Troubleshooting Random Freezes in a New PC Build: A Frustrating Experience

Building a new PC can be an exhilarating experience, but it can quickly turn into a nightmare when unexpected issues arise. Recently, I’ve found myself facing one of the most perplexing challenges: my newly assembled system freezes for approximately one minute, only to recover shortly after. This dilemma has left me searching for solutions and scratching my head, as I’ve tried nearly everything I can think of to resolve it.

My Current Setup

Here’s a breakdown of my specifications:

• Motherboard: Gigabyte B650i Aorus Ultra rev1.0
• Processor: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
• Graphics Card: 9070 XT
• RAM: 2x16GB Kingston Fury Beast 6000MT/s
• Power Supply: Corsair SF1000L
• Storage: 2x Kingston KC3000 1 TB SSDs

The Problem

The issue manifests as random, hard freezes lasting about a minute with no input response. During these freezes, everything halts—my screen becomes unresponsive, audio stops, and I can’t even bring up the task manager. Interestingly, these freezes happen during light activities like Zoom calls and Discord usage, but somehow, my system runs games like Helldivers 2 flawlessly at ultra settings and 90 fps for extended periods without any hiccups.

This problem is particularly bewildering because it never occurred on my previous AM5 system, which utilized the same GPU but consisted of entirely different components.

What I’ve Tried

In a quest to resolve this issue, I’ve undertaken a thorough investigation and tried numerous troubleshooting methods, including:

• Conducted a Memtest86 check—no errors were found.
• Ran Furmark to test GPU stability—results were normal.
• Executed Cinebench, which also passed without issues.
• Used LatencyMon to assess performance—reported clean results.
• Test SSDs with Seagate’s SeaTools to verify their health—everything looks good.
• Performed various BIOS updates, experimenting with both the latest and older versions.
• Experimented with EXPO settings, toggling them on and off.
• Replaced my motherboard with a new B650i Aorus Ultra, reassembling the system with all components.
• Completed fresh Windows installations across different SSDs.
• Adjusted a wide range of drivers.

Despite these