First Computer Build Locking Up

[zippy57]

So I decided to build a computer. First one. I figured there'd be some problems, and I was right. It locks up when the CPU is under load for any real length of time. Generally happens after a few hours of running a game, though its inconsistent. I can intentionally reproduce it by running Prime95; after about an hour everything will lock up. No mouse movement, no keyboard input, nothing. Have to force power off the whole thing.

 

I've run sfc /scannow and done a repair install on the OS. I ran MemTest for 18 hours and found no errors. At lockup the CPU temp is always under 50C so I don't believe overheating is the problem. I'm just kind of at a loss as to what to do next to start troubleshooting. I've already tried checking for viruses and not loading unnecessary processes and whatnot.

 

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping someone on here has more experience doing this than I do. And I have none whatsoever. At this point I don't even know what information would be needed and its 5AM here so I'm not going to try to guess and provide it right now.

[Halstrom]

Get some sleep then post the Motherboard/CPU/Memory Combo, GPU & OS etc, hopefully someone will spot something.

 

I'm no expert by any means, I'll built/resurrected a dozen or so, my first guess is a GPU fault, maybe Power Supply.

 

I'm assuming you've tried unplugging the CPU. GPU, Memory etc and plugging them back in again

 

Also perhaps try playing the games using the onboard graphics and see if it still falls over when cranking it hard.

[RitualClarity]

Are your test done outside of an OS? If not try some diag programs outside of the OS to be sure that there isn't' anything else that might be interfering with the processes. Bootalble test. Make sure you test the CPU, Memory, and GPU as well. Yes your issue is with the processor I realize that however you want to be sure everything else is working properly so you can eliminate them and get all the items you need to get your new computer fixed .. the first time.

 

Those test if they have been done outside of the OS and you have checked to make sure that any bios upgrades have been done for your motherboard. Then it is likely time to return/exchange the motherboard. Possibly the processor as well however most of the time the issue is with the motherboard. If possible I would recommend exchanging both at the same time. The odds of both being bad the second time is staggering. The only issue then would be any batch defects from the motherboard manufacture.

[Justoutthere]

I would also consider what kind of load you are putting on your rig and what part of the kit is that going to be stressing. I have found CPU issues tend to crash the rigs I have built whereas lockups are more frequently associated with GPU or memory issues.

 

Have you looked at the temperature across the whole system or just the CPU? There are some handy little tools that will allow you to monitor all the sensors individually, helped my trace a fault GCard fan much more easily as it seemed to be fine visually but under stress was not getting fully up to speed.

[bjornk]

As ritualclarity mentioned, you'd want to make sure that it's not an OS/driver/application related problem first. If you can reproduce the problem by running Prime95 under Windows, then try running it on Linux (with mprime), perhaps a live Linux distribution has it by default. The following seems to have it.

 

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/

 

If you can reproduce the problem there then it's definitely a hardware issue, possibly a faulty RAM/PSU/Motherboard/CPU, in this order, a faulty CPU is the least likely. To rule out the possibility of faulty RAM, try running the test using each stick of RAM one at a time, if you have dual RAMs that is. Also make sure the system is properly grounded.

 

[Halstrom]

The other thing to check is when it freezes, unplug it and then feel around carefully for hot components / spots, if its too hot to touch, there's a good chance it's the problem.

[pinky6225]

So I decided to build a computer. First one. I figured there'd be some problems, and I was right. It locks up when the CPU is under load for any real length of time. Generally happens after a few hours of running a game, though its inconsistent. I can intentionally reproduce it by running Prime95; after about an hour everything will lock up. No mouse movement, no keyboard input, nothing. Have to force power off the whole thing.

 

I've run sfc /scannow and done a repair install on the OS. I ran MemTest for 18 hours and found no errors. At lockup the CPU temp is always under 50C so I don't believe overheating is the problem. I'm just kind of at a loss as to what to do next to start troubleshooting. I've already tried checking for viruses and not loading unnecessary processes and whatnot.

 

I'm just crossing my fingers and hoping someone on here has more experience doing this than I do. And I have none whatsoever. At this point I don't even know what information would be needed and its 5AM here so I'm not going to try to guess and provide it right now.

 

I was having stability issues when i was playing WoW ages ago and running prime95 i had something similar in that it would run fine but then eventually crash for an unknown reason.

 

I fixed it by removing all my RAM and then trying one at a time with prime95 again and i eventually found that one of the modules was faulty although them not being fully clipped in can cause the same issue, if you do test each one and prime95 works (usually leave it running for about 12h myself) then try all of them again and make sure you hear the click as you insert each one as it could be that one wasn't fully inserted (might be quicker solution to check that first before trying each one seperately thinking about it).

 

[windpl]

So it lock down under long period of stress? I would check of your motherboard. It could be overheating hipset issue. Look on intervebs if there are any problems with your motherboard model. Also make sure that all parts are placed solid, sometimes lose parts could make power failure which leads to BSD without BSD (simple lockdown/feez)

[gregathit]

Ok, let's get the basics out of the way:

1. Did you properly apply the thermal paste to your CPU\fan?

2. Is your fan butch enough to cool the CPU?  What Are the CPU and fan models and is the fan the recommended one or better for that CPU?

3. Is your case temp running hot?  

 

With what you are describing it could very well be the CPU shutting down due to overheating.  I recommend checking the temps to make sure this is not the case.

[Guest Mogie56]

Arctic Silver thermal paste, 1 drop the size of a pea dead center of the cpu...place CPU fan/heatsync on top let the pressure flatten the paste between heatsync and CPU. Plus how many fans does your case have for the type of hardware you have? newer CPU's and GPU's take on average 2 top (intake - mainboard/components/case), 1 rear (exhaust) besides PSU fan unless you have a bottom mount PSU, 1 bottom fan (exhaust) besides a bottom mount PSU fan, 1 larger side fan (intake over CPU/mainboard/components), 2 front fans (intake - storage/drives/case). only because everything now days generates so much heat.

[...0...]

Ok, let's get the basics out of the way:

1. Did you properly apply the thermal paste to your CPU\fan?

2. Is your fan butch enough to cool the CPU?  What Are the CPU and fan models and is the fan the recommended one or better for that CPU?

3. Is your case temp running hot?  

 

With what you are describing it could very well be the CPU shutting down due to overheating.  I recommend checking the temps to make sure this is not the case.

 

His CPU as he already told is always under 50celsius thats very good should not give any problems.

 

 

Need ALL info on your system and how you build it what parts others wise its all guessing and speculate what maybe went wrong.

[zippy57]

Get some sleep then post the Motherboard/CPU/Memory Combo, GPU & OS etc, hopefully someone will spot something.

Mobo: ASRock 990FX Extreme9

CPU: AMD FX-9590

OS: Windows 8.1 64-bit

GPU: nVidia Titan Black

PhysX Dedicated Card: nVidia 8500 GT

Memory: 4x8GB Corsair Vengeance DDR3-2133

PSU: Antec ATX-1000

SSD: PNY XLR8 480GB

HDD: Seagate Barracuda 3TB

Heatsink: Corsair H100i

Extra Case Fans: 2xCorsair SP120 PWM

 

No overclocking. Everything is at stock speeds.

 

I'm assuming you've tried unplugging the CPU. GPU, Memory etc and plugging them back in again

Yep, everything is properly seated.

 

Also perhaps try playing the games using the onboard graphics and see if it still falls over when cranking it hard.

No onboard graphics. Dedicated only. I suppose I could try disabling the Titan and just using the GT.

 

I would also consider what kind of load you are putting on your rig and what part of the kit is that going to be stressing. I have found CPU issues tend to crash the rigs I have built whereas lockups are more frequently associated with GPU or memory issues.

I forcibly reproduce the lockup by stressing the CPU, so while I suppose it could be GPU-related I doubt that it is.

 

Have you looked at the temperature across the whole system or just the CPU?

Yes, I have a program that lets me read all my temp sensors. Nothing seems overly high but I do have one sensor on the motherboard that occasionally gets up to 75C+. Not sure what it is as its only labelled "Temperature #2" or something on the mobo. I'll have to reproduce the lockup a few times and note the temp on that sensor when it happens.

 

http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/

http://www.stresslinux.org/sl/

I'll give these a shot.

 

Ok, let's get the basics out of the way:

1. Did you properly apply the thermal paste to your CPU\fan?

2. Is your fan butch enough to cool the CPU?  What Are the CPU and fan models and is the fan the recommended one or better for that CPU?

3. Is your case temp running hot?

I'm using a Corsair H100i closed-loop liquid cooler for the CPU. It comes with thermal paste pre-applied and most sources I can find say it's pretty high-end stuff. It's working pretty well. 100% load on all 8 cores for an hour straight and the temp barely exceeds 47C. It spikes up to 49C on occasion but I have yet to see it exceed 50C except when I ran MemTest for 18 hours straight and it went up to 55C. Unless the CPU temp sensor is faulty the CPU is being more than adequately cooled.

 

Plus how many fans does your case have for the type of hardware you have? newer CPU's and GPU's take on average 2 top (intake - mainboard/components/case), 1 rear (exhaust) besides PSU fan unless you have a bottom mount PSU, 1 bottom fan (exhaust) besides a bottom mount PSU fan, 1 larger side fan (intake over CPU/mainboard/components), 2 front fans (intake - storage/drives/case). only because everything now days generates so much heat.

I've got six fans in the case not counting the ones pre-attached to the GPUs and PSU. This was a bit of an awkward setup as the Corsair H100i needed to be put on top and recommended intake and I wasn't going to have the front case fans blasting hot air onto me as I sit at my desk so only one of them is actually exhaust. However all case temps seem to be fine.

 

I'll look into running some of the out-of-OS tests and report back. I have already reinstalled the OS and the issue persists so if the problem turns out to be OS-related I'm not entirely sure what my options are.

[Guest Mogie56]

one question, is your graphics card set up in the software to run the gpu fan on auto or do you have it on manual speed? I always set mine to manual 50%, my R9 270X runs at around 32 C idle at 50% manual speed. plus you might want to look here to see if your particular issue is addressed: http://www.asrock.com/MB/AMD/990FX%20Extreme9/index.asp?cat=Download&os=BIOS

[zippy57]

I have the fan speeds for the GPUs running on a curve. It's cooling them well enough, though the most I was able to test them was Borderlands 2 for four hours before the system locked. Didn't exactly stress them, but I was pleased the PhysX dedication seemed to work very well. Updating the BIOS to 1.60 was one of the first things I tried. No effect. Just started Prime95 off the UBCD. If the computer hasn't locked up by 1AM it might be an OS-related issue.

 

EDIT: Well, no lockup when not running in Windows, so I guess it's OS-related if not the OS itself.

Edited June 9, 2014 by zippy57

[Guest Mogie56]

I found this and it seems it just may be OS related 8.1 update in particular.

 

 

Softpedia points to a Microsoft Community forum post revealing that many users are experiencing system lockups, or freezing, after installing the Windows 8.1 update, which went live on October 17. The affected users have no options other than powering off or rebooting their desktop or laptops.

"I've had Windows 8.1 installed for about a month and it's been working fine. Ever since a day or two ago though, it's been freezing when left idle for a while," reads one post. "The mouse can move but nothing responds to anything. This problem seems to me to have started after installing updates KB2884848, KB2883200, and KB2895219, although I can't be sure of this."

"When the freeze occurs for me that my mouse is responsive as normal and I can move it around the screen but my keyboard stop responding," reads another complaint. "I can click with the mouse but it doesn't do anything. The system doesn't automatically restart, I have to force a power-down or restart by physically hitting the button on my case. No errors seem to show upon restart either."

Both of these reveal that the system isn't completely frozen, that it's accepting mouse input. That leads to another thread with a Microsoft support engineer who believes that users can launch the built-in troubleshooter in the Settings category to detect and fix most of the incorrect settings and performance related errors. To get there, do the following:

a)    Press Windows key +F to bring up the search Charms bar.
    Select "Settings" in the drop down menu below search and type "Troubleshooting."
c)    Click on "Troubleshooting" and select the view all option on the left pane.
d)    Click on "Performance troubleshooter" and follow the prompts.

If the Troubleshoot app doesn't solve the problem, then customers are suggested to check the event viewer for any error logs around the time the computer froze recently. To get this information, do the following:

a)    Go to the Start Screen, type in "Event Viewer." This will bring up the Event Viewer tile; Click to open the event viewer.
    In the left pane, expand out Windows Logs. Click on Application log, highlight the first event in the log, and use your arrow keys to scroll down.
c)    Most of your event will be Information. You may see Yellow Warnings or Red Errors. If you see any red error, you can double click on it to bring it up        and copy the contents in your reply.

As Softpedia points out, the "locking up" issue with Windows 8.1 could possibly stem from incompatible drivers. Then again, users are experiencing other issues as well, including mouse lag in PC games, that previously weren't present. Given the update has only been out for several weeks, the new build will undoubtedly produce a number of unfortunate, unforeseen bugs that will need to be ironed out.

 

 

[zippy57]

Well that's interesting. I don't have a Performance Troubleshooter apparently. It's not where those steps say it should be, anyway.

 

Regarding the Event Viewer. No crash events or anything at the time of the lock. What I do have is an error on restart after the crash that reads "the previous system shutdown [...] was unexpected" and gives the approximate time of the lockup. Probably because that's when the system stopped working so its the last time it knows something was happening, but I figured I'd mention it anyway.

[bjornk]

Does the computer lock up while you actually play a game or when you leave it on its own? Sometimes going into sleep mode locks up or crashes Windows 8 PCs.

[zippy57]

I have all the auto-turn things off settings disabled as far as I can tell. I actually had to registry edit some power-off settings because otherwise I couldn't control the heatsink pump (the lockups were already occurring before I did that). It has locked both while actively in-game and while I was running Prime95 while doing something else in a different location.

[bjornk]

Have you tried running Prime95 in Safe Mode?

[Rayblue]

This is not quite recommended but done only as a last resort when all other attempts fail: try updating the firmware in the BIOS.

[...0...]

This is not quite recommended but done only as a last resort when all other attempts fail: try updating the firmware in the BIOS.

 

Someone who have new system prolly have latest updates i don't think he have problem there.

You always have to update your firmware and your bios no matter what if not you get in trouble eventually.

 

But i assume he have latest firmware and updated his bios so he can set the firmware.

 

Always update your drivers and bios to latest version.

[Fotogen]

You have lots of stuff in your PC. Remove something and see what happens. Start with only components you need so Windows will boot. This includes 4 sticks of RAM. For test go with 1.

 

And as Rayblue said, check if your BIOS is the latest.

 

[zippy57]

Have you tried running Prime95 in Safe Mode?

I hadn't tried that yet because running in Safe Mode prevents both my fan/pump control software and the motherboard and CPU temp sensors from working (or at least displaying values in the OS). Might as well give it a shot though.

 

You have lots of stuff in your PC. Remove something and see what happens. Start with only components you need so Windows will boot. This includes 4 sticks of RAM. For test go with 1.

I can start pulling stuff in a bit. I really don't think it's the RAM though. They're passing every dedicated test I can throw at them.

 

And as Rayblue said, check if your BIOS is the latest.

Updating the BIOS was one of the first things I tried.

[Fotogen]

I can start pulling stuff in a bit. I really don't think it's the RAM though. They're passing every dedicated test I can throw at them.

 

 

Those test don't always find problematic gear.

 

Had a problem with my current PC. PC crashing. All tests I could find said its OK. At the end I found out my motherboard didn't liked my RAM chips. Mobo didn't read RAM settings right. I manualy set the right RAM chips settings and I also increased RAM voltage a bit. No problem after.

[Rayblue]

 

I can start pulling stuff in a bit. I really don't think it's the RAM though. They're passing every dedicated test I can throw at them.

 

 

Those test don't always find problematic gear.

 

Had a problem with my current PC. PC crashing. All tests I could find said its OK. At the end I found out my motherboard didn't liked my RAM chips. Mobo didn't read RAM settings right. I manualy set the right RAM chips settings and I also increased RAM voltage a bit. No problem after.

 

 

Now I remember; high-end memory are usually more picky than the budget RAM that's one-size-fits-all, as they do need to be compatible with the motherboard. Typically motherboard manufacturers have a compatibility list for every board they ever made.