New PC, Crash/Reboots when playing Black ops

[Sam_1_Am]

Basically I recently put together a pc and it crashes or reboots after playing black ops for about 10-15min.
There are no error messages, or blue screens. Just restarts or freezes until I reboot it myself.

PC specs:

i7 2600K 3.4Ghz (not overclocked with stock fan)
Asus p8z68 Motherboard (lastest bios)
EVGA gtx 580 3gb (latest driver)
8gb ram
Thortech 1000W power supply
1tb WD Caviar Black HDD

This is the only game I have on this system, I havent tested out any other games.
I've checked cpu and gpu temps up to the time of rebooting/crashing and all cores are at high 50's with 63-66c max temps reached. GPU topped at 63c. All settings where maxed, however this has crashed even when playing on lowest res.

I'm out of ideas please help.

 

[HEXiT]

your max cpu temp is 72 so your cpu temp is fine... 63 for the gpu is also fine.
so check other places for errors.
control panel/ admin tools/ event viewer is a good place to start.


if theres still no luck then
check in bios...
if your running win7 or vista you must have hpet (high precision event timer) enabled and matching your O.S. bit rate so 32 for 32bit and 64 for 64bit...

make sure everything else in bios is set to optomized defaults... save and reboot.


run a prime 95 blend test and see if the cpu and memory are stable...
run a superpi 32m test. if the memory has an issue it will show up straight away with this test. i know its not conventional but i find its quicker than running memtest and just as demanding.

stress test your gpu with furmark this will tell you if its a gpu/psu issue...
with gpu its just as important to keep an eye on your vrm temps as your gpu temps...
if it cuts out on the gpu stress test then take your psu to be tested, and test the gpu on another system.

 

[Sam_1_Am]

Thanks for replying, Ill do as you say. I tried reinstalling the stock fan a few times, and noticed my cpu temps were consistently higher than previously (used to be high 30's at idle, now at low 40's)

I ran 3dMark 11, and my pc rebooted when it started doing the cpu tests. I ran a separate cpu stress test and it rebooted. Although once it reached 97c without rebooting, however I stopped the stress test once I saw the temp (only stress tested for a few seconds before it reached 97c)

So I'm fairly sure the problem is with my cpu cooling, which is a common problem I know. As I'm not very knowledgeable in this area, I would like to know what these symptoms sound like to someone who knows what they are talking about.

Also, when I change my bios settings to "optimal" (i.e max performance) I get a screen on startup telling me the cpu is overheating or that my overclock failed (even though I'm not overclocking and the clock speed is still at 3.4Ghz)

I must keep my bios settings at "power saving" (i.e lowest performance) in order to start up windows. I'm am going to buy a decent cpu cooler once I get some money, but I would like to know if that is likely to solve this issue. Thanks.

 

[Sam_1_Am]

Best answer selected by Sam_1_Am.

 

[HEXiT]

you did use new thermal paste when you refitted the cpu didnt you? you should never re use old paste especially if its stock that came with the cpu. as this will lead to air bubbles and dirt being trapped in the paste, stopping it being effective.
the cpu cooler if working correctly should keep your temps around 30 at idle and 55 at load. if there not in that ball park then the cooler is either badly mounted or damaged.
when you re apply new paste make sure the old has been removed properly.. use a lint free cloth with some 90%+ pure rubbing alcohol or tim remover...
use a dry side of the cloth to polish the surface of the cooler and cpu heat plate. apply the correct amount of paste onto the cpu and sit the cooler on top. now rotate gently left and right a few degrees pressing lightly on the cooler as you do so. this will make the join air tight. now lock it down...
connect the fan and if all is well reboot. your temps should come down to reasonable even with the stock intel cooler.

zalman grease, arctic silver, turiq compound, and arctic cool mx-4 all good trusted brands that cost about 5 pounds and will give the best heat transfer...

 

[AntiZig]

check that you applied thermal paste correctly and yeah, invest in an aftermarket cooler