Hello, everybody! I just build myself a new computer (with part suggestions from r/pcmasterrace) but it very frequently (and randomly) crashes. In fact, it crashed once while I wrote this! I have already bought new ram and rma'd the graphics card, but to no avail. I've even swapped out the PSU for one that I know has worked flawlessly before. During a crash, the screen will go to black and the monitor will display "no input" even though the computer is still very clearly on. I cannot do anything about it though, so I have to hold the power button and reset the computer to get back into it. Upon opening the case during a crash, everything seems to be fine, except the only fans that are not spinning are the ones on the GPU itself; however, I just got a replacement GPU, so that can't be the problem, right? Is the PCI slot on my motherboard to blame? It only has one slot, so I can't test it in another and I have no other GPU to test. My event viewer displays nothing except the standard errors you get when a computer is hard reset. Any help would be much appreciated.
New Build Frequently Crashes (Motherboard to Blame?)
- Thread starter ath4997
- Start date
Solution
Boot it with the case side cover off and watch how it acts. Do the GPU fans spin up at startup? If not, check the wiring connectors and make sure nothing is hanging up the fan blades. If so, keep watching while you fire up a game and just observe what is going on inside the case.
Ditto above post - full specs please.
Ditto above post - full specs please.
My system specs are as follows: ASRock FM2A88M Pro 3+ FM2+ mobo, 2x8GB G.SKILL Value Series DDR3 1333 ram sticks, AMD Athlon X4 860K Kaveri Quad-Core 3.7GHz processor, Gigabyte Radeon R9 270X Windforce Edition GPU, 600W EVGA power supply (but I also have a 750w), and a TPLINK TL-WDN4800 Network Adapter.
Also, yes, the GPU fans do spin at startup.
Also let it be known that my friend has an almost identical build that works (different PSU and only the 270, not the 270x) but we both run Windows 10 64bit.
Can you explain why my memory is not correct? On Newegg the motherboard is advertised as compatible with 1333 memory. My friend also has the same motherboard with one less stick of ram (but identical model) and his computer does not crash like mine.
You asked, "Can you explain why my memory is not correct? On Newegg the motherboard is advertised as compatible with 1333 memory?"
AMD Athlon X4 860K
Try researching supported memory for that APU at CPU-World.com
AMD Bulldozer processor families>AMD Athlon X4 microprocessor family
AMD Athlon X4 860K
Try researching supported memory for that APU at CPU-World.com
AMD Bulldozer processor families>AMD Athlon X4 microprocessor family
Geekwad
Admirable
- Sep 25, 2015
- 2,368
- 1
- 6,960
OK, a couple of things:
It's always a good idea to get RAM from the manufacturer's QVL list:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A88M%20Pro3+/?cat=Memory
It isn't absolutely necessary, as sometimes you can luck out, but it is guaranteed to work if you do. You also have the safety then if you call the manufacturer for customer support that they won't point to it and say "can't help you until you have approved memory in your system".
Beyond the QVL list, for higher performing machines (gaming), it advised to get RAM that is at least the same speed as the native memory controller. You're right, your board does support 1333Mhz memory, but your processor would like it to be much faster, with 1866+ being much preferred.
As for your current problem now; I can think of few solutions to explore. First would be, if you have the ability to RMA your two different sticks of RAM to get something that would work better, please do it. You will be much happier overall, and with something like 2133 or 2400Mhz kits, you'd be much more able to overclock, if you ever considered it. 1333Mhz just won't allow for it, and is possibly hindering your CPUs full turbo potential even now.
If not, then going down to 1 stick for testing and further trouble shooting is best. Because you were having issues with the first stick, adding a second unmatched stick would probably not make it better. RAM is always sold in matched kits because it was tested to work together properly, so when pairing unmatched sticks (even if the same make/model/etc, there is no guarantee from the manufacturer that it will work). Again like the silicon lottery in general, you can luck out and it will work, but sometimes it involves tweaking memory settings/timing/voltages to get it to work properly, or it just doesn't play nice in some or all situations (usually presenting itself under heavy loads, like gaming).
The last area to look at would be your UEFI/BIOS version. There have been system stability memory compatibility updates released since May, with the latest revision being Dec 22, 2015.....so while it isn't recommend to update your UEFI 'just because', when you're having issues, it's worth a try. When doing it though, use the memory stick 'instant flash' method......and never from within the operating system (this frequently causes problems, especially if you have system stability issues to begin with).
It's always a good idea to get RAM from the manufacturer's QVL list:
http://www.asrock.com/mb/AMD/FM2A88M%20Pro3+/?cat=Memory
It isn't absolutely necessary, as sometimes you can luck out, but it is guaranteed to work if you do. You also have the safety then if you call the manufacturer for customer support that they won't point to it and say "can't help you until you have approved memory in your system".
Beyond the QVL list, for higher performing machines (gaming), it advised to get RAM that is at least the same speed as the native memory controller. You're right, your board does support 1333Mhz memory, but your processor would like it to be much faster, with 1866+ being much preferred.
As for your current problem now; I can think of few solutions to explore. First would be, if you have the ability to RMA your two different sticks of RAM to get something that would work better, please do it. You will be much happier overall, and with something like 2133 or 2400Mhz kits, you'd be much more able to overclock, if you ever considered it. 1333Mhz just won't allow for it, and is possibly hindering your CPUs full turbo potential even now.
If not, then going down to 1 stick for testing and further trouble shooting is best. Because you were having issues with the first stick, adding a second unmatched stick would probably not make it better. RAM is always sold in matched kits because it was tested to work together properly, so when pairing unmatched sticks (even if the same make/model/etc, there is no guarantee from the manufacturer that it will work). Again like the silicon lottery in general, you can luck out and it will work, but sometimes it involves tweaking memory settings/timing/voltages to get it to work properly, or it just doesn't play nice in some or all situations (usually presenting itself under heavy loads, like gaming).
The last area to look at would be your UEFI/BIOS version. There have been system stability memory compatibility updates released since May, with the latest revision being Dec 22, 2015.....so while it isn't recommend to update your UEFI 'just because', when you're having issues, it's worth a try. When doing it though, use the memory stick 'instant flash' method......and never from within the operating system (this frequently causes problems, especially if you have system stability issues to begin with).
Okay so I got the two sticks that Calvin7 linked, but my problem still persists. I was able to play Knights of the Old Republic for about 5 minutes before a crash, but it still happens frequently and always when I try to play a moderately graphically-intense game (terraria was fine, but crashes when I exited the game).
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