I recently built my first PC, but I'm dealing with a really annoying issue where it crashes randomly. Sometimes it happens after 10 minutes, other times it takes up to an hour, and it presents me with a black screen that says, "Your computer encountered a problem and needs to restart". I've tried disabling the automatic restart feature to get a BSOD code, but instead, I still get the same black screen without any helpful stop code.
Here's what I've already done to troubleshoot:
- Reset the BIOS to defaults.
- Update the BIOS to the latest version (ASUS Z790 BIOS 1825).
- Make sure all of my drivers are up-to-date, especially for my GPU and chipset.
- Cleanly reinstall NVIDIA drivers.
- Double-check all power and data connections.
- Monitor temperatures, and I don't see any overheating issues.
- Uninstall ASUS Armoury Crate and GameSDK utilities.
- Spend time combing through the Event Viewer.
The Event Viewer isn't showing one consistent error but a mix of kernel bugchecks, including:
- KMODE_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x1E)
- SYSTEM_THREAD_EXCEPTION_NOT_HANDLED (0x7E)
- SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION (0x3B)
- IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (0x0A)
- UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP (0x7F)
- SECURE_KERNEL_ERROR (0x18B)
Most of these reference access violations (0xC0000005), which leads me to think it might be a memory corruption issue rather than just a single driver problem.
My theories about the cause include RAM instability (maybe linked to XMP), CPU or memory controller issues, a BIOS or microcode problem, or just something I messed up during the build.
I've already tried disabling and enabling XMP.
System specs:
- OS: Windows 11 Pro
- CPU: Intel i7-14700K
- RAM: 32 GB (DDR5, currently with XMP enabled)
- Storage: 1 TB NVMe SSD
- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5060 Ti
- Motherboard: ASUS Z790 GAMING WiFi 7
I'm looking for insight on whether this points to RAM/XMP issues, any known Z790 and 14th-gen Intel concerns, BIOS settings to change, or additional tests I could conduct before disassembling the system.
4 Answers
You might want to check out BIOS settings, specifically anything related to power management and memory. Disabling features like C-states or anything unnecessary can sometimes help with stability issues. Also, ensure your BIOS is fully updated as there might be fixes for issues related to RAM compatibility.
How many sticks of RAM do you have installed? If you have four sticks, it can sometimes be a lot tougher to isolate issues. If you're using XMP, I’d also suggest trying to run the RAM at the base speed to see if that improves stability. Sometimes, XMP can lead to instability depending on the specific RAM and motherboard combo.
Definitely keep looking at those kernel errors. They can be tricky. Try looking for any dump files in the C:WindowsMinidump folder when you're booted into Windows normally or in Safe Mode. Zipping those files and uploading them to a file sharing site could help others take a closer look and provide insights.
It sounds like you might want to start by checking your RAM with a tool like Memtest. If it fails, try removing one stick at a time to see if that helps. If Memtest passes but you're still encountering crashes, run a stress test using PRIME95 to force a crash. If that does crash your system, it could point to power supply issues—make sure it's able to handle the load you’re putting on it. Increasing your CPU voltage slightly might also help.
Thanks for the tips! I'll look into those BIOS settings and see if any adjustments make a difference.