# [SOLVED] Computer freezes up under load



## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

Not sure if this is the correct forum, since I'm not really sure where the problem lies. I just built a new computer for my wife (build details below) and now when she tries to play WoW, the computer freezes after about 30 minutes. Attached is the CpuID output file for her computer at idle, obviously I can't provide one from the time it freezes. Also, I've run memtest86 on each RAM module individually and both together, with no errors reported. Any ideas on where to go from here? Thanks much!

Build details:

AMD A8-7600 Kaveri Quad-Core 3.1GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) FM2+ 
MSI A88X-G43 FM2+/FM2 AMD A88X(Bolton D4) ATX
G.SKILL 8GB (2 x 4GB) DDR3 2133
CORSAIR CX600M 600W ATX12V v2.3
MSI R9 280 GAMING 3G 384-Bit GDDR5 PCI-E 3.0x16
WD Blue WD10EZEX 1TB 64MB Cache SATA 6.0Gb/s
Rosewill R5 Black Gaming ATX Mid Tower Case
CM 212 EVO cpu cooler


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Could you perhaps upload an image of HWMonitor rather then the text file?

Inside the BIOS what are the 12V, 3.3V, 5V, and VCORE voltages?

Does this only happen when gaming?

Are all the drivers fully up-to-date?


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Thanks for the response. I couldn't find the psu numbers in the BIOS, but they are included in the screenshot I attached to this post. I'm pretty sure I did I search for the latest drivers when I installed the Radeon card but I'll do it again. She hasn't used the computer for much since we encountered this problem, so I don't know if it only happens when gaming but it hasn't happened at idle or when surfing the net, though she hasn't done a lot of that with this machine. We can try stressing it a bit.

Thanks again.


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Quick update for you. We ran the system with a single monitor for over an hour with no freeze. After connecting the second monitor, the system froze within 15 minutes. We're back to a single monitor and will test it for a prolonged period tomorrow. If this turns out to be a monitor problem (admittedly the 2nd monitor we're currently using is quite old) I'll be shocked  I'd be interested to hear if the voltage readings from the screen shot I included in the previous post are in an acceptable range.

Thanks!


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

It may be a driver issue as well for the second monitor. Again, I would update the GPU driver.

The voltages of the 12V and 3.3V are within spec, but the 5V is quite high. I don't always trust HWMonitor though as it doesn't always get the right readings for voltages.


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

I updated the graphics device drivers and running only off a single monitor (using the HDMI port) the computer has frozen twice over the course of about 2.5 hours. In both cases, cpu temps were about 60C. Could the high 5 volt line be causing the freeze-ups?

Thanks for your help!


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Just another update. I'm going to switch out the psu for an XFX 650 watt Bronze unit I have and see if that makes a difference. I'll post the result.


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## Superion (Oct 3, 2014)

"I don't always trust HWMonitor though as it doesn't always get the right readings for voltages." Hi, sorry to interrupt, what else wood you recommend besides HWMonitor to get accurate real-time voltages?


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*



khaldac said:


> Just another update. I'm going to switch out the psu for an XFX 650 watt Bronze unit I have and see if that makes a difference. I'll post the result.


It's certainly worth a shot and the XFX brand is top tier.



Superion said:


> "I don't always trust HWMonitor though as it doesn't always get the right readings for voltages." Hi, sorry to interrupt, what else wood you recommend besides HWMonitor to get accurate real-time voltages?


Nothing. Perhaps CPUZ... HWMonitor can sometimes be right with voltages, but is typically wrong.


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Hi.

Sorry it's taken me so long to continue with this but the holidays and work have limited my time. Here's the situation now:

I swapped out the power supplies and while my wife could play the game for a longer time before it froze, it still froze. Why the swap should result in a longer MTBF, I have no idea.

Next, I removed the graphics card and used the onboard R7 chip to supply video. So far, the computer has not frozen at all, though it does flicker to a complete black screen and back to the game every so often. At the moment it appears to be random, but I'm not certain. Also, the game lags on occasion, as if it momentarily cannot update the screen. These may both be symptoms of the same problem. I'm going to reinstall the latest drivers for the R7 as well as remove the drivers completely for the R9-280. If the problems go away, I'll RMA the graphics adapter and see if a new one works correctly.

Any thoughts or does this sound like a logical approach?

Thanks again for all your help!

Michael


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Sounds like a good plan to me. Use this to remove the drivers:

Display Driver Uninstaller Download version 13.5.4.2


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## khaldac (Mar 10, 2013)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

I'm truly sorry for the lack of further updates on my part. To make a long story short, you can close this thread. After making a number of changes, including an update to the game files themselves, the problem has disappeared. I'm not sure what actually fixed it - I hate problems that just "go away" - but I'll take it for now 

Thank you very much for all your help. You folks are fantastic!

Michael


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## Rich-M (May 2, 2007)

*Re: Computer freezes up under load*

Yeah happens a lot where you do several things at once and as a result don't know which fixed the problem but the main thing is you got it working. Good job.


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## Masterchiefxx17 (Feb 27, 2010)

Sometimes it just works that way.


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