I recently built a custom PC after a long break from PC building, but I'm encountering a frustrating issue. The system randomly restarts while I'm gaming, initially just restarting, but now I'm getting driver timeout errors as well. I've gone through the trouble of rebuilding the PC, checking all the connections, and even tested my RX7600 graphics card in another machine where it ran flawlessly. I've reapplied thermal paste and made sure the cooling is set up properly, but nothing seems to work. I've run extensive tests on the CPU, GPU, RAM, and PSU, but everything appears to be in good working order. However, during gaming, the restarts happen. For instance, I recently downloaded FIFA 26, and it restarted in the middle of a match. In Cyberpunk 2077, it typically plays for about 30 minutes before rebooting, and I can manage about an hour in Battlefield 1 before it crashes. Any advice?
3 Answers
The driver timeout error could indicate a problem with your GPU or the graphics settings. Since you're experiencing crashes after 30-60 minutes, try running a load test for a longer period. It's also possible that bad drivers could be to blame. Make sure to check Device Installation Settings and disable auto-downloads, then use DDU to uninstall your current drivers and manually install the latest version. In your BIOS, set the PCIe speed manually instead of leaving it on auto. That might solve some issues too.
It sounds like you might have faulty RAM. Can you share your full specs? That might help narrow things down.
Just a quick tip: have you checked if your specific RAM model is listed in the QVL for your motherboard/CPU combo? Some RAM might not be on that list, but it could still work. Still, it's worth a look.
I tested the GPU in another build, and it works fine there. I ran stress tests and everything was stable on desktop, but it still restarts during games. I disabled Windows updates, used DDU for a clean driver install, and I haven't checked the PCI-E settings yet, so I’ll try that next.