Powerful new computer freezes during games

Cyrus Mortis

Posts: 6   +0
Hello ,
I recently built my new computer and it seemed to work but possibly something I did recently, though what I do not know, is causing it to freeze while playing my games...
including
Heroes of Might and Magic VI
Minecraft
Skyrim

Specs:
CPU AMD FX - 8150 (3.6Ghz 8 core)
RAM 32 GB
GPU gigabyte GTX 580 (3GB GDDR5)
Motherboard ASUS - Cosshair V Formula Z
Powersupply 850W (80+ platinum)

its running on Wins 8 pro

I am not overclocking but I am using the ATI auto tune boost that came with my motherboard but that was after It started happening in a hopes to fix it.
I also did disk defrag, cleanup, AVG scanned and Malwarbytes scanned

used CPUID HW Monitor to check my temps

Temps
CPU 38 C
GPU 28 C
RAM 20 C
 
Just tested it and Skyrim on max settings with 100+ mods runs fine but the other 2 freeze completely

also my system boots on a 128GB SSD with 70GB free
and main storage is a HDD 3TB
 
I'm unfamiliar with AMD CPUs so I can't be of much help. But I'm almost certain the temperature you listed for your GTX 580, at least, was taken while your machine was idle. If you're using something like HWMonitor, keep it running while you game. You can then check the maximum temperatures reached once you've exited the game.

Also, I'm sure that crash dumps, if any -- or even the relevant logs from Windows Event Viewer -- would help the more experienced members determine what it is that's causing the freezes. Are the games installed on the 3TB HDD? Have you tried running MemTest or maybe checking your hard disk for errors?

Sorry I couldn't be of more help.
 
Those temps are more than fine. To me they seem almost optimistic. Basically like the readings you'd get off a computer in, "Mister Roger's Neighborhood".

You know not to defrag your SSD, don't you?

SSD controllers have been known to blue screen on boot up, but that's not the problems you having. If it were, it would be time to update its firmware.

As to a blue screen during a game, that can be caused by a faulty, out of date, or too up to date video driver. This is an issue as often as is overheating.

You can go into BIOS, and often you'll be able to find an alarm setting to warn you of a high CPU temp.

I have very little faith in free hardware programs, nor do I constantly want to have one running, so I generally set that alarm. (You need the little, on the mobo board speaker, to take advantage of this feature. Some cases come with them, and I believe some don't).
 
Sorry I haven't reponded sooner but my internet went down, because of some guys installing new fiber optic cables throughout the neighborhood.

*Dawn Those temps where taken while I was running skyrim in window mode and yes I've been installing everything on the 3TB HDD because that SSD fills up fast.

*Captaincranky Well I brought up my AI Suite II that came with my motherboard, and the numbers matched, also rebooted quickly and checked in the bios, in bios they were a little lower but I assume that's because it had time to cool without my game running.
I also installed a new Liquid cooling system that works great, and now temps are actually a lil bit lower even...

I might have fixed it, I'm not sure as I havent tested the HMM VI yet, but I uninstalled java and reinstalled the 64bit version since it apparently picked the 32 automatically last time, and minecraft atleast hasn't had any more issues
Will update if any changes, and after I test the other game :)

also just for my own curiosity why aren't you supposed to defrag an SSD? its my first SSD so I was unaware of that
 
Sorry I haven't reponded sooner but my internet went down, because of some guys installing new fiber optic cables throughout the neighborhood.
Well, my neighborhood is sooo bad, the FIOS guys won't come here. (No money in it, I think).The upside is that my crappy 1 Mb DSL always seems to work. OTOH, last year some imbecile hit a Verizon pole with a car and I was without phone, burglar alarm, and internet, for almost 3 weeks.

I also installed a new Liquid cooling system that works great, and now temps are actually a lil bit lower even...
Though they may be they accurate, those are still fairytale with a happy ending temps.. Certainly nothing to cause a blue screen.

...[ ]...also just for my own curiosity why aren't you supposed to defrag an SSD? its my first SSD so I was unaware of that
Since there's no mechanical seek, it doesn't matter if the data isn't stored neatly, in organized blocks.

The second point is, flash memory doesn't seem to have the overwrite lifespan of magnetic media. So, constantly shifting data blocks around, can hasten an SSD's demise. People are overlooking this as it gives them boot times worth bragging about. And as you might expect, the manufacturers aren't likely to use it as a talking point in their sales pitches. In fact, Intel's 520 series are about the only ones that have mastered no occasional BSOD on boot.

There have been many articles on the web regarding this, but ATM, I'm not sure where the situation stands. It might depend on usage, but were you to write and overwrite large data blocks constantly, and add defragging to the mix, you might run up against the flash memory's fail point.

Well, for me route most traveled will be a WD V-Raptor, (SATA #< 600GB), for the system drive on my Christmas build. Which I swear I'm going to get started on any day now. Let's call it a "New Year's Resolution"...;)

Oh, Happy New Year, and I hope your machine is indeed, fixed...:)
 
Cap,
Did you see this?
Pretty interesting. They will eventually sell SSD's with a built in flash oven that will 'rejuvinate' your SSD cells for another 100M writes/rewrites:
Are you kidding? Our guys were all over it: https://www.techspot.com/news/50980-engineers-use-heat-to-create-100-million-cycle-flash-memory.html (12-03-12). The thread was a bit of a stretch though, when it turned to, "can you bake your SSD in the oven"?

I figure that would work out as least as badly as grandma's meatloaf...:D For a couple days I was mumbling to myself, (perhaps just a bit more than usual), "Burnt SSD for dinner again"? "I'm like so sick of that".
 
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