Hi everyone! I built my custom PC about two years ago with an i9 13900K CPU, 4080 GPU, and a Project Zero motherboard. Initially, everything was running smoothly, but around a year and a half later, I started experiencing issues. It all began with the fans spinning at full speed whenever I applied some force on the table—then the display would turn off. Later on, my PC began crashing randomly, even when idle, leading to frequent blue screens. The error code that popped up most often was related to 'pointer by reference'. After backing everything up, I attempted to reinstall Windows, but I kept hitting an error (0x50) and ended up in a situation where it just powered off during setup without any warnings. I ran MemoryTest86, which indicated my RAM was working fine. Any thoughts on how I might resolve this problem? I'm open to trying any troubleshooting steps you suggest. Thanks for your time!
4 Answers
Try running a PassMark memory test as well. If you can get that running without issues, follow it up with a Prime95 small FFTs test for a longer duration, ideally around 24 hours. If any errors come up, that could indicate a faulty CPU, and I’d highly recommend submitting it for an RMA. I’ve sent back over 100 13th/14th gen CPUs through RMA, and if you’re in Europe, there's a good chance you could get an upgrade to a newer model since the older stock might be gone.
To zero in on the blue screen issues, you should collect dump files. These logs are crucial for understanding what’s causing the crashes. If you can access Windows, check the C:WindowsMinidump folder for any crash logs. If you find them, zip the folder and upload it to a file-sharing site—currently, catbox.moe or mediafire.com are good options. Having multiple dump files will give you better data to analyze. If you're not seeing any dump files, following a guide to modify the dump settings might help. This can provide you with more insights into the issue.
It sounds like you're dealing with some pretty common issues reported by users of 13th and 14th gen Intel CPUs, especially the i9 series. Physical degradation can happen, leading to crashes and random behavior. Since you've already tried reinstalling Windows to no avail, I’d suggest two things: first, try reseating all your hardware. Given that you mentioned it can crash with a bit of force to the table, it might be a loose connection somewhere. Second, consider contacting Intel for a replacement; they’ve been fairly lenient with issuing replacements because many have reported similar problems. You could also think about downgrading to an i9-12900K, which doesn't have the same problems but offers near-identical performance. Good luck!
Have you run any memory tests recently? Using something like MemTest86 could help determine if your RAM—or even the CPU—is malfunctioning. If you haven't done so yet, it's worth a try. If those tests come back clean, you might also want to give OCCT a run for additional stress testing. It’s another reliable tool to help diagnose hardware problems.
Thanks for the insight! I’ll try reseating everything first and then see about the replacement if that doesn’t work.