I recently built a new gaming PC with a 14900KF CPU and a 5070 Ti GPU. Initially, everything was running smoothly, but after I decided to undervolt the CPU by about 0.16V, I started experiencing random freezes. This happens mostly during light tasks like watching YouTube or typing, and it doesn't throw a blue screen—my cursor locks up, the keyboard stops working, and I have to force shut down. I checked the minidump files, and they indicated a system error, prompting me to do a clean reinstall of Windows 11, which seemed to temporarily fix the issue. Unfortunately, the freezing has returned. Has anyone else dealt with something similar? Is the undervolt likely the reason, especially since it's only unstable when the system is idle?
5 Answers
Sounds about right. I went through similar headaches when I first built my PC. Just keep testing until you find a stable point!
You might just need to do a bit of trial and error with your undervolt settings. It's common for people who undervolt to encounter random freezes, especially at idle or low load. Adjusting the voltages can be a balancing act, and what works for one CPU might not work for another, even if they’re the same model.
It sounds like undervolting could definitely be causing your issues. Typically, when you undervolt a CPU, it can lead to instability during less intensive tasks, even if it performs well under load. It might be worth adjusting your undervolt settings back to their defaults or experimenting with slightly higher values to see if that stabilizes things. Make sure you've got good cooling too!
Check your RAM speeds too! Sometimes mismatched RAM can cause freezes, especially if you're running at the default speed. If your RAM is clocked very high, like 6800MHz, it could also be a factor in the instability if your motherboard or CPU isn't fully supporting it.
I'll keep that in mind! I'll double-check the settings in BIOS and see if I can tweak anything.
Definitely provide dump files for analysis if you see any BSODs. Even without crashes, keeping an eye on those minidumps can help pinpoint the error. It sounds like you might not have left any, but if the system freezes and you can access them, it could help clarify what's going on.
I haven’t found any new minidumps after reinstalling Windows. It’s really confusing because I used to have them before the reinstall.
Yeah, I've had similar problems. Sometimes even minor undervolts can lead to random crashes. Just monitor how it behaves after making changes!