I recently upgraded my CPU from a 9400F to a 14600K and installed a water cooler. During this process, I also upgraded from Windows 10 to Windows 11. Initially, everything seemed fine, but I've encountered some issues. When I was almost done with the Windows setup, the screen froze, and the mouse stopped responding, even though the computer was still running. After a restart, I managed to boot into Windows, but then the screen froze again while I was configuring settings. More frustratingly, my PC randomly restarted on me a couple of times. These freezes seem to happen within the first hour of use, not during heavy workloads. Additionally, my NVMe drive wasn't recognized, so I plan on reseating it to see if that helps. My specs are: Gigabyte B760M Gaming X DDR4, Corsair 32GB LP 2400, Windows 11, ASUS RTX 3060 12GB, and Corsair 600W PSU. I'm not sure if the issue is hardware or software related, and I'm looking for any guidance on what might be causing these problems.
2 Answers
It sounds like your motherboard might be struggling with the new CPU. The B760M isn't really meant for CPUs above the i5 F series. The VRMs could be overheating, causing the freeze and reboot. Consider upgrading to a better motherboard like the MSI PRO B760-P DDR4 or something in the Z series for more stability. That should help with the issue!
Actually, the B760M does support the 14600K since it's the newer GEN5 version. But maybe I'm just hitting some other bottlenecks?
It’s a good idea to check the BIOS version too. Sometimes updating it can solve freezing issues. Also, try running a clean install on the NVMe drive to see if it helps at all. Keep an eye on your temperatures as well; if they’re good, then it might just be some software glitch going on.
If you can return the new parts, it might be worth swapping the CPU for a 14400F or getting a different motherboard that’s a better match.