New i5-14600k with Gigabyte Z790S Crashing Under Load – Looking for BIOS config help (or anything :))!

Understanding and Resolving System Crashes with Intel Core i5-14600K and Gigabyte Z790S: A Comprehensive Troubleshooting Guide

Introduction

Building a stable gaming or productivity PC can sometimes be challenging, especially when encountering unexplained crashes and system instability. Recently, many enthusiasts have shared experiences of encountering crashes under load when using Intel’s latest processors, such as the i5-14600K, coupled with high-performance motherboards like the Gigabyte Z790S. This article aims to guide users through common issues, troubleshooting steps, and best practices to enhance system stability.

Case Overview

Consider a scenario where a user procured a pre-built gaming PC featuring the following components:

Processor: Intel Core i5-14600K (6 Performance cores, 8 Efficiency cores)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z790S with the latest BIOS (F5)
Graphics Card: ASUS DUAL RTX 4070 SUPER EVO OC 12GB
Memory: 32GB DDR4 3600MHz G.Skill CL18
Storage: 1TB NVMe SSD (Kingston), multiple HDDs and an external SSD

Despite all drivers being up-to-date and BIOS updated, the system exhibits crashes during gaming sessions — notably with Skyrim (modded) and PGA2K23 (stock). Errors reported include crashes to desktop, system hangs, and reboots. A notable crash log points to an “EXCEPTION_ACCESS_VIOLATION” involving the nvgpucomp64.dll, which is related to NVIDIA GPU components.

Troubleshooting and Observations

Initial Troubleshooting Steps
RAM Swap: The original faulty RAM (T-Force) was identified and replaced after memtest86 reports with over 500 errors. However, crashes persisted, indicating the memory may not be the root cause.
Stress Testing: Utilities such as Cinebench, Heaven, OCCT, Intel Burn Test, and Processor Diagnostic tools all reported no errors, suggesting CPU and GPU are functioning correctly under stress.
BIOS Configuration Adjustments

To mitigate system instability, several BIOS settings were modified: