Random pc lockups with frozen screen and weird artefacts/pixelation

[Uzetaab]

Built a PC in July last year and I get these lockups occasionally. The whole PC freezes and I need to do a hard reset by holding down the power button to restart it. It's not normally very frequent, maybe once a fortnight, but it's happened 3 times this weekend. I don't know where to begin trouble shooting it because it's so infrequent and there is not an obvious cause. I'm hoping someone has seen it before.

 

The only thing of note is that it does not seem to happen when I have a game running.

 

• OS - Windows 8.1, 8, 7, Vista ? 11
• x86 (32-bit) or x64 ? x64
• What OS was originaly installed on the system? new build
• Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from a retailer)? retail
• Age of system (hardware) july 2023
• Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS?  july 2023 (first time it happened was a couple weeks after building PC)
• CPU model AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
• Video Card model AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
• MotherBoard - (if NOT a laptop) MSI B550-A PRO
• Power Supply - brand & wattage (if laptop, skip this)     MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold
• System Manufacturer custom build by me - not my first
• Exact model number (if OEM or laptop) NA
• Laptop or Desktop? Desktop

It's air cooled and the case has 5 fans, I don't think it's overheating, the fans do not get very loud during games like cyberpunk 2077, but as I mentioned, it doesn't freeze during games anyway.

 

I've done driver updates and  I did not overclock it.

[PowerPCFan]

2 hours ago, Uzetaab said:

Built a PC in July last year and I get these lockups occasionally. The whole PC freezes and I need to do a hard reset by holding down the power button to restart it. It's not normally very frequent, maybe once a fortnight, but it's happened 3 times this weekend. I don't know where to begin trouble shooting it because it's so infrequent and there is not an obvious cause. I'm hoping someone has seen it before.

 

The only thing of note is that it does not seem to happen when I have a game running.

 

• OS - Windows 8.1, 8, 7, Vista ? 11
• x86 (32-bit) or x64 ? x64
• What OS was originaly installed on the system? new build
• Is the OS an OEM version (came pre-installed on system) or full retail version (YOU purchased it from a retailer)? retail
• Age of system (hardware) july 2023
• Age of OS installation - have you re-installed the OS?  july 2023 (first time it happened was a couple weeks after building PC)
• CPU model AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
• Video Card model AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT
• MotherBoard - (if NOT a laptop) MSI B550-A PRO
• Power Supply - brand & wattage (if laptop, skip this)     MSI MPG A750GF 750 W 80+ Gold
• System Manufacturer custom build by me - not my first
• Exact model number (if OEM or laptop) NA
• Laptop or Desktop? Desktop

It's air cooled and the case has 5 fans, I don't think it's overheating, the fans do not get very loud during games like cyberpunk 2077, but as I mentioned, it doesn't freeze during games anyway.

 

I've done driver updates and  I did not overclock it.

Looks like very bad GPU artifacts. It could be a dead gpu. I have that card, in your Adrenalin tuning, try setting 2324MHz min, 2424mhz max, 1150mV, and 2012mhz VRAM clock. What are your temps? Use HWMonitor to check GPU temps when your PC is running a stress test or intensive video game. 

[Backbite]

Also, cables, always check cables with a known good one/different one.

 

Windows likes to run desktop mode using integrated graphics like the 5700G has, which would explain why it's not seen in game. (If enabled)

What are the current memory speeds? Anything over 3200 Mhz could theoretically cause instability as well. May be worth a try lowering them.

[Uzetaab]

4 hours ago, PowerPCFan said:

Looks like very bad GPU artifacts. It could be a dead gpu. I have that card, in your Adrenalin tuning, try setting 2324MHz min, 2424mhz max, 1150mV, and 2012mhz VRAM clock. What are your temps? Use HWMonitor to check GPU temps when your PC is running a stress test or intensive video game. 

I've set those settings and will see how it goes. Frustrating that I have to wait several days or weeks to see if it has helped. temperature results before and after doing the underclocking are included. It runs a little hot, but I don't think it is outside the supported range.

3 hours ago, Backbite said:

Also, cables, always check cables with a known good one/different one.

 

Windows likes to run desktop mode using integrated graphics like the 5700G has, which would explain why it's not seen in game. (If enabled)

What are the current memory speeds? Anything over 3200 Mhz could theoretically cause instability as well. May be worth a try lowering them.

Alas, I do not have any spare cables.

 

The integrated graphics is disabled, although it occurs to me that I should probably switch to onboard graphics as a test. I will try that next.

The memory is set to 3600, but that is what my ram is rated at. It is something else I can test though. One change at I time is my best path forward I guess.

 

Thanks for the responses, both of you.

 

[scruffballz_86]

if you bought the gpu new send it back to rma it !!!

take the gpu out and then back in again a few times !!!

could be just new build material not letting contact in the slot properly !!!

but yes it even can be a crappy hdmi cable !!! I just bought new cables for all my t.v.'s and ps5 and both my new computers !!!

but i had the screen flicker problem till i got new cables !!!

[PowerPCFan]

3 hours ago, Uzetaab said:

I've set those settings and will see how it goes. Frustrating that I have to wait several days or weeks to see if it has helped. temperature results before and after doing the underclocking are included. It runs a little hot, but I don't think it is outside the supported range.

Alas, I do not have any spare cables.

 

The integrated graphics is disabled, although it occurs to me that I should probably switch to onboard graphics as a test. I will try that next.

The memory is set to 3600, but that is what my ram is rated at. It is something else I can test though. One change at I time is my best path forward I guess.

 

Thanks for the responses, both of you.

 

Good luck! My 6700 XT (different brand) was factory overclocked and used to hit 95°C hotspot and crash sometimes. Reducing the clocks slightly and reducing the voltage fixed the overheating and crashes for me. 

[Uzetaab]

I haven't had the same lock up, but it has been crashing and rebooting. It still only happens when I am not running a game, so it's probably still the same issue. I think this has happened before too, but it normally happens when I'm afk.

 

I also tried messing with the GPU fans thinking that maybe when it went into eco mode and the fans turned off it would overheat, but that didn't help.

 

A few minutes ago I removed and re-seated the GPU. I also switched from a display port cable to a hdmi cable. If I keep having problems I will completely remove the card and see if it's stable with onboard graphics instead.

[Uzetaab]

Re-seating the GPU and switching to a HDMI cable did not help the situation. I'm still getting crashes, and I even had another lock up that looked exactly like the photo in my original post. It still only happens when I am NOT playing a game which seems very strange to me.

 

Anyway, I have just removed the GPU altogether and switched to the onboard graphics provided by my AMD Ryzen 7 5700G CPU. So I have begun the final test before seeking an RMA.

[Uzetaab]

The system has been running perfectly when running on the on-board graphics without the discreet GPU installed. I am confident that there is a problem with this GPU.

 

Thanks for all the help!