Brand new PC build — BSODs, failed installs, and mysterious crashes… Losing my mind.

Troubleshooting a New PC Build: Persistent BSODs, Installation Failures, and Hardware Anomalies

Building a high-performance PC can be an exciting endeavor, but it often comes with unexpected challenges. Recently, I assembled a new system with top-tier components, only to find myself facing a series of persistent issues that have proven difficult to resolve. Below, I share the detailed hardware specifications and the troubleshooting journey, hoping to find solutions or guidance from the tech community.

System Specifications

CPU: Intel Core i9-14900K (upgraded from 13900K)
GPU: NVIDIA RTX 4090 AERO
Memory: XPG 7200 32 GB DDR5
Motherboard: NZXT N7 Z790 (replaced with the same model)
Power Supply: MSI MEG Ai1300P PCIE5
Storage: Samsung 990 PRO 2TB SSD
Display: LG OLED monitor with G-Sync enabled

Summary of the Issues Encountered

Approximately two months post-build, I began experiencing stability issues that progressively worsened:

Browser crashes with “Aw, Snap” errors
Frequent crashes in games and applications
Random Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) errors
Windows updates hanging, notably getting stuck at around 4%
Failed Windows installations, even when using different USB media and images
System recovery tools crashing instantly during troubleshooting attempts
NVIDIA driver installation failures, showing checksum errors; NVIDIA application also failing to install
Driver reinstallation via Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) results in Windows automatically reinstalling the GPU driver, but manual installations always fail