Windows 10 PC freezing randomly since bought in 2016

[Liborio]

Hi All,

I have an issue that is noticed 99% of the time when playing games (Fortnite, CSGO, LoL etc). My PC (Windows 10) will randomly freeze and i will have to force restart. I have run hardware tests and software tests but don't seem to be able to put a finger on it. I have tried 5+ forum sites and no one can help me.

My PC specs are:

Hardware:
CPU - Intel Core i7-6700K CPU @ 4.00GHz
MOBO - ASUS Z170 Pro Gaming
RAM - G Skill RipJaws V 16GB DDR4
GPU - MSI 980Ti Sea Hawk Edition
PSU - Seasonic 850W 80PlusBronze ATX

Storage - Samsung 860 Evo 1TB SSD

Cooling:
CPU - Corsair H80i GT
GPU - Corsair HG10 N980

Peripherals:
Monitor - AOC 24" G Sync 144hz 1ms
Mouse - Logitech G402
Mouse Pad - Logitech G240
Keyboard - Logitech G910
Headset - Hyper X Revolver S

Troubleshooting:
Event viewer screenshots: (You can see here at 4:20 i was forced to force shutdown with only 1 error i can see during the time of the issue which doesn't really mean much)

View: https://imgur.com/a/RCiZExF
 

View: https://imgur.com/a/Q6Gf8jv

Temps:
(note: this is in degrees Celsius not Fahrenheit)

View: https://imgur.com/a/X5TyWSd
 

RAM test:

View: https://imgur.com/a/dzo1uvg

View: https://imgur.com/a/6cj4DXA

Power/Voltages:

View: https://imgur.com/a/WU4mDSW

View: https://imgur.com/a/z8Y63sP

All drivers up to date (from MOBO & GPU website), RAM tests done, thermal paste changed, dust cleaned out of entire case, Windows 10 reinstalled on new SSD, temps good, power/voltage acceptable levels etc.

 

My thoughts are definite hardware related as i have bought new storage devices with fresh installs of Windows and issue still occurs but unable to pinpoint what it is (MOBO, CPU, PSU?).

Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.

[ManosMax13]

Maybe If you can see what causes the crash, I think there are such apps that will show why the computer crashed, I cant name any tho.

[Liborio]

1 minute ago, ManosMax13 said:

Maybe If you can see what causes the crash, I think there are such apps that will show why the computer crashed, I cant name any tho.

Thanks for your response. I will have a look into that.

[SaerXZ]

The last time I have the simular problem on my laptop, it is the m.2 ssd drive doesn't fit well (poor contact?) on the motherboard, and I just replugged it.

 

Also, the error in your event viewer, I've seen some website about it, and they worked on my another pc. I didn't save the link, but I have a PDF.

ERROR 10016.pdf

[Liborio]

10 minutes ago, SaerXZ said:

The last time I have the simular problem on my laptop, it is the m.2 ssd drive doesn't fit well (poor contact?) on the motherboard, and I just replugged it.

 

Also, the error in your event viewer, I've seen some website about it, and they worked on my another pc. I didn't save the link, but I have a PDF.

ERROR 10016.pdf

Thank you for your response. My SSD is connected via SATA cable and power which i can confirm is correctly plugged.

 

As for the PDF, this suggests it is a registry key issue i.e system file problem. We can rule this out as Windows has been freshly installed multiple times with the issue recurring, thus narrowing it down to a definite hardware fault of some sort.

 

 

[SaerXZ]

If it's not the 2 cases I just replied, then it might be the PSU, but the only way to check that is getting another PSU.

[SaerXZ]

If it's CPU or MOBO, it won't freeze only in games, but in other scenarios too.

[Liborio]

7 minutes ago, SaerXZ said:

If it's CPU or MOBO, it won't freeze only in games, but in other scenarios too.

It has frozen once or twice in other scenarios such as watching a youtube video but literally only once or twice maximum which i why im not ruling it out.

 

Just not sure how to narrow down on which piece of hardware is at fault here.

[Hudinited]

That your ssd or hdd working and it's correctly pluged in doesn't mean it's good.It's more than commonly storage fault. Download and install Hard Disk Sentinel to check your health and performance. It's 5 minute job. 

[Liborio]

35 minutes ago, Hudinited said:

That your ssd or hdd working and it's correctly pluged in doesn't mean it's good.It's more than commonly storage fault. Download and install Hard Disk Sentinel to check your health and performance. It's 5 minute job. 

Thanks for your reply. The SSD has been swapped out (this was my initial thought) and purchased a brand new Samsung 860 EVO 1TB but issue still persisting. Also did a SMART check and come up as perfect condition/working order for the old SSD and obviously the new. Could it be cabling? I didnt think so as the SMART test wouldnt of been successful if that was the case?

[SaerXZ]

45 minutes ago, Liborio said:

It has frozen once or twice in other scenarios such as watching a youtube video but literally only once or twice maximum which i why im not ruling it out.

 

Just not sure how to narrow down on which piece of hardware is at fault here.

Youtube do have hardware accleration.

I think that it might be the voltage from PSU to your GPU is not stable, so if you have heavy work on GPU, it would freeze or bluescreen.

1. Maybe you can try to run Furmark to test it?

2. Buy a cheap second-hand PSU, and plug it ONLY for your GPU, and see what happens.

[Liborio]

16 minutes ago, SaerXZ said:

Youtube do have hardware accleration.

I think that it might be the voltage from PSU to your GPU is not stable, so if you have heavy work on GPU, it would freeze or bluescreen.

1. Maybe you can try to run Furmark to test it?

2. Buy a cheap second-hand PSU, and plug it ONLY for your GPU, and see what happens.

Thanks for the response. I plan on running a number of stress test applications to see if they reveal anything - such as OCCT, CPUZ, Prime 95 & FurMark.

 

What do you mean plug another PSU only for my GPU? What would this prove?

[SaerXZ]

28 minutes ago, Liborio said:

Thanks for the response. I plan on running a number of stress test applications to see if they reveal anything - such as OCCT, CPUZ, Prime 95 & FurMark.

 

What do you mean plug another PSU only for my GPU? What would this prove?

So you can be sure about if it is the 8-pin output from your PSU is unstable, or it is the GPU itself.

From my experience, I think it should be the PSU, but I'm not sure about it. The best way to determine a problem is getting some components and replacing them one by one.

[SaerXZ]

Also, you can sell it after the test to save your money.

Or just borrow one from your friends?

Anyway, good luck!

[Liborio]

1 hour ago, SaerXZ said:

Also, you can sell it after the test to save your money.

Or just borrow one from your friends?

Anyway, good luck!

Thanks for your help. I gather your logic.

 

One last question i have for you, do you definitely think it is the PSU or GPU? What about MOBO & CPU? How can i be sure what it is?

[Liborio]

3 hours ago, SaerXZ said:

So you can be sure about if it is the 8-pin output from your PSU is unstable, or it is the GPU itself.

From my experience, I think it should be the PSU, but I'm not sure about it. The best way to determine a problem is getting some components and replacing them one by one.

You may be right.....I was running some stress tests to cover absolutely everything (except MOBO of course because how are you supposed to stress test a MOBO with software) and discovered the attached. 1 error when doing a PSU test, only problem, OCCT doesnt explain what the error is. Hmmm what now?

[SaerXZ]

So, here is a summary about your problem

 

1. Your computer freezes randomly.
2. You didn't get any bluescreen errors or event viewer errors. (except the 10016 and the unexpected shutdown, which has no help at all)
3. It happens mostly when gaming, sometimes watching youtube. 
4. You did run a full memory test without error or freezes.
5. You run an OCCT test, got the full test report without freezes. But the GPU Usage isn't much (about 25%) in the report. The CPU Usage does keep in 100%. And you got an error in PSU test.
6. At first we thought four components might have problem: GPU, PSU, MOBO, CPU
   1. GPU: The only thing you've been experiencing is the freeze. If it was the GPU, you should have some other problems, such as screen flicker, bluescreen (with an error related to graphic driver), etc. But you do only get freeze when GPU have heavy usage.
   2. PSU: It is not easy for a normal PC user to check if a PSU is unstable, except replacing it with another one and see what happens. But an unstable PSU can cause a lot of problems, and in my experience, do include freezes and bluescreens. Also, a lot of broken PSUs only have some outputs unstable, while others in good condition. In your case, maybe only the PCI-E 8-pin output is the problem.
      • Another example is that my friend's RM550x failed recently, and it just causes random bluescreens when gaming, with random error codes. But he didn't think it was a hardware problem, until his PC didn't boot last week, and the GPU just can't get power from it. (the power led on GPU's 8-pin connector flashs) It was fixed with another PSU connected to the GPU.
      • You can also try to replug all power cables, especially 8-pin GPU power and 24-pin MOBO power. Cables and connectors do make problems sometimes.
   3. MOBO: I don't think a PC can boot with a failed MOBO. Even if it do, it would be very unstable, and should cause any problem at any time, not just gaming. And I think there would be a bluescreen in that case, which you didn't get at all.
   4. CPU: You did a lot of CPU tests, which didn't cause any freezes right? Besides, the last thing that will fail in a normal system is CPU (without overclocking).

And as I posted above, you can get another PSU for testing. Also you can use another 8-pin on your PSU if it is possible, and see what happens.

[Liborio]

8 hours ago, SaerXZ said:

So, here is a summary about your problem

 

1. Your computer freezes randomly.
2. You didn't get any bluescreen errors or event viewer errors. (except the 10016 and the unexpected shutdown, which has no help at all)
3. It happens mostly when gaming, sometimes watching youtube. 
4. You did run a full memory test without error or freezes.
5. You run an OCCT test, got the full test report without freezes. But the GPU Usage isn't much (about 25%) in the report. The CPU Usage does keep in 100%. And you got an error in PSU test.
6. At first we thought four components might have problem: GPU, PSU, MOBO, CPU
   1. GPU: The only thing you've been experiencing is the freeze. If it was the GPU, you should have some other problems, such as screen flicker, bluescreen (with an error related to graphic driver), etc. But you do only get freeze when GPU have heavy usage.
   2. PSU: It is not easy for a normal PC user to check if a PSU is unstable, except replacing it with another one and see what happens. But an unstable PSU can cause a lot of problems, and in my experience, do include freezes and bluescreens. Also, a lot of broken PSUs only have some outputs unstable, while others in good condition. In your case, maybe only the PCI-E 8-pin output is the problem.
      • Another example is that my friend's RM550x failed recently, and it just causes random bluescreens when gaming, with random error codes. But he didn't think it was a hardware problem, until his PC didn't boot last week, and the GPU just can't get power from it. (the power led on GPU's 8-pin connector flashs) It was fixed with another PSU connected to the GPU.
      • You can also try to replug all power cables, especially 8-pin GPU power and 24-pin MOBO power. Cables and connectors do make problems sometimes.
   3. MOBO: I don't think a PC can boot with a failed MOBO. Even if it do, it would be very unstable, and should cause any problem at any time, not just gaming. And I think there would be a bluescreen in that case, which you didn't get at all.
   4. CPU: You did a lot of CPU tests, which didn't cause any freezes right? Besides, the last thing that will fail in a normal system is CPU (without overclocking).

And as I posted above, you can get another PSU for testing. Also you can use another 8-pin on your PSU if it is possible, and see what happens.

Wow! You have put some time and effort into that, very much appreciated.

 

Just to clear up about GPU usage, i have run many tests with GPU @ 100% on OCCT and other GPU tests but didn't post results because nothing showed up (should have mentioned that) so im pretty sure it isnt the GPU. The only piece of hardware that is showing any error or any signs of a problem is that error from the PSU test which now makes me think it is the PSU. FYI i have tested all components that i can except MOBO because i dont think its possible.

 

BUT on another forum (Tom's hardware), a user advised that "PSU's cant cause freezes" which has thrown me off and in my head, taken me back to square 1. He basically advised a PSU either works or doesnt work, nothing in between. If the PC fires up and runs, PSU is fine. If it doesnt start at all, PSU is gone. Nothing in between that. Im not sure what to think of that and now im not sure what to do?

 

Thanks again for your time and help with this.

[SaerXZ]

5 hours ago, Liborio said:

Wow! You have put some time and effort into that, very much appreciated.

 

Just to clear up about GPU usage, i have run many tests with GPU @ 100% on OCCT and other GPU tests but didn't post results because nothing showed up (should have mentioned that) so im pretty sure it isnt the GPU. The only piece of hardware that is showing any error or any signs of a problem is that error from the PSU test which now makes me think it is the PSU. FYI i have tested all components that i can except MOBO because i dont think its possible.

 

BUT on another forum (Tom's hardware), a user advised that "PSU's cant cause freezes" which has thrown me off and in my head, taken me back to square 1. He basically advised a PSU either works or doesnt work, nothing in between. If the PC fires up and runs, PSU is fine. If it doesnt start at all, PSU is gone. Nothing in between that. Im not sure what to think of that and now im not sure what to do?

 

Thanks again for your time and help with this.

So your computer didn't freeze during the GPU test? That's interesting. Maybe you can have a longer test time to make it freeze?

 

The user on Tom's hardware, I would say that he is so lucky, that he never have been into these kind of troubles. I've seen a lot of strange problems, and everyone will say it is not the PSU, not the cooling, etc. But every time it would end to be the last thing you would expect, not only PSU, but something like a HDMI cable or an old BIOS version.

So when you're facing a problem like random freezes, which you really won't know where the problem is, check these "impossible" components, and it will be fixed.

[Liborio]

8 minutes ago, SaerXZ said:

So your computer didn't freeze during the GPU test? That's interesting. Maybe you can have a longer test time to make it freeze?

 

The user on Tom's hardware, I would say that he is so lucky, that he never have been into these kind of troubles. I've seen a lot of strange problems, and everyone will say it is not the PSU, not the cooling, etc. But every time it would end to be the last thing you would expect, not only PSU, but something like a HDMI cable or an old BIOS version.

So when you're facing a problem like random freezes, which you really won't know where the problem is, check these "impossible" components, and it will be fixed.

Thank you. No freeze during GPU test but i will try a longer one.

 

I definitely believe it is PSU or cabling as nothing else shows any signs of faults. Only that 1 PSU error so i believe a good first step would be changing the PSU and cabling. Not 100% though, thats the thing with this kinda issue.