PC freezes after extended gaming when CPU and GPU are stressed together
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MapleOrbit47
My PC becomes completely unresponsive after roughly two hours of gaming. The display may freeze or turn black, and I have to force the system off. The system uses an Intel Core i5-12400F, Gigabyte H610M K DDR4 motherboard, 16GB DDR4 memory, Gigabyte Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB Gaming OC, and Windows 11. The issue began after installing the graphics card. During a combined CPU and GPU stress test, the CPU starts near 4.0 GHz but later drops to about 3.2 GHz. With only the CPU under load, it maintains around 4.0 GHz. Temperatures reported so far are approximately 30–40°C, and replacing the power supply did not change anything. The graphics card also worked normally in another computer. Could the H610 board or its VRM and CPU power delivery be struggling with the combined load, or is another component more likely at fault? What should I test next?
Answers
The drop from 4.0 to 3.2 GHz under combined load may simply be power or current limiting rather than the direct cause of the freeze. Monitor CPU package power, PROCHOT or thermal flags, VRM temperature if the board exposes it, GPU hotspot temperature, and the Windows event log while testing. Reproduce the issue with separate CPU-only, GPU-only, and combined tests. If only the combined test fails, try lowering GPU power by 10–20% or setting a frame limit; if that makes the system stable, the board’s power delivery, cabling, or platform compatibility becomes more suspicious.
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Check the GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and fan behavior during a long gaming session, not just the CPU temperature. Also try a clean graphics-driver installation or a different driver version. A normal CPU temperature does not rule out a GPU hotspot, motherboard VRM, or power-delivery problem.
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MapleOrbit47: The CPU temperature stays around 30–40°C, but I have not yet checked the GPU hotspot or VRM readings. I’ll monitor those values and compare the separate and combined tests.