PC Freezes I've tried basically everything...

[Gabriel Gabrie]

I want to start off by saying that this problem has been consistent since I built my gaming PC, ever since week one, so I am getting really frustrated and would be extremely grateful to those who help in fixing my PC.

My PC freezes at random times, it could be a few minutes after booting up or a few days. As well it freezes when idle or when playing games. PS: there is no sound being emitted when pc freezes and I can't put it to sleep using fn+sleep as I've seen being done in other threads.

Things I have tried to solve the problem:
OS; re-installed it completely (in fact I reset my whole PC)
Temperature; monitored MoBo, CPU, & GPU temps... all remained under 42celsius
NVIDIA Drivers; had an issue with them but quickly resolved by downloading latest drivers
Dust; cleaned every fan and pc part (forgot to clean RAM)
CPU Cooler (temp. issue); replaced thermal paste
GPU; re-installed (took out-cleaned-placed back in)

None of the above have solved the freezing. R.I.P. PC?

Issues I've seen:
Task manager shows HDD usage as being over 90% while playing games or even doing extremely simple things such as opening google chrome... Another HDD-related issue I found was that my PC now takes a lot longer to boot up. NOTE: only a few months old, $2000+ PC, and just got restored to factory settings so its fresh.

I haven't taken a look at my PSU as I do not know what to do in regards to fixing freezing-related issues.
I haven't tested my GPU on a diff pc because none of my friends can withstand it but the fact that I can't use my keyboard to send my PC to sleep sends me away from the idea that it is a GPU issue.
I have to take a closer look at my RAM, clean them out and test them on someone else's pc.

As for the MoBo I don't know how to check it. NOTE: MoBo has Q-codes (an error detector) that should pin down any errors with the PC but the digits show 'AA' meaning it's ok even when it freezes. Although, sometimes I find it displaying '40' which has something to do with the PC being in sleep mode S4. In order to fix that problem I disabled sleep mode and hibernation on my PC today so I can't say if it helped.

I read in a different thread that GPU voltage might be the problem. I haven't changed it and don't know how to. I am scared to though because I think it can void my warranty.

PLEASE do help me as I've made a big investment on this PC and would not like to see it go to waste. Thank you in advance for reading this thread because I know it might be a bit long but I'm just trying to spit out EVERYTHING I know, tried, and think on this subject.

PC COMPONENTS
CPU: AMD FX-9590 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819113347&cm_re=amd_fx-9590-_-19-113-347-_-Product
MoBo: ASUS Crosshair V Formula-Z http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813131876
GPU: Gigabyte Windforce GTX 970 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16814125684
PSU: Ultra X4 1000w 80+ Bronze (link was too long and annoying so I chose to take it out)
RAM: Corsair Vengeance Pro ddr3 2133MHz 8Gb (2x4Gb) http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16820233534&cm_re=Corsair_Vengeance_Pro-_-20-233-534-_-Product
Case: Fractal Design Arc Midi R2 http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811352031
CPU Cooler: Corsair Hydro Series H80i http://www.newegg.ca/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835181031
Case Cooling: 3 (140mm Silent Series R2) fans -> 1 Top, 2 Front NOTE: CPU Cooler provides rear airflow
OS: Windows 8.1
DVD/RW Drive: ASUS DRW-24F1ST

PERIPHERALS
Keyboard: Razer Blackwidow Ultimate
Mouse: Generic Logitech mouse
Monitor: TV Screen (not old, so I doubt it's the problem)

 

[dhamiltongrey]

i know this is going to do your nut in.. i had my custom build in a case, when i took it all out of the case and put it in another case my USB ports didnt work.. for the life of me i couldnt figure it out.. i put it all back in the old case and everything worked, so i put it all back in my new case and low and behold the usb ports stopped working.. it was a simple little short circuit caused by the little brass mounting screws that fitted into the case to bridge the gap between the motherboard and the case.. not all cases are the same so my advice would be to check the motherboard mounting, including the back of the cpu mounting brackets to make sure there is not shorting out.. and check every cable, i piece of dust in the opening to a cable can cause serious problems.. get a can of compressed air from your local computer shop and give everything a bloody good blast.. nothing more i can offer, you seem to have covered everything.. you didnt mention if you had antivirus and malware software.. first thing to install is that before proceeding with anything else.. get yourself protected first.. i installed an OS win 7 on my sisters computer and i didnt install the Antivirus and i sat and watched as they came flooding in.. it slowed the computer down to a crawl and eventually became unusable..

 

[Gabriel Gabrie]

i know this is going to do your nut in.. i had my custom build in a case, when i took it all out of the case and put it in another case my USB ports didnt work.. for the life of me i couldnt figure it out.. i put it all back in the old case and everything worked, so i put it all back in my new case and low and behold the usb ports stopped working.. it was a simple little short circuit caused by the little brass mounting screws that fitted into the case to bridge the gap between the motherboard and the case.. not all cases are the same so my advice would be to check the motherboard mounting, including the back of the cpu mounting brackets to make sure there is not shorting out.. and check every cable, i piece of dust in the opening to a cable can cause serious problems.. get a can of compressed air from your local computer shop and give everything a bloody good blast.. nothing more i can offer, you seem to have covered everything.. you didnt mention if you had antivirus and malware software.. first thing to install is that before proceeding with anything else.. get yourself protected first.. i installed an OS win 7 on my sisters computer and i didnt install the Antivirus and i sat and watched as they came flooding in.. it slowed the computer down to a crawl and eventually became unusable..

Thank you for the reply and sorry for my delay in replying... I was replying yesterday but my PC froze and I cried myself to sleep. :/

I hope it's not a short, but continuos testing leads me to believe that it might be faulty/dust-in RAM. I will run a memtest for a few hrs and get back to you with any new information.

If memtest fails to show any errors I will point straight at my HDD and test in on a diff PC as I truly believe it is the culprit.

I will get back to u when I have had ran the memtest and cleaned out my memory.

 

[dhamiltongrey]

I always advise friends get an ssd for operating system. Hdd mechanical are so unreliable and slow. My system is brutal but bogged down by a mechanical drive. Moment I changed to ssd it was phenomenal. Cheap as chips too.

 

[Gabriel Gabrie]

I always advise friends get an ssd for operating system. Hdd mechanical are so unreliable and slow. My system is brutal but bogged down by a mechanical drive. Moment I changed to ssd it was phenomenal. Cheap as chips too.

I agree. SSDs are definitely the way to go and considering the huge investment I made on my PC I should really consider getting one. I would have to do my share of research on which are the best manufacturers and what capacities I should get though before I dive into a conclusion.

As for my freezing problem, I haven't ran the memtest as I don't know how to. I'll keep searching online and hopefully find a nice guide teaching me how to run it. Once I've ran it I 'll be sure to post back any results.

thanks

 

[Gabriel Gabrie]

Hey I sent my pc to an 'expert' and I was told that the problem lied in the MoBo + CPU combination. He told me that multiple others have reported such combination to have stability problems causing the same symptoms I'm facing. I took my PC back after dishing out $65 for the diagnosing... I've done some research and found what he said to be true, many people have the same issue with the fx 9590. I dug deeper and found that the problem may lie in the power needed for the fx 9590. The fx 9590 is reported to need 220w, but most motherboards only support up to 140w (Crosshair V Formula Z included). Although, the CVFZ only supports up to 140w the website specs claim it can run the fx 9590 (true in a way since my pc works with it, but it freezes). Sure it can 'run' the cpu but it sure as hell can't make s**t out of it. My PC constantly freezes and I strongly believe this is the reason why. Because of this I've looked frantically for a motherboard that can ACTUALLY use this CPU, but to no avail. I can't refund my CPU nor my MoBo and I'm really thinking about switching over to Intel, but that means coughing out just under a grand for an intel Mobo + Intel equivalent of the fx 9590.

I think I've found the problem so now I would like your help in regards of advice. What should I do, spend $1000 on new intel hardware? Look for a MoBo? Is there a solution that doesn't involve replacing hardware? Please help me as I am having a dilemma, I don't see how any of this will end well for me except for maybe a solution that can be found without buying hardware.

Thank you in advance for any replies