Dear LTT gurus,
I've recently been having stability issues with my desktop computer. Random freezing while browsing, games crashing, blue screens with WATCHDOG and WHEA UNCORRECTABLE errors. It's been happening more and more over the last few months to the point that my system is no longer dependable.
I'm running an Intel Core-i7 4790K on an MSI Z97M Gaming mobo with 32GB Corsair Vengeance RAM. Not a powerhouse but it gets the job done.
The problems originally started during gaming; so, I recently upgraded my GPU to an MSI RTX 2070 Super Ventus OC, but it hasn't solved the problem.
I've tried to run memtest86 to see if I was having RAM instability issues, but for some reason, all I get is a blank screen after starting the test. I let it sit overnight just to make sure it wasn't running in the background but it was still blank the next morning.
I downloaded Core Temp to monitor my cores, and normally they stay in the 30s and 40s (Celsius), but when I launch a game the temps skyrocket cores 0 and 1 hit 100c, core 2 hit 95c and core 3 hits 88c. I thought perhaps the cooler wasn't working. I'm using a Corsair H110i which is a 280mm radiator. I figured if the pump wasn't running that could explain the issue, but iCUE says the pump is working fine. Additionally, the temps drop back down to normal almost the instant I close the game. They wouldn't do that if there was a problem with my water pump.
I'm hoping the instability is a temp problem or a RAM problem. I can pull a stick of RAM out without, but I have no way to testing them without manually pulling the sticks from the mobo,and that still doesn't explain my high temp problem. Could the temps be the cause? Could just the RAM be the issue? Or are they both causing my problems? What say you LTT gods? Where do I go from here?
