Hey everyone! I just built my PC two days ago, and I've noticed it crashing frequently when I play games. Valorant seems to crash the most, sometimes 3-5 times in a single match. I often get errors from the Riot client about corrupted game files, which it tries to repair, but there are times when my whole PC crashes and restarts unexpectedly.
I did find some relief by changing the XMP DRAM settings in the BIOS from 6000 MHz (the RAM's max speed) to auto, which reduced the crashes a bit, but they still happen. I've played other games like Palia and Witcher 3 on Steam, and while they crash too, it's not as often as Valorant.
My CPU temperature is usually around 48°C to 60°C when idle, but it jumps to about 65°C after a crash. I'm unsure if that's normal. I can't determine if the crashing pertains to the games or the entire PC. I'll drop my specs below. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
**Specs:**
CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9700x
Motherboard: MSI B850M Gaming Plus WIFI7
RAM: Corsair Vengeance DDR5 32GB 6000MHz
GPU: Powercolor Reaper AMD Radeon RX 9060xt 16GB
SSD: Samsung 970 EVO
Cooler: Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120
PSU: Super Flower Leadex VI Platinum PRO 850 W
Chassis Fans: x2 at the front
*EDIT: Both Windows and GPU drivers are up to date!*
5 Answers
First thing you should do is check the Event Viewer for any critical errors. It can pinpoint what's going wrong when your system crashes. I had a similar issue caused by a faulty NVMe drive; diagnosing it took forever, so definitely start there!
Yeah, that's the right place! Look for anything labeled as critical or error.
Running a Memtest can help identify RAM issues. If you've already tried that and got errors, it's likely a RAM problem. Downclocking your RAM to 4800 MHz and stressing it might also help isolate issues.
I just ran Memtest, and it reported a lot of errors... Looks like I have to deal with a RAM issue.
If you haven’t yet, consider doing a fresh Windows install. After that, try swapping your RAM sticks one by one to check for any faulty ones. I also recommend installing GPU drivers offline right after installing Windows to keep them stable.
Have you tried uninstalling Valorant and its anti-cheat? Sometimes simply reinstalling isn’t enough to fix issues. It might help.
I already tried that, but the crashing still happens.
You might want to clear the CMOS and test using the default BIOS settings. If it keeps crashing, ensure that anything related to overclocking is disabled, such as PBO and XMP. A BIOS update might also be worth checking out!
Should I mainly check under the Systems section?