 5 days, but i wanna ask: i googled around a bit and it seems like C-states could be a big cause too, and i have that set to auto in my bios, could that be the issue?

 

[digitaldata77]

When you have the new PSU installed You could try it with the C State on Auto and see if you get the same issues, Also try it disabled and see how your PC performs. Please post your results and any issues happening at that time with the Auto setting enabled and then see how it performs with the C state disabled. Also it will be very good news if your PC is performing as it should for you. Please post your results if it is working well for you. Cheers.

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

When you have the new PSU installed You could try it with the C State on Auto and see if you get the same issues, Also try it disabled and see how your PC performs. Please post your results and any issues happening at that time with the Auto setting enabled and then see how it performs with the C state disabled. Also it will be very good news if your PC is performing as it should for you. Please post your results if it is working well for you. Cheers.

i'll try! i should be able to report back either later today or tomorrow!

 

[SecondGreatFlood]

little update: it may probably be the outlet i had my pc plugged into, as after switching outlets the random crashes seem to have disappeared, however, at the same time i started turning off my power supply and just, turning it back on everytime i need my pc (non-issue, but the fact it *PROBABLY* gets "unstable" after being plugged in turned on for a bit too long seems like a bad omen? im not sure, however i do remember someone having my very same issue but with a Corsair HX and a much older system mention the same thing, except theirs was way more sporadic... so im not too sure about this power supply switch "theory" of mine)