Random freezes, driving me crazy.

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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Hey everybody, long time lurker, first time poster. I'm going crazy with this issue and really need some help.

My computer is randomly freezing. It seems to happen after I leave it on for a while, and there is no blue screen or error log. The system just completely freezes up. No mouse movement, no keyboard, no ctrl+alt+del. It has happened with and without programs open. Something that might be key is the fact that when it happens, the reset button doesn't work. It works fine when the system isn't in one of these weird lockups, but when it locks the reset button does nothing.

Here's my stuff:
Processor: Intel I7-3770
MB: ASUS P8Z77-V LK LGA 1155 Intel Z77 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX Intel Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
Ram: G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900)
GPU: NVidia GTX 570 HD
PSU: CORSAIR Builder Series CX600 600W ATX12V v2.3 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Active PFC Power Supply
HDDs: 128 GB Samsung SSD (OS) + 256 GB OCZ Agility 5 SSD
OS: Windows 8 Pro

Here's what I've tested:
Ran Memtest on both sticks for 12 hours + with no errors
Ran as many HDD tests as I could get my hands on, no issues.
"Refreshed" Windows 8 multiple times and installed fresh drivers
Flashed the bios to the most recent version
Tried different ram speeds (1600 and currently 1866)
Tried different I/O devices (different mouse and keyboard, just to be sure)
Unplugged all external drives, etc.

An issue I've had: The MB once reported a faulty temperature of my CPU/MB, saying it was something like 200 deg C when it wasn't. Upon rebooting the temperature was "normal," but there was no stuttering or issue and the CPU was at something like 1%, so it must have been a faulty temp reading.

I have a Cooler Master case with tons of fans set for ideal air flow; nothing ever actually gets very hot at all. I monitor all fans/heat for everything and it always stays super cool.

At this point there's only three things I can think of: either the PSU is not powerful enough or is bad (it should be; it's around 100 W higher than the online recommendation said), the RAM isn't compatible (it's a new release of sticks; the list of compatable ram on the Asus site is awful and wasn't updated since april. Nothing on it is over 4 GB per stick), or the MB is bad. I consider the temperature fluke that one time a red flag, as with the fact the rest button doesn't work when it locks up.

I'll be honest: this is driving me so crazy I'm having trouble sleeping at this point. This is my first attempt back into builds since like 2005, and the fact I can't figure out what's broken is driving me crazy. Even worse, they all had mail in rebates, so I can't RMA any of the stuff back to NewEgg, and dealing with the manufacturers is driving me nuts.

Does anybody have any ideas on what to test or how to best test a PSU? I don't have a bunch of supplies, but if I could just figure out what was broken I could RMA it and be on my merry way.

Thank you so much for responding if you do; you're helping save my sanity (I also recently got laid off...yeah, stressful times :pfff: )
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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A few other things I forgot to mention:

I downloaded "whocrashed" and left it on and it gave NO crash info, probably since it wasn't a crash, it was a freeze. It was worth a shot, I guess.
All my drivers are up to date, but I tried deleting and reinstalling them all anyway, just to be sure. Nothing.
At this point I'm fairly certain it isn't software related, as the freeze still happened after a total wipe with nothing installed.
I also tried re-seating everything (GPU and RAM sticks) just to be 100% sure.
Please let me know if you have any thoughts!
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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I had it on Windows 7 for the update (to 8), but I currently do not have a Windows 7 key that isn't in use (unfortunately).
I could try Linux. I did read a bit about Windows 8 causing total freezes. But wouldn't that make the reset button on my case still work? I assumed since the reset button was completely dead it was a hardware thing, but I might be assuming wrong.
Any other thoughts before I go through the whole Linux hoop jumping? :p
(thanks for the reply, BTW, if I didn't sound appreciative)
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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Another thing (I'm just a slew of information today): it has never frozen in a full screen game.
I have no idea if this is relevant, but if a game is open and running the computer does not freeze. It never has.
It has frozen twice when I'd minimized DOTA 2 and once when I minimized Torchlight 2. All other instances the computer has programs open (be it Steam just idle or iTunes, etc.) and it froze. It even froze on the screensaver.
But I've played 3-4 hour gaming sessions with no issues, and twice when I've switched back to the desktop it froze. Just info if people want to take the software end of thinking about the issue.
Sorry for the triple post.
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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I have an update:
It froze again today, but I didn't notice it was frozen until around 3:20. I did a hard reboot at 3:20 (reset button didn't work), but in the event log under windows after rebooting it said the unexpected shutdown was at 2:25. That makes me believe the computer froze at 2:25, and that locked up Windows' clock so when I powered off it got stuck there.
Nothing else was in the event log. Strange. Hopefully someone else has some thoughts...this is driving me crazy.
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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I'm currently putting in just one ram stick and running the Memtest86. I'll do the same with the other, even though I've already done this on two sticks.

I've eliminated the GPU as the issue, as I removed it and left the system on. It froze within two hours.

I got a Windows 7 disc from a friend, so I'll be installing that and trying it after running all the memory tests.

Is it possible for a PSU to cause these types of freezes? It also randomly reset in the middle of Far Cry 3 the other day, but that was the first reset; it always just does a blank freeze, reset button doesn't work.

I'm starting to think it's the MB or Windows 8...that or my SSD.

Edit: Oh yeah, I've flashed the BIOS to the most recent version a week ago. Still on the fritz.
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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Ok, I've tried a few things, and here's what I've found.

I unplugged every HDD device from my system except the OS drive and left it on. It ran for around 5 days with no freeze (longest its been). This included me using it, it sitting idle, and me never turning it off except to sometimes add components (I put the GPU back in because it started out; no issue). My OS Drive is an SSD.

I decided the rotary drive must be OK because I unplugged it previously and freezing persisted. However, I plugged it back in to a SATA3 port (my MB has two SATA 6s and four SATA3s) and the computer did a freeze after about 10-12 hours.

Uncertain, I moved the cord to my seconds SATA6 port. This time, the freeze happened about 5 hours later (about five minutes ago). This time the Reset button DID work, but it was the same thing: sound goes crazy (if I'm in a video), I/O devices unresponsive, nothing moves.

I've tried swapping the SATA cable for another one (the cable currently in is the one that came with the MB; I have a clip one that might be more secure?) and putting it on a SATA 3 port I've never plugged anything into yet. We'll see if it lasts.

I'm wondering if both the Rotary and SSD Drives are bad, or if its the SATA ports on the MB. I've heard reports of the SATA ports on this particular model of MB causing issue, but that was mostly just dead ports, not these weird freezing issues.

Anyway, that's the update. I did get five days without issue when only using the OS SSD, so there's that I guess.

ALSO: After every freeze I run WhoCrashed, just to be sure. It never has anything because it doesn't BSOD, it just straight up freezes. So yeah, no event logs.
 

nawit

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Dec 21, 2012
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I have the same exact issue. But for me it only happened while playing League of Legends. I have checked everything but recently I disabled all the extra sound drivers I had enabled. I only left the one I use enabled. Although it has only been 5 days, I have not crashed (like you it happens a little less than once a week). I'm hoping that was the (odd) cause but we will find out.

Edit: I have the same MOBO so could that be an issue?
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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Weird. Could be a MOBO issue. It's annoying because it's totally random and so every time I change something I'm playing the waiting game, you know?
So far I think mine is SATA related, but I'm not sure. Still testing stuff on different SATA ports.
 

nawit

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Dec 21, 2012
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Yeah I got you. I don't even bother anymore. I tried for a couple weeks and then just gave up on it. Now, everytime it happens I just change something else until it eventually gets fixed. I still have not ran memtest because I am extremely lazy. Although it is frustrating it really is not the worst thing in the world. I just force shut down and restart and since I'm booting off an SSD I'm back to where I was within seconds.

Hopefully we can figure out what the issue is. My other thread in which I asked the same question was basically given up on. They just said it might be your memory but I doubt it seeing as it only happens in league of legends for me.

Oh well, keep in touch and we might be able to figure this out together.
 

Shadowiii

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Dec 31, 2012
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If it's in LoL I'd assume it was some video card thing, to be honest. Does it never, ever freeze otherwise? Like, if you left it idle overnight does it freeze?
I've heard some weird stuff about this MOBO, so that might be the issue. Newegg's black friday deal was too good to pass up...probably should have gotten with the one a step up (my friend built the exact same rig I have but with the MB one step better and has no issues at all...annoyed).
 

nawit

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Dec 21, 2012
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It is only in league. Never happened at any other time. Been a week and a half and no issues after doing a couple things:

1- Disabling extra sound drivers
2- Running league as administrator
3- Troubleshooting compatibility with league of legends.

I am assuming the problem will happen again, as I doubt something as simple as this has caused. But I am hoping for the best.
 

valeman2012

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Apr 10, 2012
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I Started have this issue to

Seem to it mostly happen Home Build Computer the very most.

Safe Mode crashes to

No Running Lights (NO Power Lights
BIOS Re-Update /Clearing Crash
Reformat Clean

Only thing i did not do is replace harddrive


A small potability maybe Window Update`s causing it (I use windows XP)
 

chavez1

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Apr 13, 2009
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Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit Randomly Freezes
No BSOD just random freezes with screen on and no keys or cursor repsond, all I can do is use a hard reset to restart. Then I get the standard windows was not shut down properly messege at start-up. I have been having this issue/s and have tried all the same standard help people have had to offer, in all the dfferent post I've read online.
To actually fix this issue I ended up having to go to the device manager and check for driver updates on all my devices, one at a time. I think the ones that had updates that fixed this issue were the ACPIx64-based PC under the computer drop down and the IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers especially the ICH ATA and SATA AHCI ontrollers (I think these made the difference). I checked them all, but these were the only ones that had updates. Once those were updated and the computer was restarted, it has stayed on. It's been on for a day now and no problems so far.