First PC build in 10 years is giving me grief :(

[Numptee86]

Hey all,

 

This problem has been happening for a few months now...I had no idea where to turn but just realised (probably should have a while back) that LTT is more than just the YouTube channel....REALLY hoping someone on here can save me!

 

I built this PC around a year ago...it worked pretty much flawlessly up until around Christmas, and then it just started freezing in games...intermittently, but just as you were planning a night of gaming, bam, gone. The main game I play seems to be the one that it freezes in... War Thunder. My partner plays Quake Champions on here and she seems to have it work pretty much all the time. I play a little bit of Rust and it freezes up in that too....but its so hit and miss that I don't even know how to describe it. War Thunder worked yesterday for a solid hour....Rust worked today for maybe an hour...then I went to log back in and it froze in about 20 seconds of gameplay...

 

Pretty much every time it freezes, the screen will not get a signal if I turn it back on again straight away. It makes me think its a heat issue, but I haven't overclocked anything (the case MAY be the problem...getting to the specs). Just before it even froze in the bios screen, which just seems insane, because I can't find any obvious faults/issues. Where do I even start to work out the problem? I'm a 32 year old gamer....I haven't had a proper rig for like...10 years, so all my old tricks and knowledge are nothing now, and I have no idea how to fault find on this thing.... specs are:

 

CPU: Intel i5-8600k @ 3.6Ghz

Cooler: NZXT Kraken X62

RAM: Corsair Vengeance LED CMU16GX4M2C3000C15 16GB (2x8GB) DDR4

GFX: EVGA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti SC2 

Motherboard: ASRock Z370M-ITX/ac

BIOS Mode: UEFI

Case: Phanteks Enthoo Evolv Shift X iTX

Power Supply: Corsair SF600

Boot Drive: Samsung SSD 960 EVO 250gb (M2 SSD mounted on the motherboard)

Other Storage: Samsung SSD 850 EVO 1TB

 

I know the case is a bit tight but I don't know if that is going to be the problem....the CPU barely ever gets warm, and I have as many 140mm fans in the case as I can fit. Nothing is overclocked, and I have been putting the GPU fans on 100% just to see if that will stop the problem (sometimes it seems to take a bit longer to crash, but still doesn't seem to stop it from happening).

 

I've experimented with opening the front and back doors of the case up too, so the GFX card is essentially hanging in thin air (albeit behind the MoBo)...still no luck.

 

Are there diagnostics I can run or something? I suspect its a driver or something like that...after all, it worked for so long without an issue??

 

Any help graciously appreciated, I'm glad this community exists so I can put the question out there...really don't know where else to turn these days!

[stixx310]

try switching the ram sticks around.

[TheKent]

These kinds of problems are icky. Since it freezes both in the BIOS and OS, drivers and software issues in OS are out of the picture. 

 

First of all, make sure your BIOS is updated to the latest version: https://www.asrock.com/MB/Intel/Z370M-ITXac/index.asp#BIOS

 

As stixx310 implied, I would start out by eliminating possible problem sources.

 

Remove the 1080 Ti carefully from the case, store it in a safe place, then run the computer on the internal graphics to see if it still freezes up. If it still happens, you have eliminated the GPU as a problem source. You should be able to run simple games on the integrated graphics. In addition to loosening the bracket from the case, there is a little lever you have to press down the release the card from the PCI-E slot. It should then come out using minimal pulling force. Make sure to handle the card mainly by holding onto the bracket and cooler part of the card (play the "PCB is lava" game).

 

If problem persists, leave the 1080 Ti out of the computer, and move onto the memory sticks. What you should do is test them one at a time, leaving one disconnected. Read the manual for the motherboard for placing the memory in the correct slots, as this can vary between different motherboards. On this board, though, you can't go wrong with the placement of the sticks, since it only has two slots. If one of the sticks is causing the problems, reinstall the graphics card and the working memory stick, and file a complaint to the company you ordered the RAM from. 

 

Another source of problem I can think of is the SSD, but still, it has nothing to do with the BIOS, so. A defective PSU can cause all sorts of problems, but from my experience, it's rare.

 

Hope this helps! 

 

Link to motherboard manual: http://asrock.pc.cdn.bitgravity.com/Manual/Z370M-ITXac.pdf

 

 

[MindServ]

I agree with all the suggestions from @TheKent

Though a faulty SSD can make the BIOS freeze up too! Seen it happen with a broken Intel 660P M.2 drive..

I would also try to run a memory test like MemTest86 or something, if you get any errors, get new RAM.

 

Also, have you checked that none of the temperature sensors reports too high values?

(I would guess ASRock have some kind of tool for temperatures on their website)

Anyway, if some component have been running way too hot for a while that can cause the component to fail or be me more prone to cause intermittent failures.

 

[Numptee86]

Thanks for the resonses guys, I've started having a go at some of them but have hit another problem...potentially massive....at square 1

 

I went to ASRock's page (thanks for the link @TheKent, selected the latest BIOS update (windows version) and set it going...now the computer is sitting there in the UEFI screen at 0 percent doing nothing...has done nothing for half an hour, and it says "Do not power off during UEFI update".....can someone please allay my fears that I've just bricked my motherboard? Really don't know what to do....there is no cursor to move around to see if it is frozen....I can't imagine it would take more than a minute or two to update the firmware so all I will be able to do is switch it off and on....what are the chances my computer just became a vegetable?

[Numptee86]

I carpe'd the diem and switched it off....it must have frozen before it even started doing anything, because it started back up fine. Should I try this again, but put the bios update on a USB drive?

 

Again thanks very much for the help on here guys, I'm terrified of killing this...lets say investment....but glad to have found people that can offer far more advice than I have!

[Numptee86]

Well I've started disassembling the computer...first thing out was the GFX card. I have Subnautica running in the background as I type this....frustratingly, it seems to be ok....which means a very expensive GFX card may have an issue. Does anyone know what EVGA are like when dealing with faulty stuff?

[TheKent]

BIOS: I would perhaps try the method where you start the process in the BIOS, with the BIOS file on a memory stick (Instant Flash). Windows BIOS installers have given me lots of headaches in the past.

If the BIOS is not updated, it has probably reset itself to the previous version, since most modern motherboards has a second fail-safe BIOS chip (if I'm not completely wrong) to revert to in case of power outages or something. Sorry that you had to go through the fear of having bricked your MB! Not a good feeling...

 

GPU: Sounds like the GPU could be the source of the problems.

When it comes to the graphics card itself, if this is the first time you've taken it out since the problems started, get a good light source and inspect the connector to see that there is no corrosion or severe scratches on the connectors.

I would try cleaning the video card's PCI connector carefully with some isopropanol/electronics cleaner on a q-tip. Don't soak the q-tip, you don't need a lot of this stuff on it. This is just to be sure that the connector is fresh and clean when reinstalling it. If it's >99% isopropanol, let it dry for a few minutes. If not, use a dry q-tip, run it over and dry off residue before it dries up.

When you're sure the connector is the best it can be, go ahead and reinstall it onto the motherboard, you should get a little, satisfying click from the PCI-E port on the motherboard when installed correctly.

If you're lucky, a reseating and connector cleaning is just what it needed!

 

If the graphics card still seems to be troublesome, make contact with the shop where you purchased it. Where I'm from, they handle warranty cases. If you have to contact the manufacturer, most of them are interested in providing good customer service, so I think they will provide the help you need, especially if the product is still within the warranty period. Maybe you'll have to pay for shipping, but that's still cheaper than a new 1080 Ti.

 

If anyone has anything to add or correct to my advices, please do!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Numptee86]

On 3/31/2019 at 10:23 PM, TheKent said:

BIOS: I would perhaps try the method where you start the process in the BIOS, with the BIOS file on a memory stick (Instant Flash). Windows BIOS installers have given me lots of headaches in the past.

If the BIOS is not updated, it has probably reset itself to the previous version, since most modern motherboards has a second fail-safe BIOS chip (if I'm not completely wrong) to revert to in case of power outages or something. Sorry that you had to go through the fear of having bricked your MB! Not a good feeling...

 

GPU: Sounds like the GPU could be the source of the problems.

When it comes to the graphics card itself, if this is the first time you've taken it out since the problems started, get a good light source and inspect the connector to see that there is no corrosion or severe scratches on the connectors.

I would try cleaning the video card's PCI connector carefully with some isopropanol/electronics cleaner on a q-tip. Don't soak the q-tip, you don't need a lot of this stuff on it. This is just to be sure that the connector is fresh and clean when reinstalling it. If it's >99% isopropanol, let it dry for a few minutes. If not, use a dry q-tip, run it over and dry off residue before it dries up.

When you're sure the connector is the best it can be, go ahead and reinstall it onto the motherboard, you should get a little, satisfying click from the PCI-E port on the motherboard when installed correctly.

If you're lucky, a reseating and connector cleaning is just what it needed!

 

If the graphics card still seems to be troublesome, make contact with the shop where you purchased it. Where I'm from, they handle warranty cases. If you have to contact the manufacturer, most of them are interested in providing good customer service, so I think they will provide the help you need, especially if the product is still within the warranty period. Maybe you'll have to pay for shipping, but that's still cheaper than a new 1080 Ti.

 

If anyone has anything to add or correct to my advices, please do!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you for the encouragement to pull it apart mate, I really appreciate it. I haven't posted in a few days because I've been testing it out...I'm embarrassed to say I think it may have ended up being something as "simple" as the graphics card moving a fraction of a millimetre in its socket...I pulled it out, ran it for ages without the card in....put it back in, and its working fine.

 

I haven't put all the bits of the case back on yet which will increase case temps, but so far so good....its a pretty heavy card and it hangs vertically with one of those breakout cables running it to the board...so maybe even though I VERY gently moved the case, it shook loose a tiny bit?

 

That, plus I did a fresh install of Windows, so it may have been a driver? Either way, a the moment it seems to be working.

 

Thanks again for all the advice mate, you are a deadset legend, glad to know there are people out there to offer advice and encourage :)