PC keeps freezing when gaming/streaming - how do i know what is wrong?

[ngreed86]

I built my computer a year ago and for the most part it has run games and streamed sports etc with no problems. Recently however my computer has started freezing, mostly when playing a game but also once when streaming, and requires me to do a hard reboot.

Its happened enough now to motivate me to try and fix the issue but where do i start?!

This is a list of my parts in case of need: https://uk.pcpartpicker.com/list/s7wFHN

Thanks

 

[Eximo]

First thing to do is disable automatic rebooting. You'll want to see the bluescreen if there is anything important to see there.

Find a recent crash and look at the Windows Application and System logs. It should list what failed right before the reboot. Basically looking to see if it is a graphics driver, sound driver, what have you. If nothing is listed, it is usually a power issue.

Simple monitoring tools like Hardware Monitor, Core Temp, MSI Afterburner, etc can let you monitor voltages and temperatures. If the 12V, 5V, or 3.3V go low under a heavy load then that is likely the problem. If you need a load on your system, programs like Prime95 or Cinebench can do a good job of loading a CPU or GPU. Also Firestrike for GPUs.

Memtest x86 to check for memory errors.

And finally general software errors and malware can cause issues. A simple test is to get a bootable OS like Linux and see if the computer functions properly when not running Windows.

Update drivers where applicable as well. Windows updates can occasionally cause older drivers to stop functioning.

 

[elbert]

Use prime95 version 26.6 and watch your CPU temps using speedfan. If it gets hot and crashes then you need to check your heatsink and thermal paste. No crashes move on to the GPU.
http://www.mersenneforum.org/showthread.php?t=15504
http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

Use furmark to test your GPU. Watch the temps and if gets hot and crashes then you may have to try reapplying thermal paste.
http://www.ozone3d.net/benchmarks/fur/

check your ssd's and HD's using the drive makers system tools. Check smart, genertic, and selftest.
http://www.seagate.com/support/downloads/seatools/

Check your memory using memtest86.
http://www.memtest86.com/

 

[clarkjd]

In general, freezes tend to be memory related, while crashes tend to be PSU or thermal related.