Understanding and Troubleshooting Random PC Freezes in a Newly Built System
Building a new computer can be an exciting experience, but it often comes with its own set of challenges. Recently, a user reported intermittent system freezes on a prebuilt PC just a few weeks old. Despite ensuring all drivers and Windows 11 are up to date, the issue persists, leading to questions about potential causes and solutions.
Overview of the Issue
The user experiences random system freezes characterized by both monitors freezing and audio cutting off. Notably, these crashes can occur during light use—such as browsing with Chrome and listening to Spotify simultaneously—or during intensive gaming sessions, like streaming ‘Rust’ for hours. Interestingly, the system’s stability varies unpredictably; some days are smooth, while others are plagued by frequent freezes.
System Specifications
- Processor (CPU): Intel Core Ultra 7 265KF Arrow Lake (20 cores, 20 threads, up to 5.5GHz)
- Motherboard: Gigabyte B860 Eagle WiFi 6E (LGA1851, ATX)
- Memory (RAM): Kingston Fury Beast 32GB (2x16GB) DDR5-6000 C36
- Graphics Card (GPU): Gigabyte GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Gaming OC 16GB GDDR7
- Power Supply: Gigabyte UD850GM, 850W Gold PCIe 5.0 (modular)
- Storage: Crucial P3 Plus PCIe Gen4 NVMe M.2 SSD (2TB)
- Operating System: Windows 11 (latest updates applied)
Troubleshooting Steps Already Taken
The user has conducted several checks to identify potential issues:
- Driver Updates: Confirmed all GPU and CPU drivers are current.
- Memory Diagnostics: Ran Windows Memory Diagnostic with no errors.
- Disk Integrity: Scanned storage drives for corruption without issues.
Despite these measures, the instability remains.
Potential Causes and Solutions
Given the behavior and system specs, several common causes could be responsible:
- Power Supply Stability
- Even with an 850W Gold-rated PSU, power fluctuations or defective units can cause freezes.
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Solution: Test with another high-quality power supply if available or run a voltage stability test.
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Thermal Issues
- Overheating can lead to system freezes. Although not explicitly mentioned, monitoring CPU and GPU temperatures
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