BSODs & app crashes - Faulty Motherboard?

[kronosjt]

I've been running into random BSODs and app crashes on my system. These started occurring recently. I've seen the following BSODS:
-System_Service_Exception
-A driver has overrun a stack-based buffer
-Page fault in non paged area

I've seen these occur while doing the following:
- installing a driver/app
- playing a game
- playing mp3 in WMP

I've also seen app crashes pointing to random dlls - mf.dll, nvd3dum.dll, BEX and many more. Sometimes the system just hangs.

Here's what I've tried to isolate:
- Install various GPU drivers - old & new.
- Swapped the GPU in the faulty machine with another one. Got BSODs and crashes
- Swapped the HDD in the faulty machine. Got BSODs and crashes
- Checked out each memory stick by running memtest & Windows Memory Diagnostics. Both came out ok.
- Tried using the same HDD on another machine running the same apps & they all run fine.

Could the motherboard be faulty. The system is hardly 6 months old so I don't see how that's possible. Any help is appreciated.

CPU: Corei7 3770K
MB: Asus P8Z68V Gen3
RAM: 2x4GB DDR3 1333MHz
GPU: EVGA GTX275

 

[alexoiu]

I would firstly try a system restore. Check and see if you can find a restore point previous to the BSODs occuring moment. Try also restoring the BIOS settings to default.

 

[djscribbles]

I would suggest (if you didn't already) running memtest86 over night, so that it completes several passes on each stick, sometimes that will help.

Have you checked out your system temps? Hwmonitor is a good tool for that. Check your voltage levels as well, and make sure they are within specs.

Do you have any overclocks? If so, does disabling them help?
You could try disabling hyper threading in bios, not really sure if that would help; I've seen it recommended before, but I'm not sure what the context was.

What sort of storage are you using? If you've got an SSD for a boot drive, it could be that it is failing.

How about your PSU? (brand, model, and wattage)

 

[kronosjt]

@Alexoiu - I've tried reinstalling the OS, but that did not help. Also tried restoring BIOS settings.

@djscribbles - I've run memtest for over 7 passes on each stick. Both sticks are good. I haven't overclocked anything. I'm using a mechanical hdd.

PSU is Tagan BZ Series 1100W

 

[djscribbles]

I would recommend (if you haven't) checking temps/voltages on your components with hwmonitor.

From what I understand, Prime95 is a good way of checking CPU functionality, but I've never done so myself.

Do you have any non-standard components in your PC, such as a sound card, some weird USB devices, etc (anything out of the ordinary that requires a drivers download, especially a non-whql driver)?

If you suspect your GPU at all, you may wish to try running using intel graphics to see if you see an improvement; I really don't suspect the GPU/drivers based on your description and what you've tried, but it's worth a try.

Lastly, you should get the latest mobo drivers for your PC, update the BIOS, and restore fail-safe default in your bios settings. If your still having problems at that point, I would conclude that the mobo is the likely culprit.

 

[ahthurungnone]

But do so with caution as to not fry your CPU.

 

[ahthurungnone]

Increase the voltage to your CPU gradually until the BSOD stops.

 

[kronosjt]

This occurs even after stripping the system to bare minimum - no GPU, USB devices (except keyboard n mouse). I've updated the BIOS to the latest version. It does look like the mobo is the culprit.

 

[kronosjt]

Best answer selected by kronosjt.