Diagnosing and Solving PC Crashes While Playing Rainbow Six Siege: A Comprehensive Guide

If you’re a dedicated player of Rainbow Six Siege (R6S), you know how frustrating it can be when your PC crashes just as you’re about to secure a win or achieve a milestone in the game. Experiencing random crashes not only disrupts your gameplay but can also point towards underlying issues in your system. In this detailed blog post, we will delve into the possible causes of PC crashes while playing games like R6S, explore both hardware and Software factors, and provide step-by-step solutions to resolve these issues.

Understanding the Issue: The Black Screen of Death

Firstly, let’s address what’s happening with your PC in this scenario. You’ve reported experiencing a black screen crash—not the more common Blue Screen of Death (BSOD). This black screen issue, where the display goes dark, and your keyboard lights turn off, can be indicative of several potential problems. Often, the causes are tied to either hardware malfunctions or Software conflicts. Before we dissect these possibilities, let’s ensure we understand the symptoms and their implications.

Primary Symptoms:

• The display goes black, and input devices lose power.
• The motherboard’s debug LEDs indicate a CPU error.
• The system may reboot on its own or enter a boot loop.
• Lack of artifacts or graphical anomalies during gameplay.

Initial Troubleshooting: Testing Hardware Stability

You’ve wisely conducted various benchmark and stress tests to evaluate your system’s hardware, which is an excellent start. Here’s a more in-depth analysis of each test and what the results imply:

Memory Integrity with Memtest86

Memtest86 is a robust tool for identifying memory issues. Since your RAM passed this test, it effectively rules out faulty memory as the root of the problem. However, memory stability can sometimes be affected by overheating or improper BIOS configurations, so it might be worth double-checking those settings.

CPU Stress Testing Using Cinebench R23

A 30-minute run of Cinebench, with a maximum CPU temperature of 75°C, indicates that your CPU can handle rendering loads. Since the temperature is well below the thermal limits for a Ryzen 3600X, overheating is not likely the culprit here. However, intermittent issues can occasionally appear under different load types or due to power delivery problems.

GPU Stability with Furmark

Furmark results show maximum temperatures of 70°C, suggesting the GPU is functioning within safe temperatures. Since there are no artifacts during gameplay and benchmarks pass, immediate GPU failure is unlikely. However, consider monitoring your GPU’s performance with utilities like MSI Afterburner to provide real-time analysis of temperature and load during gameplay.

Storage Reliability Checks

Both your Samsung SSDs have been tested for stability and corruption. Passing these checks indicates no immediate failures in your storage devices, which otherwise could contribute to crashes during data-intensive gaming.

Power Supply Check

While not explicitly tested in your post, a faulty Power Supply Unit (PSU) could also be the source of random crashes. A failing or inadequate PSU might not deliver sufficient power to components under load, leading to shutdowns. Consider trying a different PSU if the issue persists after other troubleshooting steps.

Diving Into Software Conflicts

Now, let’s explore whether software-related issues could be causing these crashes. Here’s how you can tackle potential software problems:

Windows Corruption and Reinstallation

You’ve mentioned running Windows 10 Pro for almost six years without a reinstall. Over time, system files can become corrupted or conflicted, especially if numerous updates have compounded these issues. A clean installation of Windows can resolve these problems and reset any erratic configurations that may be contributing to crashes.

Steps for Clean Installation:
1. Back up important data and files to an external drive or cloud storage.
2. Create a Windows installation media using the Media Creation Tool from the Microsoft website.
3. Boot from the installation media and select the option to install Windows.
4. Choose to format the drive where Windows is currently installed for a fresh installation experience.
5. After installation, update Windows to the latest version and reinstall necessary drivers.

Game-Specific Issues

Even if your overall system appears stable, specific game files or configurations can become corrupted. A reinstall of Rainbow Six Siege and its supporting software (like Steam) can fix corrupted files.

Steps to Reinstall Rainbow Six Siege:
1. Navigate to your game library on Steam.
2. Right-click on Rainbow Six Siege and select Uninstall.
3. After uninstallation, restart your computer.
4. Open Steam and reinstall Rainbow Six Siege from your game library.

Third-Party Software and Drivers

Consider that third-party applications or outdated drivers could be conflicting with your games or system processes. Ensure your graphics drivers are up-to-date from NVIDIA’s official site, and look for updates for any additional hardware drivers via the motherboard manufacturer’s website.

Antivirus Software Interference

ESet Antivirus, though typically reliable, may cause crashes if it misinterprets game files as threats. You might test your system with ESET temporarily disabled to see if the problem persists or consider switching to another antivirus solution with a lighter system load.

Advanced Diagnostics

If crashes persist, delve into advanced diagnostics:
– Event Viewer Logs: Use Windows Event Viewer to identify specific errors and warnings occurring at the time of the crash. This can provide clues about software conflicts or failures in system components.
– BIOS/UEFI Updates: Motherboard firmware updates can resolve compatibility issues with new hardware or software updates, so ensure your BIOS/UEFI is current.

Conclusion

Diagnosing and resolving PC crashes during gaming sessions can be complex due to numerous potential causes. By systematically ruling out hardware issues and addressing software conflicts, you can pinpoint the underlying problem. Whether it’s a matter of updating drivers, reinstalling Windows, or ensuring stable power delivery, methodical troubleshooting will help you get back to enjoying Rainbow Six Siege without unplanned interruptions. If these steps still don’t resolve your issue, you might consider consulting a professional technician to examine deeper hardware issues.