Hey everyone! I recently built a new PC with some pretty high-end components, but after about two months, I've been hit with several frustrating issues. It started with small browser crashes that escalated to frequent game and app crashes, random Blue Screens of Death (BSOD), and even problems with Windows updates hanging. I've attempted several clean installations of Windows, but they've been failing too, even when trying different USB media. I'm also running into problems installing NVIDIA drivers, with checksum errors cropping up during attempts. To make things even more puzzling, my monitor shows some flickering lines, but only after Windows loads up. The only major hardware I haven't replaced or upgraded is the PSU, and I'm wondering if that could be the culprit. Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated, as I'm truly at my wit's end with this!
4 Answers
You’ve replaced a lot of components already, which makes it likely that the PSU could be the problem. If it’s not supplying stable power, that can cause all sorts of chaos in a build. Have you got a spare PSU that you can try swapping in just to rule it out? Sometimes these issues can result from power delivery problems.
Considering the flickering lines on your monitor, that could be tied to a GPU issue or driver conflict as well. Make sure you're using the latest drivers from NVIDIA. You mentioned DDU; have you tried running it in Safe Mode before trying to reinstall the drivers? Sometimes that can help clean out stubborn installations. Just thoughts!
It sounds like you’ve already done a lot of troubleshooting! One thing you might want to do is check for any dump files from the BSODs. These can provide insight into what’s actually causing the crashes. If you can boot into Windows or Safe Mode, look for those files in C:WindowsMinidump and share them; it could really help narrow down the issue. Also, make sure your BIOS is up to date as that can sometimes fix compatibility issues with newer components.
Thanks for the tip! I’ll check for dump files, but I’ve already done a BIOS update and even rolled back to previous versions, so I don’t think that’s it.
Don't forget to check the event viewer for error logs whenever the BSOD happens. It might provide a clearer idea of what’s failing right before the crashes. Just remember that dealing with BSODs can be a bit of a process, so gathering as much data as possible will help you and anyone trying to help you figure it out!
I haven't swapped the PSU yet, but it makes sense. I’ll look into finding a replacement to test.