Computer System Failure During Gameplay

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

SPECS:

MB: MSI Z97 PC Mate LGA 1150
CPU: Intel i5-4690k @ 3.50GHz
GPU: AMD Radeon R9 280x 3.0Gb
PSU: EVGA 750B
Heat Sink: Cool Master Hyper 212 EVO
Case: Corsair Graphite Series 760T
RAM: 16Gb (2x8) Crucial Ballistix Sport DDR3
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Home

I've noticed my computer is running weirdly, by that I mean it crashes upon running a few games. Oddly, the games are old but playable. I can run newer games with ease but this is starting to confuse me. I'm not overloading the PSU from what I've been told, but the RAM might be bad. I have 16Gb of RAM in the system but it's only reading as 8Gb are for use. Aside from that, when I opened up the case, I noted that my GPU was running 1 fan but both were booted.
What are the potential problems my computer might be facing and are there any solutions?

bjornl · Apr 11, 2016

If you are using Windows 7 Home Basic (64bit) it is limited to only using 8gb of ram. If you have Home Premium, it can use up to 16gb. 7 Pro can make use of 192gb. So your ram issue might be as simple as which version of Winows Home you have (8 vs 16 gb)

You might want to look at your drivers. Did you change them and start having issues?
If you have Home Premium, turn off your PC and re-seat your ram. If the problem persists so that even on the BIOS screen it only sees 8gb, remove 1/2 the ram and boot and see which 1/2 is bad and remove that from the PC.

Check your event log and see what is crashing in the event log.
Check your windows updates for missing updates.
check your PC in general Temp files, and such in the %temp% and %windir%\temp
Also check your PC (inside) for dust and dirt, clean as needed. Pay extra attention to your video card both for dirt as well as obstructions.
In a dos window type CHKDSK /F /R (do with with the DOS window open to the disk your games are on, probably C: or D:
Try re-installing a problem game and see if that resolves it.
If it has been a while, run malware bytes anti-malware.
Run some diagnostics on your video card, most card MFGs have some available. keep an eye on it, and if the 2nd fan never turns on no matter how hard you push the card, and you have already cleaned it and checked for obstructions, then your GFX card might be dying.

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

bjornl :

The system had noted this when I checked the event viewer for crash details:

"The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly.

BugcheckCode 0
BugcheckParameter1 0x0
BugcheckParameter2 0x0
BugcheckParameter3 0x0
BugcheckParameter4 0x0
SleepInProgress false
PowerButtonTimestamp 0"

I cleaned out the system thoroughly and ensure that the RAM, GPU, and PSU were all tightly connected to the MB. The OS I have (Win 7 64-B Home Prem.) Needed a .NET Framework update that it missed (4.6.1 for KB3102433)

For the Temp files, am I going to delete the temps?
Both games have been reinstalled and still come with the same issues. I run a Dual-Disk system where one is my boot and the other is my data.

As for Malware Bytes and my ESET NOD32, they're up to date and found nothing weird.

The GPU doesn't run the second fan unfortunately. I don't know if it's needed for overclocking or what, but it hasn't done a thing. The Motherboard identified the second fan as it's receiving a heat source, but it doesn't power up.

scout_03 · Apr 11, 2016

did you use the crimson driver for the gpu also use this on sensor page for temp on with power readings and fan speed http://www.hwinfo.com/download.php and this on will tell you in plain text if it is a driver issue http://www.resplendence.com/whocrashed for testing the ram use memtest,org 5.1 for windows on one stick at the time .

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

I believe I used Crimson when I first installed the drivers but I can't recall all that much. The overall Fan Speed is running at 38% Max but currently at 32%. As for the crashes, it doesn't report anything in any crash dumps. The test says that all the RAM is fine and nothing is out of the ordinary, but I also down graded to 8Gb instead of the 16Gb I had already.

scout_03 · Apr 11, 2016

what about temp and voltages reading fom hwinfo .also put that net framework update on .

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

Currently what it's saying.

scout_03 · Apr 11, 2016

now use gpu-z and use the rendering to see how far it goes up also check the one on the cpu .

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

How do I check GPU-Z?

scout_03 · Apr 11, 2016

here is the link to get it https://www.techpowerup.com/downloads/SysInfo/GPU-Z/ then start it and on then press the little question mark bus interface that will open a box name rendering start it and che your temp .

Beasy95 · Apr 11, 2016

scout_03 :

It's coming in at 45 Celcius.

scout_03 · Apr 12, 2016

i see you use 2 gpu remove the hd7970 first and use only the r9 280x in the first slot and see if system freeze then do the same with the other one of them could be going out .

Beasy95 · Apr 12, 2016

I hadn't the slightest idea of what you said. They're the same thing from what I comprehended. I removed the GPU entirely and am now running off the board for any graphics. I'm gonna test it and see what I can find out.

Beasy95 · Apr 12, 2016

It looks like the GPU was at fault. I just ran a test on the stock GPU with both games running at medium quality. It's giving me no problems at lower setting and some at upper settings. Seems like my GPU went and it's really a shame it did. Any suggestions for a new GPU? AMD or NVidia?

scout_03 · Apr 13, 2016

i am using a r9380 g1 gaming with 4 gig check if your psu is over 500 watts you could get one it only use 1 pins connector from psu .

Beasy95 · Apr 13, 2016

scout_03 :

I believe that the problem was my GPU required 750w all the time. The problem might be because it was draining a majority of the power for its own needs. Might have been causing a power surge in the PSU and it shut the PC down to prevent over heating. I also noticed without the GPU inserted, heat went down by 20 Celcius minimum and used an immensely lot less power than before.

The 970 even at overclocking seems to use less and produce more than an R9 380x - only downside I can see really is memory with the 970 @ 4Gb and the 380x @ 8Gb

scout_03 · Apr 13, 2016

witch one of those 280x you have link to it

Beasy95 · Apr 13, 2016

http://www.microcenter.com/product/431306/Radeon_R9_280X_Overclocked_3GB_DDR5_PCI-e_30_Video_Card

scout_03 · Apr 14, 2016

your right it need a 750 watts with a 6 and 8 pins connector .

Computer System Failure During Gameplay

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