PC Build from the Pits of Hell (Help End the Misery)

EternalGamer2 · Aug 17, 2013

So, a buddy of mine decided he wanted to get into PC gaming about four months ago so I helped him pick out some parts and put together his first build. Since then he has had no end of misery from this build and I'm at my wits end trying to help him get to the source his troubles.

For the first month or so, things went relatively smoothly. Then his games started locking up randomly. I had him run a virus check and we found some malware and removed it but the problem persisted. So, I had him do a a fresh OS install thinking it might be a bad version of Windows. He has tried both Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 preview now.

Weirdly, the problems seemed not to occur when he gamed on a TV at 720p, it was only when he gamed on a monitor he first had the issues. So I thought it might be a RAM problem, so I had him run memory checks (which came up clean) and had him try removing one of the sticks of RAM.

The problems persisted and started to get worse thanks to Windows 8.1. Windows 8 would now frequently get caught in a viscous repair loop wherein it would boot up, say there was a problem with installation, try to repair it, fail, and reboot and then do it again.

So then I decided it might be a harddrive problem. I sent him a brand new SSD to try out cause I felt for him. It seemed to work well for a couple of days then the problem returned with a vengeance. First his system locked up. Then the Windows Recovery stuff started again. Then he went to turn on his system two days ago and the fans would start and about 2-4 seconds later the system would shut off.

Maybe it's a power supply problem, we thought, so he went to Best Buy to buy a cheap power supply to test that theory. The new powersupply does the same thing. The PC boots for a few seconds and then dies.

Tomorrow he is going to try to strip it down to the bare minimum and we are going to add components until we can try to sort out the problem. But I would really appreciate any suggestions.

TLDR: 4 months of hell. Lock ups and unstable Windows builds. Tried 2 Windows reinstalls. Tried a new SSD. Tried removing some RAM. Tried new power supply. Help.

Here are his specs:

Asrock Z77 Pro Revision 3 Motherboard (new)
Intel i5 3570k (used from some dude)
Evo Hyper 212 Heatsink (new)
Saphire Radeon 7950 Boost 3GB DDR5
Corsair Vengeance 8GB (2x4) DDR3 RAM (new)
620W Seasonic M12II Power Supply (used from same dude)
Phantom 410 Gunmetal Case (new)
1TB Western Digital Caviar Blue (new)
120GB Samsung 840 SSD (new)

Here are a few questions:

1) What is the most likely culprit? He bought his parts new except his processor and power supply, which we bought "slightly used" from a guy on a gaming forum who claimed he just wanted to upgrade.

2) We didn't really for a processor or motherboard problem. Is that a possible culprit given the symptoms? What diagnostic tools should I be looking to download to test various components?

I feel really shitty. He spent a ton of money on this PC and just wanted to get in on PC gaming as opposed to console gaming but so far he's had almost the worst possible luck getting a stable build running. Dude just wants to play Dark Souls in peace.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 17, 2013

Could be the CPU. Check it's stable using something like OCCT.

John Bauer · Aug 17, 2013

It certainly sounds like a virus, but then again, have you tried a different processor? Checked for bent pins? Checked for overheating?

Try putting a bunch or programs like these on a USB thumb drive and starting Windows in safe mode, then run a bunch of them, also including one I use adwcleaner.exe,

you should also download Speedfan or Coretemp

Personally I would NEVER trust some dude on a gaming forum to supply me with computer parts, let alone a CPU or PSU.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Thanks. I'll check out this program.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

John Bauer :

Well, in hindsight, yeah it was probably a bad idea but the guy did seem reputable and had all the boxes and paper work.

I have been monitoring his system using Soluto and have seen no abnormal temps but we'll check it out.

Could a virus/malware survive a formatting and/ a change of operating systems? He definitely had some malware at one point.

I did have him using Malware Byres, CC Cleaner, Soluto and MS Security Essentials already. Bu I'll have a look at these others. Thanks for the loks.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 18, 2013

xkcd 1180: Virus Venn Diagram

That's not a virus, and probably not malware. There is a very small amount of malware that can get into your BIOS, but usually they just fry it.

Most likely the guy screwed up when OCing and damaged the chip.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

I researched the i5 3570k and it seems like it should still be under warranty since they just came out last year and have a 3 year warranty. So that makes me feel a little better if that ends up being the problem. I justmwish there was a way for us to know what was causing the problem without replacing every single part one by one.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

If that were the case wouldnt I have noticed it overheating? Have been monitoringmhis PC remotely using Soluto and haven't notice any temps out of the ordinary.

John Bauer · Aug 18, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

EternalGamer2 :

Sorry to burst your bubble, but OCing voids the warrently.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 18, 2013

It's not necessarily going to overheat if it's been damaged, just not always return the right results.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

I order to help my friend in testing tomorrow, I downloaded OCCT, which several people in this thread have mentioned so far and tested it with my own system.

Question, are their any recommended settings I should be using? How do I know if it is bad? What am I looking for when monitoring these settings?

John Bauer · Aug 18, 2013

EternalGamer2 :

Just make sure that when scanning the computer with any anti-virus or anything like that, have the computer startup in safe mode.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 18, 2013

It should come up with a warning if it fails the stability test.

The default settings should be fine.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Do you mean the first test labeled "CPU: OCCTT"?

There are 3 tests: CPU:OCCT, CPU: LinPack, GPU 3D, and Power Supply.

By default they are set to run for an unlimited amount of time. How long should I/we let them run? I gather from what you say we are primarily looking for the program to pop up a notice of an error message.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 18, 2013

Give it an hour or two.

Either OCCT or Linpack are fine.

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

Thanks for your help so far guys.

So I tried using OCCT for an hour. The results don't seem to be anything abnormal as far as I can see. Here are some examples of what we got:

EternalGamer2 · Aug 18, 2013

We also ran Malwarebyte and CC Cleaner registry checks and both are clear.

So then we tried using the Power supply test on OCCT in Windows 8 and it crashed. I was actually happy about that. I thought maybe we found the problem. So we hooked up a new power supply and ran OCCT power suppy test again it crashed too.

I tried running Furmark and after about 4 minutes it crashed too. With the new power supply in (not the old one)

This is with no videocard in, just one stick of RAM, SSD, motherboard and CPU.

Someone told me that OCCT running for an hour should suffice for both CPU and Mem test check to indicate I have no major errors in either area. So where to go next?

Does this seem like it is pushing toward a motherboard problem? What should I try to find out?

Someone Somewhere · Aug 19, 2013

That's interesting. Sounds like it could be related to the iGPU or something.

What happens if you run those tests with the 7950?

EternalGamer2 · Aug 19, 2013

Someone Somewhere :

Well, but if it was just the iGPU then he wouldn't have instability problems when the Radeon 7950 was being used since the i5 GPU is disabled then.

I told him to go ahead and submit an RMA for the motherboard because I don't have a clue in hell what else to do and it seems like nobody else can really figure it out anyway. My fear, though, is that even if he gets a new motherboard that won't end the problems.

So I offer to swap him my i5 for his and I can RMA/work on the problem.

If anyone has any other suggestions to look into for when he gets this too me it would be appreciated. He is mailing it out today so should be here by the end of the week.

Someone Somewhere · Aug 19, 2013

If you have an LGA1155 chip, that's the easiest test.

I'd expect it to be the chip, but it's hard to tell.

PC Build from the Pits of Hell (Help End the Misery)

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