My desktop keeps freezing/crashing

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Grant McKinley

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Aug 6, 2014
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I have had this problem for several months where my computer will unexpectedly freeze or crash. It started in the fall but eventually stopped, so I let it go, but now it seems to happen more than ever. It usually occurs while I'll playing a game (i.e. Counter Strike) and listening to music or on a call in Skype. However, it froze the other day while I was only watching a stream on Twitch.

I built my desktop sometime ago, but have upgraded it over the years. Here are the specs:

CPU: AMD FX-8150 Zambezi 8-Core 3.6GHz Socket AM3+ 125W
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-990FXA-UD3 AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950
Graphics Card: XFX R9-280X-TDFD Radeon R9 280X 3GB 384-Bit GDDR5
Memory: G.SKILL Ripjaws Series 8GB (2 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600
SSD: 2x SAMSUNG 840 Pro Series MZ-7PD128BW 2.5" 128GB (I run a raid 0)
HDD: 750GB Western Digital
PSU: 650w Cosair
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate.

The graphics card and SSD's are relatively new, but everything else is from when I originally built it.

I think the problem might be the CPU. After my computer freezes/crashes I can feel the heat from the CPU if I put my hand on the top of my case. To combat this I purchased a new CPU fan and heatsink: Noctua NH-L9a 92mm SSO2 CPU Cooler, however, it didn't stop the freezing/crashes and I can still feel the heat on the case.
 
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Grant McKinley

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Aug 6, 2014
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It's never bluescreened before. When running the memtest, if the computer freezes or shuts down is it safe to assume that the ram is the issue?

 
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IamTimTech

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Oct 13, 2014
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Unfortunately without a second power supply, graphics card or confirmed working PC to test in there isn't really an easy way. The easiest way is to find a PC that works perfectly and drop your graphics card in it, install the proper drivers and see if the problem persists in the new PC. The same goes for the power supply. Leave the confirmed working GPU in the other PC and try using your power supply. If you experience the same problem you know it's the power supply. If you need me to go further in depth I can.
 
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Grant McKinley

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Aug 6, 2014
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I might be able to give that a go. However, I don't believe it to be the GPU because the graphics card is relatively new, and this problem began while I still had my old one. I purchased a new one because I had been wanting to upgrade and I believed it would fix the problem. Unfortunately it didn't.
 
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IamTimTech

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Oct 13, 2014
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DOn't discount the GPU just because it is new. I myself just had a bad MSI r9 270X from the factory and XFX users have had the same experience according to Newegg reviews. But since you already replaced the GPU once and these symptoms you are experiencing are typical of power supply problems I would say that is reasonable.
 
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IamTimTech

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Oct 13, 2014
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Only if the other PC has similar power draw. If you stick it in a cheap prebuilt like an HP with no GPU it may not be drawing enough power to trigger any problems. If you put it in a similar system drawing similar amounts of electricity then it should show the same symptoms. Another option is to use a different power supply in your PC and see if the problem goes away.
 
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Grant McKinley

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Aug 6, 2014
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Are there any other ways to test a power supply without hooking it up to another computer?

 
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