I recently replaced an older PC that had been crashing, but the new system is now showing very similar behavior. The crashes usually happen while gaming: the audio becomes extremely static, frame rates drop sharply, the system freezes, and then it reboots. The new computer crashed frequently during its first couple of days, worked normally for nearly a week, and then suddenly started crashing again.
I have reseated the internal components, reinstalled drivers, tested the RAM with MemTest, and performed a clean Windows installation, but nothing has permanently fixed the issue. Since both computers crashed while connected in the same setup, I am wondering whether the problem could be related to the wall outlet, power strip, monitor, peripherals, or another shared component rather than the PC itself.
The system has an AMD Ryzen 5 7500X3D processor, 16 GB of RAM, and an AMD Radeon RX 9060 XT with 16 GB of VRAM. I mainly use it for games, Discord, Spotify, and schoolwork. What should I test next?
4 Answers
Did you move the old hard drive, SSD, or NVMe drive into the new computer? A reused drive could carry over software, firmware, or hardware-related problems, so it is worth testing with only the new system drive installed.
Peripherals and their drivers can occasionally cause system crashes, especially gaming devices with elaborate control software. Temporarily remove unnecessary USB devices and uninstall their companion software, then test the computer with only essential peripherals connected.
The static audio immediately before the freeze suggests the whole system is hanging rather than just the game crashing. Because the same symptom appeared on two PCs, look for something shared between them: the outlet, power strip, monitor, USB devices, audio equipment, or other peripherals. Disconnect nonessential devices and test with a basic keyboard and mouse setup.
Since both computers had similar crashes in the same location, test the power setup first. Plug the new PC directly into an outlet on a different circuit, rather than just another socket on the same wall. If you use the same power strip or surge protector as before, try replacing or bypassing it. A UPS or properly rated surge protector may also help identify unstable power. If the crashes continue elsewhere, check Event Viewer under Windows Logs > System for WHEA-Logger or Kernel-Power events around the crash time.
That makes sense. I only have Discord, Spotify, my games, and Microsoft apps installed, so there is not much extra software involved. I will test another circuit, although it is strange that the system worked normally for almost a week before crashing again.