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Why does my Home-built Computer Freeze/Stutter?

Tags:
  • Homebuilt
  • Windows Explorer
  • Computers
  • freezes
  • Hardware
  • Systems
  • Stress Test
Last response: in Systems
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June 2, 2013 2:12:11 PM

For some reason my computer begins to freeze at some of the oddest times. I can understand freezing during high load (prime 95 completely locks up my computer during a stress test unless I leave a free core) but there are times where I only have spotify skype and chrome open (6 tabs max) and opening windows explorer will take about 2 minutes to open. Sometimes under the SAME EXACT LOAD it will open instantly.

This computer has been upgraded multiple times and the only original pieces in this computer are the case and cpu fan (aftermarket).

Pieces left after first upgrade (oldest parts):
Samsung DVD Drive
160GB HDD (Disconnected, used occasionally, does not affect system stability)
MSI NVIDIA GeForce 210 2GB with Afterburner (Don't use afterburner) - Currently used for 2nd Monitor



Pieces left after second upgrade (about 1 year old):
1 x Crucial Ballistix 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Desktop Memory Model BLT2KIT2G3D1608DT1TX0 (Underclocked)
1 x AMD A8-3850 Llano 2.9GHz Socket FM1 100W Quad-Core Desktop APU
1 x GIGABYTE GA-A75M-D2H FM1 AMD A75 (Hudson D3) SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 HDMI Micro ATX AMD Motherboard



Current HDD (6 months old, cloned from old HDD):
1 x Seagate Barracuda ST2000DM001 2TB 7200 RPM 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive - (SMART Reports a Healthy Drive, currently 1.3TB free)



Current Power Supply:
1 x Athena Power AP-MPS3ATX40 400W Micro PS3 / ATX12V SLI Ready CrossFire Ready


Most recent freeze/stutter I had resmon open and it reported that all system usage DROPPED when the freeze occured (CPU Usage, Memory Usage , Disk IO, etc.). System went from ~75% usage to ~20% usage then skyrocketed back up to ~85% usage. First thing I did was check my cpu temp, which was running at about 49C (With a +5C offset as this APU has known temp reading issues.) I assume this temperature is normal because of the higher load and current weather (Ambient is 80F).

Another thing to note is that the computer has been scrubbed HARD for malware (TDSS Killer, ComboFix, RogueKiller, ADWCleaner, etc.) and goes through routine defragmentation.



Where should I start looking for these freezes?


tl;dr: I have no viruses and my hardware is recent, my computer stutters randomly, I perform routine maintenance, Help me!

More about : home built computer freeze stutter

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June 2, 2013 2:57:55 PM

COuld be the 400w power supply under load can't keep you pc up.
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June 4, 2013 5:08:40 AM

I'd echo the replacement for the PSU. Often overlooked, but it can cause no end of bother if it's not a decent unit. Corsair, Seasonic, XFX, Be Quiet! and Enermax are all good brands to go for.

I'd also consider a clean reinstall to confirm there are no issues with the cloning of your HDD.
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July 2, 2013 8:14:39 AM

Replaced memory, everything runs fine now. Hooray for ripjaws :3
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