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Computer keeps freezing, thinking it's either my PSU or HDD?

Campbellsoup
Level 7
Good day all..

So a while back my MOBO started getting overheating issues with the MOSFET and I had to replace it. I got an Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z as a replacement motherboard not too long ago and installed it in my computer. At the same time I figured I would get a new chassis because I was tired of not having much room inside so I got a Thermaltake Core V71 (which is absolutely awesome if you didn't know) along with a new PSU because I wanted to do some upgrades in the future, so I got an Antec EDGE 650 W. Ever since I put everything together I have been having freezing issues where the screen, sound, mouse and keyboard lock up.

At first I thought it was just my GPU being really bad (don't know what the GPU was) because it was getting to some ridiculous temps (70-80 C) while playing games on the lowest settings. I've always wanted to upgrade my GPU so I just bought a Gigabyte GTX 970 G1 with 2 Cougar CF-V12HPB fans to both upgrade my old GPU and airflow through the case. With the 3 pre-installed fans on the GTX 970 and the new 120's I was sure that there were going to be zero overheating issues.

So I install my new components and load up some games to test out this new GPU, all of a sudden 30 minutes in (if even) my computer freezes again! I am extremely upset to see this because of buying these new components. I started up my computer again and decided to check out what was going on, put Open Hardware Monitor on one monitor and played some Fallout New Vegas on the left. Again, it freezes, here is a picture I took of all the temps and loads while the computer was frozen with the top two temps being the motherboard:

http://i.imgur.com/3AVTLxb.jpg


At this point I new it wasn't overheating, therefore it must be a hardware issue somewhere. I tried reseating my RAM and updating drivers, the only driver was one for my brand new video card. Restarted my computer to apply the changes, but nope. Still freezing.

At this point I decided it was time to do some research. I found a couple similar people having the same problem but never any solved issues. I ran MemTest a couple times to check the RAM and nothing showed. I also tried to test each stick individually, but nothing changed so I don't think it is the RAM.

It's very odd because it seems like it happens more often when I'm playing a game (under load) then anything, with my old GPU it would even happen when I was just surfing the web... The only thing I can think of is PSU or HDD, I used a couple of PSU calculators and it said 650 W would be enough but could it happen to be too small of a PSU? Also, I got the PSU before the MOBO and wasn't paying attention to notice that it doesn't come with a second 4-pin 12V cord, would that cause freezing? Everywhere I've looked has said the second 12V port on the Crosshair V Formula-Z is used if you are running a lot of RAM. But could they have been wrong and that helps the CPU as well? Not sure how I could tell if it would be the HDD but I thought that might have been another option..?

If anyone knows could help me in this situation it would be greatly appreciated

TL;DR: New PSU, GPU, and MOBO. Thinking PSU might be either underpowered or just the fact it doesnt have a second 4-pin 12V cord for the MOBO, or HDD issue.. computer keeps freezing, freezes faster under load.

Computer Specs:
Antec EDGE 650 W
Asus Crosshair V Formula-Z
AMD FX-9590
Gigabyte GTX 970 G1
Kingston HyperX blu 8 GB (2x4 GB)
Seagate 2 TB
6,857 Views
12 REPLIES 12

MeanMachine
Level 13
Hi Campbellsoup and Welcome to ROG:D Nice system and a well laid out explanation of your problem.

I think your PSU is borderline for your setup and would struggle during peak demand.
For your MB and CPU, you should have the 4pin socket on the MB populated. This will assist the CPU. (not the DIMMs)
If you decide to upgrade the PSU, go for a gold or platinum 850-1000W unit. They come with 8pin cables that can be split at the plug to provide the 4pin connection.

You can check your HDD from within windows using CHKDSK.
Tune your system from within the Bios. From default values, select D.O.C.P initially, allowing the Bios to choose optimal settings for your CPU bus and ratio in conjunction with the DIMMs you are using.

Also your cooling system for the FX9590 is borderline. I have the Corsair h105 and it just manages to keep up. The H110 or equivalent may be a better choice if temps become a problem at higher OCs.

Hope this helps and when OCing, for best settings in Bios, we can guide you to get your system stable.
We owe our existence to the scum of the earth, Cyanobacteria

My System Specs:

MB:ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero/WiFi GPU:EVGA GTX 1080 sc PSU:Corsair AX-1200i
CPU:
AMD R7 2700X Cooler: Corsair Hydro H115i Case: Corsair Carbide 780t

Memory:G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C14D-16GTZR SSD:Samsung 500GB 960 EVO M.2


[/HR]

So I ran CHKDSK on my computer but it didn't find any problems, and I am also not OCing my CPU.. With the temps shown in the picture I don't think that is too hot (correct me if I'm wrong). So, I'm assuming that it is because the 4-pin is not populated in which I need a new PSU (le sigh...). What are your thoughts on these?

1.) CORSAIR RMx RM1000X 1000W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139140
2.) SeaSonic X-SERIES X-1050 1050W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817151110
3.) Rosewill Quark-1000 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817182353
4.) EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 P2 220-P2-1000-XR 1000W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817438013
5.) CORSAIR HXi CP-9020074-NA 1000W Power Supply - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817139082


And here's is a comparitive of all five if it helps...
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Productcompare.aspx?Submit=ENE&N=100007657%20600112163%204814%20600014...

Out of these PSU's, I believe all of the 80+ platinum ones (PSU's 3,4, and 5) also come in a 80+ gold version. Is it worth-while to get a platinum or could I settle with a gold? Also I included the 1050W because I wasn't sure whether to be on the safe side and go a little higher than 1000? I even looked into a couple 1200W PSU's...

I would like to spend as little as possible but to also make sure that it works. I am in college so the funds aren't exactly flowing in 😛
Thanks for your time, and if you could put this into consideration while reviewing the PSU's that would be greatly appreciated 😄

MeanMachine
Level 13
Hi Campbellsoup

I tend to choose Corsair for reliability and support, however SeaSonic are good too.

For your current needs and to help your budget, I would go for the Corsair HX850i. @$160 approx
If you intend SLI and to provide for more expansion, then the Corsair HXi HX1000i. @$230 approx

There is no guarantee the PSU is going fix your entire problem. Monitor your temps under load, to determine your Cooling requirement.
We owe our existence to the scum of the earth, Cyanobacteria

My System Specs:

MB:ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero/WiFi GPU:EVGA GTX 1080 sc PSU:Corsair AX-1200i
CPU:
AMD R7 2700X Cooler: Corsair Hydro H115i Case: Corsair Carbide 780t

Memory:G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C14D-16GTZR SSD:Samsung 500GB 960 EVO M.2


[/HR]

Thank you for the input MeanMachine,

I have been testing the temps under different loads with different games, my original post is a good example of how the temps are when it has been freezing. The computer is freezing when the temps are lower then the max temps reached, which leads me to believe that the power is the biggest issue..?

Thank you very much for your time, it means a lot.

I think I will go with a new PSU option as it seems to be the biggest fault at the moment, I will report back here to let you know how things went or if it will help anyone in the future. Just give me some time to save some money and stop being a college student for a week 😛

M11C
Level 10
Hi guys, i have the same problem, it just happens about once per month, so i can usually live with it, but still a pain in the ass!

As you can see i have the AX1200i, so power ought not to be a problem.

My 3.7GHz CPU is overclocked to 4.1 Offset, but has managed 12 hours of prime 95, and Memtest85+

Watercooling FTW :cool:

"essentially one of the most hardcore overclocking motherboards ever made."
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2014/03/24/asus_rampage_iv_black_edition_motherboard_review/7

Hi all,

Here to give an update.

I ended up going with the Corsair HX1000i PSU just so I could be safe and make sure everything is okay. Turns out it must not have been my PSU 😕

Now, my 4 pin socket is populated also so that must not have been the problem either.

I don't know where to go here, as I am very frustrated at this point, could it possibly just be that my CPU went bad? If someone could help me out on this that would be greatly appreciated... Thank you

MeanMachine
Level 13
Hi Campbellsoup 😄 and thanks for reporting back. Its too early to determine that the CPU is bad.

Ok you've sorted at least the PSU which was going to give you issues and as I said, There would be no guarantee it would resolve all your problems.

I think you may have a stability problem and we are going to have to look into Bios settings. You will need to familiarize yourself with the EUFI Bios, as this is where it all happens. I can guide you to some good tutorials and vids if unfamiliar.

Have you made any changes in Bios from default? if so.
You need to clear CMOS and set Bios to stock 4.7GHz. Run D.O.C.P for system to set initial parameters, that is, for CPU bus and ratio in conjunction with the DIMMs you are using. Do not make arbitrary changes in Bios, before attempting to OC for performance, as you need to determine stability at stock settings.
Run a stress test using Realbench, whilst monitoring your temperatures constantly.

Also in Windows 10, are all your drivers up to date? I am also on W10 and have had a few driver issues.
If you need assistance, I will be right here.

Report back with results.
We owe our existence to the scum of the earth, Cyanobacteria

My System Specs:

MB:ASUS ROG Crosshair VII Hero/WiFi GPU:EVGA GTX 1080 sc PSU:Corsair AX-1200i
CPU:
AMD R7 2700X Cooler: Corsair Hydro H115i Case: Corsair Carbide 780t

Memory:G.Skill TridentZ F4-3200C14D-16GTZR SSD:Samsung 500GB 960 EVO M.2


[/HR]

CDRCHOP
Level 7
I was having problems with my system freezing too. I was overclocked to a point I thought was stable and when I would try to access an external hard drive Windows 10 kept freezing or crashing. I have since played around with the OC settings and ran a stress test last night for 8 hours with no problems. I still need to play around with the system and accessing external hard drives but I sometimes wonder if perhaps Windows 10 could be the problem.

chrsplmr
Level 18
Welcome to ROG .. always good to see smiling faces on the AMD side of the world.
(Mean .. hey brother.)
A couple of things .. first RAM .. even though the memory may test out true .. sometimes on rare occasions
it just will not play nice with a particular cpu. (I learned this the hard way, on two exact set ups, one ran like a graped
ape, the other refused. I RMA'd a few times and quite by accident the memory from machine 1 went in machine 2 .. both
are still running fine today.) This, btw, was confirmed by HiViz. (it happens)
The second issue goes back to the CrossHair IV Extreme to the V's. Try a different driver for the Onboard Network adapter.
When you finish laughing, try it, you may be pleasantly surprised ... AMD cpu's .. a mind of their own.
Last, just because it is a brand new PSU, unless you have put the meter to it, assume nothing.
Best of Luck. Keep us posted. .c.