PC freezing while gaming

bratello2005 · May 1, 2015

MY Specs are:

OS - Windows 8.1 64 bit
CPU AMD FX-9590 Vishera 32nm Technology with water cooling from Cooler Master
RAM - 12.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 1600mhz
Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 990FXA-UD3 (rev 4)
Graphics 4096MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 290 (MSI Gaming Edition)
Power Supply - AZZA Alpha 800 watt
128 GB SSD Drive + 3TB Hard Drive

It is always and only freezing while gaming. I tried everything. I gave it to tech specialist and he run diagnostic and didn't find anything wrong. He said that my cooling system and power supply are working fine. Maybe it is something wrong with videocard. I run memory diagnostic of my RAM and videocard (using memtest86) and it didn't find any errors. There are no viruses/malware in my pc. All drivers/bios are updated thanks to Driver Booster. What could possibly be wrong with my PC? Should I buy a new videocard? If yes, which one of r9 290x will be better choice? PS. Now i think it was stupid but I bought this PC from Neweeg.com, it was open box from CyberPower PC. And i cant send it back.

BadBoyGreek · May 1, 2015

Cooling system and power supply "working fine" is one thing, temperature issues are entirely another. Have you monitored your temps while gaming to see how high they're reaching? It definitely sounds like something in your system is being stressed during gaming, likely your graphics card by the sounds of it, though your power supply looks awful suspicious too - I've never heard of Azza and I'm not sure about their quality or reliability, especially when paired with a power hungry, high end card like an R9 290.

In any case, just because something "works fine" doesn't mean it's doing its job efficiently or that it's performing sufficiently under load. I would watch your temperatures during gaming sessions and see what's going on.

bratello2005 · May 1, 2015

BadBoyGreek :

Cooling system and power supply "working fine" is one thing, temperature issues are entirely another. Have you monitored your temps while gaming to see how high they're reaching? It definitely sounds like something in your system is being stressed during gaming, likely your graphics card by the sounds of it, though your power supply looks awful suspicious too - I've never heard of Azza and I'm not sure about their quality or reliability, especially when paired with a power hungry, high end card like an R9 290.

In any case, just because something "works fine" doesn't mean it's doing its job efficiently or that it's performing sufficiently under load. I would watch your temperatures during gaming sessions and see what's going on.

CPU Temp - 48 C
Motherboard 34 C
GPU 65 C

Neutr1n0 · May 1, 2015

Temps are fine if those are during gaming. Either stability issue or faulty PSU. If you are not OCed, PSU is main suspect. Try with different PSU to confirm.

BadBoyGreek · May 1, 2015

Yeah if your temps are within the normal load thresholds, then I would look into testing with / investing in a more quality PSU. Again, I don't know much about Azza, and maybe they make some decent units, but power supplies are never something you should chintz out on and you should go with a reputable brand.

bratello2005 · May 1, 2015

Neutr1n0 :

So what kind of PSU i should buy? Manufacturer's name?

bratello2005 · May 1, 2015

BadBoyGreek :

So what kind of PSU i should buy? Manufacturer's name?

BadBoyGreek · May 1, 2015

bratello2005 :

Corsair, EVGA, Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Antec are all solid brands. Try, if possible, to get one that's at least 80+ gold certified if you can afford it, though 80+ bronze would be sufficient as well.

bratello2005 · May 2, 2015

BadBoyGreek :

bratello2005 :

Corsair, EVGA, Cooler Master, Thermaltake, Antec are all solid brands. Try, if possible, to get one that's at least 80+ gold certified if you can afford it, though 80+ bronze would be sufficient as well.

Temp update. While playing Dying Light, both, CPU and GPU had temperatures of 70C. And of course my PC freezed. But when i increased the speed of fan, i was able to play a little bit longer. So, i do not know what i need to buy? More fans? Power Supply? Or new videocard (for example Sapphire r9 290x with 3 fans)?

BadBoyGreek · May 2, 2015

bratello2005 :

BadBoyGreek :

Temp update. While playing Dying Light, both, CPU and GPU had temperatures of 70C. And of course my PC freezed. But when i increased the speed of fan, i was able to play a little bit longer. So, i do not know what i need to buy? More fans? Power Supply? Or new videocard (for example Sapphire r9 290x with 3 fans)?

70 C is still well within normal operating temperatures for the GPU so that shouldn't be causing you to freeze, especially on an R9 290. I suspect the power draw by the GPU under load is most likely causing the instability. The first thing I would change out personally is the power supply. If you still have stability issues after that, I'd recommend a clean reinstall of your system to rule out software / driver issues. If issues persist, then it's possible your GPU could be defective and may need to be RMA'd.

bratello2005 · May 2, 2015

BadBoyGreek :

bratello2005 :

70 C is still well within normal operating temperatures for the GPU so that shouldn't be causing you to freeze, especially on an R9 290. I suspect the power draw by the GPU under load is most likely causing the instability. The first thing I would change out personally is the power supply. If you still have stability issues after that, I'd recommend a clean reinstall of your system to rule out software / driver issues. If issues persist, then it's possible your GPU could be defective and may need to be RMA'd.

What is RMA? I have reinstalled my system twice, and it didn't help. I will try EVGA power supply with 1000 w.

BadBoyGreek · May 2, 2015

RMA is Return Merchandise Authorization - basically the "proper" terminology for warranty replacement. If you've already wiped your system clean twice and you're still having those problems, you 100% have a hardware problem on your hands. Let us know how it goes after the power supply replacement; I wouldn't say you need to go as high as a 1,000w EVGA for a single card, but it's certainly a darn good power supply.

maxalge · May 2, 2015

bratello2005 :

MY Specs are:

OS - Windows 8.1 64 bit
CPU AMD FX-9590 Vishera 32nm Technology with water cooling from Cooler Master
RAM - 12.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 1600mhz
Motherboard Gigabyte Technology Co., Ltd. 990FXA-UD3 (rev 4)
Graphics 4096MB ATI AMD Radeon R9 290 (MSI Gaming Edition)
Power Supply - AZZA Alpha 800 watt
128 GB SSD Drive + 3TB Hard Drive

It is always and only freezing while gaming. I tried everything. I gave it to tech specialist and he run diagnostic and didn't find anything wrong. He said that my cooling system and power supply are working fine. Maybe it is something wrong with videocard. I run memory diagnostic of my RAM and videocard (using memtest86) and it didn't find any errors. There are no viruses/malware in my pc. All drivers/bios are updated thanks to Driver Booster. What could possibly be wrong with my PC? Should I buy a new videocard? If yes, which one of r9 290x will be better choice? PS. Now i think it was stupid but I bought this PC from Neweeg.com, it was open box from CyberPower PC. And i cant send it back.

You have an odd number of ram. That can cause those issues as well.

8 + 4 gb sticks?

BadBoyGreek · May 2, 2015

maxalge :

bratello2005 :

You have an odd number of ram. That can cause those issues as well.

8 + 4 gb sticks?

He could also be running 3 x 4 GB which wouldn't conflict, only drop it back to single channel mode.

bratello2005 · May 3, 2015

BadBoyGreek :

I went to BestBuy and I bought Corsair CX850M power supply. The problem still exist. Should i try another videocard? P.S. I use to have only 2 RAM sticks (each with 4gb, 1600mhz) and i was having this problem. So i've decided to buy one more stick with 4gb and with the same speed because all modern games asking for 8gb of RAM. And as you know the problem is still here.

maxalge · May 3, 2015

bratello2005 :

Install msi afterburner and make sure temp monitoring is on for the cpu in OSD.

take off all but a single ram stick and try gaming.

If you don't freeze, add another and test again.

Test all ram sticks.

70c is max recommended for that hog. Your VRM's are probably screaming.
Downclock the processor see if that helps.

bratello2005 · May 3, 2015

maxalge :

bratello2005 :

You have an odd number of ram. That can cause those issues as well.

8 + 4 gb sticks?

I use to have only 2 RAM sticks (each with 4gb, 1600mhz) and i was having this problem. So i've decided to buy one more stick with 4gb and with the same speed because all modern games asking for 8gb of RAM. And as you know the problem is still here.

bratello2005 · May 3, 2015

maxalge :

bratello2005 :

take off all but a single ram stick and try gaming.

If you don't freeze, add another and test again.

Test all ram sticks.

I did memtest. And there was no errors. I use to have only 2 RAM sticks (each with 4gb, 1600mhz) and i was having this problem. So i've decided to buy one more stick with 4gb and with the same speed because all modern games asking for 8gb of RAM. And as you know the problem is still here.

bratello2005 · May 3, 2015

maxalge :

I have msi afterburner already. Controlling/increasing the speed of fan didn't help either. I just have tested it with only 1 stick of RAM (the newer one). NO! The problem is still here. Guess I am going to try another videocard. By the way, the guy i know tried my PC with older crad from NVIDIA by playing Skyrim. So i do not know, either Skyrim is to old to freeze my PC or there is a problem in VideoCard. I played Mass Effect 3 on my videocard without any freezing problems. But games like Assassins Creed Unity, Far Cry 4, Ryse the Son of Rome, Dragon Age Inquisition, Resident Evil Revelations, Mortal Kombat 10 and etc... All of them are freezing.

bratello2005 · May 4, 2015

I am going to try MSI GTX 970 because it is capable with my motherboard. And if the problem remains... for me it is going to be mean that the problem is in motherboard. Am i right?

Quantummm · May 4, 2015

is you're GPU running at 60C gaming or at idle cause im having sort of the same issue maybe we can find a fix hopefully

bratello2005 · May 4, 2015

Quantummm :

My GPU running at 70C while gaming. Yeah, hopefully, we will find a fix. I will visit BsetBuy today to look for GTX 970, but if i will not find it I will order it online. Then, i will post my result here.

bratello2005 · May 6, 2015

Quantummm :

My problem is solved thanks to new VideoCard. I went to BestBuy and bought EVGA ACX 2.0 GTX 970 4GB Edition. I also disabled C1E Support and Core C6 State in bios (advanced system frequency settings). And I inserted my video card in Nvidia Sli ready slot on my motherboard.

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