Starting games freezes PC

[funkyzoom]

I seem to be having a strange issue with a newly built PC running Windows 10 Pro (64 bit).

I first tried playing Doom (the new one). Initially, my PC would freeze up (requiring a hard reset) a few minutes after entering the game (even if I was just in the menus, and not even started the game). Switching the resolution down to 1080 p (Initially it was 1440p) and changing to Vulkan API fixed the issue. Now I am able to play Doom on the highest settings at 60 fps, with no issues.

Now I am having similar issues with Far Cry Primal. On 1080p, the game starts and plays the intro cinematic from 5 to 60 seconds (it depends), then freezes my PC (needing a hard reset).

I suppose it could be one of the following reasons:
1) A faulty GPU
2) A faulty PSU (if it's not supplying enough power to the GPU)
3) Bad drivers

I cleaned my drivers with DDU and reinstalled the latest ones from AMD, but the problem persists.
Here are my specs:

Here are the specs:

Corsair Carbide SPEC-03 Mid Tower Gaming Case
Kingston HyperX Fury HX318C10FRK2/16 16GB (2x8GB) Red
XFX Radeon RX 480 GTR OC 8GB
Logitech Z506 5.1 Surround Sound Speakers
Toshiba DT01ACA300 3TB 7200RPM
MSI 970A-G43 PLUS Motherboard
LG BH16NS55 16X BD-R Blu-Ray Writer OEM
AMD FX-8350 8 Core Black Edition Processor with Wraith cooler
Logitech Wireless Desktop MK710
Cooler Master V850 80 Plus Gold 850W Power Supply

 

[10tacle]

Have you run a few stress test programs that test both the CPU and GPU? I do that before even thinking about installing games on a new build.

If your hardware passes those, then you know it's software related (up to and including a deeply imbedded virus...I assume you use both antivirus and antimalware programs). I also assume your CPU and GPU thermals are good.

 

[funkyzoom]

Have you run a few stress test programs that test both the CPU and GPU? I do that before even thinking about installing games on a new build.

If your hardware passes those, then you know it's software related (up to and including a deeply imbedded virus...I assume you use both antivirus and antimalware programs). I also assume your CPU and GPU thermals are good.

Which tools do you recommend for the stress test? I am aware of Furmark, but that's based on OpenGL. Is there one that uses DIrect X? Or does this even matter?

 

[10tacle]

Sorry for the late response. Somehow I did not get alerted to your response. Anyway, I use Unigine's Heaven and Valley, AIDA64, and OCCT. The Unigine stress engines are the most demanding on the GPU.