Random Computer Crashes After Hardware Upgrade

[Blake6332]

So I'm gonna start off by saying that this is my first time upgrading in a computer, and though I did try to make sure that I was doing it right, I may have made a few mistakes.

So I recently got the Gtx 760 graphics card (Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814130932) (upgraded from a AMD Radeon 7750, big upgrade) and I did not realize until I got the card and plugged it in that I did not have the extra 6pin and 8pin power supply connectors required to run the GPU, as I had a REALLY BAD PSU (Corsair 430w, yeah I know). So I upgraded and decided to get a PSU that allowed for growth, the Corsair CX750M (Link: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139051).

Now that I had gotten the computer up and running with no trouble, I was excited to start playing some of my games on it! But first I was prompted to upgrade my Nvidia Graphics Card driver. I did this and in the middle of installing the download the computer crashed (completely turned off). Turned it back on and it was having some difficulty powering back up. I also experienced a crash just while browsing the internet. I started The Elder Scrolls online and crashed after about 5 minutes of playing. Then I facepalmed, I had forgotten to update my CPU drivers! (Link to CPU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113331). I did so and then everything worked fine for a much longer time until I opened up The Walking Dead Season 2 (the game) and it black screened and crashed the PC as the main menu was trying to get pulled up. The last time I crashed was when I was in the middle of town in ESO again.

My Cooler is the Asetek 510LC Liquid Cooling System 120mm Radiator & Fan (Enhanced Cooling Performance + Extreme Silent at 20dBA) [+0] (Single Standard 120mm Fan), can't seem to find it online.

Anyways, can anyone tell what my problem is with the computer? It doesn't appear to be overheating, as I ran the program Core Temp and the computer never went over 33 degrees Fahrenheit and in the middle of gaming I wasn't warned that the computer was at critical levels of heat (it was set to warn me of just that).

 

[stokes1790]

Few suggestions. Did you ever finish installing your gpu drivers? The monitor will turn off for up to 30 seconds a few times while you update your drivers, don't restart it when this happens.

It could also be the PSU, the CX line is average quality. It is unfortunate that you just bought it, but in the future I'd suggest the HX/TX line if you want to stick with corsair.

Your temps actually seem extremely low (I almost guarantee its 33C not F, since that would literally be freezing, but even so). I would make sure the display is plugged into the gpu not the motherboard and that you are defaulting to the PCIe graphics in BIOS. You should be seeing Gpu load temps betwen 50-80C (use MSI afterburner)

Hope that helps!

 

[Blake6332]

Yes I did finish installing the GPU drivers just fine. I'd like to think it was not the PSU because I got the 750w because it was far more than enough to run my current set-up. I can confirm that Core Temp does at least SAY the temps are 33 degrees F. By display do you mean the monitor? Should the monitor be plugged into the graphics card rather than the motherboard? I don't actually have anything to connect the monitor to the GPU since my HDMI cable isn't working with it and the DVI adapter was the wrong kind that came with it.

 

[stokes1790]

Yep, you need to plug the monitor into the gpu. Looks like you need to buy a cable.

If your temp monitoring program is reading 33f you need a new program, like MSI afterburner. unless you are using liquid nitrogen, your gpu is not 40 degrees below ambient.

Edit: a note on PSUs, the wattage number quoted is generally not very informative. The output on the 12v rail, measured in Amps, is the figure that really matters. (I've seen junky 500w PSUs output less than half the 12v A that a quality 500w unit). The quality of the actual components in the unit are also important (harder to determine this just from the spec sheet though). Generally, a higher quality PSU at a lower wattage will be a better buy than a lower quality unit at the same price point. All that said, the CX is fine, and it looks like your issue has been identified.

 

[Blake6332]

Alright well I'm going to test my other HDMI cable right now and restart my computer so that it gets detected. I have a feeling my other one may have just been broken or something, since I don't remember using it ever before I tried on this computer. I will also get MSI Afterburner and try it out.

 

[Ivan_Drago27]

If your monitor is plugged into your mobo then it will be using the onboard gpu which would likely be a significant drop in performance from the 7750 ... as the poster said above, plug it into your 760.

 

[stokes1790]

Alright well I'm going to test my other HDMI cable right now and restart my computer so that it gets detected. I have a feeling my other one may have just been broken or something, since I don't remember using it ever before I tried on this computer. I will also get MSI Afterburner and try it out.

Great, let me know if you have any further issues.

You can set this thread to solved once you get everything working.

 

[Blake6332]

Just plugged in the other HDMI cable to no avail. I plugged the other HDMI cable in and then shut the computer down and restarted it, but it still isn't being detected. I don't think this is an issue though because I am getting graphics that I should be from a 760. Or is it just the reason that I am experiencing stability issues? As in, if I plugged the monitor into the GPU then is there a chance that that would fix my crashing issues?

 

[Ivan_Drago27]

As far as I understand you should not be getting any usage from the 760 if your monitor is plugged into the board and not the card. If you have onboard graphics it would use those, if not you would get no signal detection. You have to plug your monitor into the card, either way I would try using the DVI-D input as is the essentially the same as HDMI (no difference in picture or audio quality) and see if it works then.

 

[Blake6332]

As far as I understand you should not be getting any usage from the 760 if your monitor is plugged into the board and not the card. If you have onboard graphics it would use those, if not you would get no signal detection. You have to plug your monitor into the card, either way I would try using the DVI-D input as is the essentially the same as HDMI (no difference in picture or audio quality) and see if it works then.

Okay well if that's the case then I guess I was wrong, the monitor is most likely connected to the GPU. I must have been looking at the wrong thing.

If it is overheating, does that mean I need a better cooler or do I need a better CPU?

 

[Ivan_Drago27]

If your computer is overheating you need better cooling. If your computer is crashing due to overheating it is a CPU issue. You don't necessarily need a new CPU, actually it seems as though you have a fairly decent CPU, so you most likely need to either dust out your case and components (use compressed air can), reapply the thermal paste, or get a new cpu cooler. I recommend you download Aida64 and run a stress test for a couple of hours. If your pc doesnt crash during the test then it is likely not a cooling issue as your computer can run at maximum stress for atleast a few hours.

As someone mentioned above it could be a psu issue as well. I know that would suck as you just bought a new one, but it seams that it could definitely the issue. Have you overclocked your cpu at all, if so you will need to potentially adjust your voltages though you being able to boot up suggests its not a overclock issue. You may have a faulty psu which is unable to give adequate wattage to all your components. Do you have a friend who has a pc that you could plug your 760 into ? it may very well be a power issue.

 

[Blake6332]

Okay so I am testing w/ Aida64 right now. I cleaned out my computer yesterday around the time when I first posted. I haven't ever overclocked the CPU at all. I can try plugging it in into a friends computer but it will be about a week and a half before I have that opportunity. Hopefully I will be able to have fixed it by then, though.

 

[Blake6332]

Completed the test, computer crashed around 25 mins in.

 

[Ivan_Drago27]

ok, if your system is crashing at 25 minutes you're dealing with a CPU overheating issue. Essentially it means that at 25 minutes your computer cannot handle running at max load (ie. playing a modern pc game) and is shutting down to save your cpu. I recommend you either re apply your thermal paste (use isopropylique 99% alcohol to remove old paste) or purchase a after market cooler (either go hyper evo 212 for about 30-40$ or go water cooling for about 70-80$)

 

[Blake6332]

Alright guys, thanks a lot for the help! About to order the Hyper Evo 212 cooler from newegg, hopefully this fixes my problem. Really excited to get this going, as the few minutes I did get to play were AWESOME and such an improvement over my old card (Crysis 2 Ultra Graphics, drools). I'll be back if the issue persists but if not then I'll set the thread to solved after I get the cooler and test it. Once again, thanks!