PC Freezing briefly (I am on the verge of crashing out lol)

Identifying and Resolving Intermittent PC Freezing: A Case Study

Introduction

Experiencing unexpected and brief system freezes can be incredibly frustrating, especially when attempting to perform tasks such as watching videos or starting your computer. If your PC exhibits such symptoms—brief freezes lasting several seconds, audio continuing while the display blacks out temporarily—it’s essential to diagnose the underlying causes systematically. This article explores a real-world scenario involving persistent intermittent freezing, examines potential causes, and shares effective troubleshooting strategies.

System Overview

The affected user’s setup includes the following components:

• Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 7600X 6-Core (recently upgraded)
• Graphics Card: Nvidia GeForce RTX 2060
• Memory: 32GB DDR5 RAM (new)
• Storage: 500GB SSD and 2TB HDD
• Power Supply: 750W PSU (newly purchased)

Symptoms Observed

• Brief system freezes lasting approximately 3 to 8 seconds
• Audio continues during freeze periods
• Screen blacks out temporarily and then resumes normal operation
• Keyboard and mouse RGB lighting flicker during these events
• Glitches in text boxes within certain applications
• Occasional driver timeout errors (notably related to AMD software, which was subsequently uninstalled)

Troubleshooting Attempts

The user has already undertaken several common diagnostic steps:

• Reinstallation and updating of graphics drivers
• Performing a complete system reset
• Replacing the power supply unit

Despite these efforts, the issue persists, indicating that further investigation is required.

Potential Causes and Additional Troubleshooting Steps

1. Hardware Diagnostics

2. Memory Testing: Use tools like Windows Memory Diagnostic or MemTest86 to identify RAM stability issues.

3. Storage Checks: Verify SSD and HDD health using SMART monitoring tools, such as CrystalDiskInfo.
4. Stress Testing Components: Utilize software like Prime95 or AIDA64 to test CPU stability and temperature stability under load.

5. GPU Diagnostics: Run GPU stress tests to ensure graphics card stability.

6. Driver and Software Conflicts

7. Driver Clean Installation: Use tools like Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to remove residual graphics drivers before reinstalling the latest version.

8. Check for Background Processes: Use Task Manager or Process Explorer to identify processes consuming excessive resources or conflicting with system stability.
9. Operating System Updates: Ensure Windows or your OS is fully up to date,