Hey everyone! I'm running into a strange issue with my PC where the RAM usage is hitting 100%, but when I look at my active processes, they only add up to about 8GB. I have a total of 16GB of RAM installed, according to CPU-Z, but the numbers just don't seem to add up.
My system has been crashing when I game and watch YouTube on a second monitor. The weird part is that it doesn't crash to a BSOD; instead, it hangs forever while the audio keeps playing, but the video freezes and I can't do anything else until I reboot.
I recently upgraded my graphics card to a 5070ti about a month ago, and these issues only started this week. I'm using Windows 11 with an Intel Core i7 8700k at 4300 MHz. My motherboard is an ASRock Z370 Extreme4, and my RAM is DDR4 16GB at 3200 MHz in dual-channel configuration (2x8GB). Any insights or suggestions would be really appreciated!
4 Answers
It could be an issue with your PSU. Make sure the wattage of your power supply meets the requirements of your components. Also, a memory leak or possible cooling issues could cause this. What steps have you taken to troubleshoot so far?
If you can access Windows normally or even in Safe Mode, try checking the C:WindowsMinidump folder for any crash dump files. Those logs can really help diagnose issues. You can zip them and upload to a file-sharing site for some detailed analysis. Multiple files are better if you have them!
Hey, it sounds like your RAM might be caching something. Windows tends to cache frequently used applications in memory, and that doesn't always show up in Task Manager. I recommend downloading a tool called RAMMap to check what's actually cached. You might find an app holding onto memory that it shouldn't be! Good luck!
Just a heads up, some BIOS settings or changes to your disk setup can mess things up and might result in data loss. Always back up your data before making changes to your system. Be safe out there!
I replaced my PSU specifically because my old one couldn’t handle the new GPU. Also, the temps are normal - all under 80°C as my CPU is water-cooled.