Hey everyone! I've been building PCs for about 22 years, but I'm having a tough time with my latest build from November 2024. Here are the specs: MSI Z-790-A MAX WIFI motherboard, i7-14700K CPU, Noctua cooler, 2TB WD Black SSD, RTX 4080 SUPER GPU, 64GB DDR5-6400 RAM, and a Seasonic 850W PSU running Windows 11 Pro. Initially, everything was great, but recently, more demanding games like Hell Let Loose and Total Warhammer III are either crashing during launch or after playing for a few minutes. I'm getting Kernel Error 41 in the Event Viewer, and the CPU temperature seems fine. I've done a fresh Windows install and tested several components, but nothing seems to help. I'm considering getting a higher wattage PSU or even a new CPU. Is there anything obvious I might be missing?
2 Answers
Have you tried clearing the CMOS and making sure your BIOS is up to date? Those basic steps can sometimes solve all kinds of weird issues. If you haven’t done that yet, it’s definitely worth a shot!
You might want to run some extra tests using OCCT for the CPU, GPU, RAM, and VRAM. The 14700K has been known for some degradation and stability problems, so it could be worth testing the CPU without the GPU to see if it behaves differently.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll do the BIOS and CMOS first and then test the CPU by itself. Good to know I’m not the only one stressing over this!
You’re totally right! Just realized I hadn’t updated the BIOS since April 2024. This is such a rookie mistake for me. I really appreciate the reminder!