HELP! - BSODs When Installing New CPU

[BrianD-mage]

Hey everyone,

 

I'm at my wits end here. I wanted to make some upgrades to a build that is 5 years old. I have an MSI z170a Tomahawk AC motherboard that is usually compatible with 6th gen processors. In looking for compatible parts I found that if you update the BIOS that you can use some 7th generation CPUs including the i7 7700k. I bought an i7-7700k that allegedly was in working condition to replace my i5-6500 I updated the BIOS to the most recent version available for my board. The install on that went great. No problems. Boots and posts fine every time.

 

 

That's when the BSODs began. The most common one was IRQL NOT LESS OR EQUAL with a specific .sys file listed. I went through plugging holes in the dam by installing all updates and drivers related to the files listed (Net10.sys, tcpip.sys, and others).

 

After several hours of updating and downloading new drivers, I started to see different BSOD errors occur, or the same IRQL one but with no specific files being mentioned. I got PAGE FAULT IN NONPAGED AREA and a few others that I can't remember off the top of my head. It even crashes in safe mode.

 

 

Now, I've since installed a brand new SSD with a clean install of Windows. Same problems. However, when I switch back to the i5 there are no issues. With the i7 the computer will only run for a few minutes at a time, sometimes up to 20 minutes. If I let it be and don't try to do anything it will stay on longer. I've been using a 10 hour Youtube video as a means of testing if the computer will stay on or not. With the i5 I've had it run for 4 hours with no issues. I applied new thermal compound paste each time. 

 

I've tried other versions of BIOS, I've installed all possible drivers from Windows Updates and the drivers available on the product page for my motherboard. I've gone through component by component and removed anything that may be causing an issue. I've booted without a GPU and a network card. I installed the Intel Processor Diagnostic Tool and BOTH processors passed in all categories. All of my hardware is operational in the BIOS menu for either processor. The temp is good for both between 31-41 degrees. EDIT: I also removed and replaced the CMOS battery.

 

 

Is there any way that there is something wrong with the processor outside the parameters that the diagnostic searches for? Would this be a motherboard failing? Am I just missing some obvious driver or software that will make this all work?

If someone can confidently say that the it's a bunk processor, I can then go through the process of getting a refund from the ebay seller who sold it to me. I just want to be absolutely sure that I'm not being a dolt here. 

 

Please help.

 

THINGS TO NOTE:

 

Here are the dump files https://drive.google.com/file/d/1eFkUHLcU62ylx2c0U_Us4X4XfHhI057Q/view?usp=sharing

 

I currently can not obtain the perfmon data. It takes longer than 60 seconds to collect and the BSOD happens before I can get it.

 

I am currently only running one stick of 16GB RAM because the pins on my other stick got damaged(long story)

 

I was originally running into these errors with an HDD. I had the HDD checked and it was completely functional. I had planned to upgrade to an SSD anyways, so I did, and here we are.

 

My PC Part Picker link is here: 

PCPartPicker Part List

Type	Item	Price
CPU	Intel Core i5-6500 3.2 GHz Quad-Core Processor	$235.00 @ Amazon
CPU Cooler	Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO 82.9 CFM Sleeve Bearing CPU Cooler	$34.99 @ Newegg
Motherboard	MSI Z170A Tomahawk AC ATX LGA1151 Motherboard
Memory	G.Skill Ripjaws V Series 16 GB (1 x 16 GB) DDR4-2800 CL15 Memory
Storage	Samsung 870 Evo 250 GB 2.5" Solid State Drive	$44.99 @ B&H
Video Card	MSI GeForce GTX 1050 Ti 4 GB GAMING X Video Card	$699.98 @ Amazon
Power Supply	EVGA 500 W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply
Operating System	Microsoft Windows 10 Pro OEM 64-bit	$139.88 @ Other World Computing
	Prices include shipping, taxes, rebates, and discounts
	Total (before mail-in rebates)	$1164.84
	Mail-in rebates	-$10.00
	Total	$1154.84
	Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-11 20:44 EDT-0400

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2021 by BrianD-mage
Added additional troubleshooting

[WhitetailAni]

Did you clear your CMOS after swapping CPUs?

[BrianD-mage]

59 minutes ago, FakeKGB said:

Did you clear your CMOS after swapping CPUs?

I did. Sorry forgot to include that.

[BrianD-mage]

Based on a suggestion from another forum, I underclocked the i7 to 3.8GHz from 4.2 GHz. I ran an internet browser with a 10 hour long video all night with 0 BSODs and no issues. While I'm happy that the system now seems functional, I'm still clueless as to what this means and need to know if there is an issue with the processor.

[MiniMike DK]

Maybe your motherboard isn't able to deliver the power the I7 7700K demands when running @4,2Ghz.

[Heliian]

Could be ram instability with the newer cpu, are you running xmp or manually altered states.?

 

Maybe not enough power as said above, do you have any spare parts? 

[BrianD-mage]

Whoops forgot to quote

[BrianD-mage]

58 minutes ago, MiniMike DK said:

Maybe your motherboard isn't able to deliver the power the I7 7700K demands when running @4,2Ghz.

 

20 minutes ago, Heliian said:

Could be ram instability with the newer cpu, are you running xmp or manually altered states.?

 

Maybe not enough power as said above, do you have any spare parts? 

According to PC Partpicker the power supply, motherboard, and processor are all compatible. Are you saying the motherboard could be failing in that regard though?

 

I have no extra parts and am definitely not running manually altered states because this is baby's first build here that you guys are so graciously helping with. 

 

If it were RAM instability though, would that just mean faulty RAM? Or is it an issue with how the CPU is handling the RAM?

[Heliian]

Just compatibility issues.  Make sure your ram stick is in slot 2 and then go into the bios and enable xmp and see what happens.

2800mhz is an OC on this board so you might not be getting that right now. 

[BrianD-mage]

After narrowing it down to the RAM or the CPU I took a risk and bought an identical CPU from a different seller. It worked fine and ran at its full base clock speed. It seems that there was in fact something wrong with that CPU. Thanks for helping me eliminate other possibilities and focus on the two problematic pieces.