Help Troubleshooting PC Problem

[Shakka]

My computer has been touchy for about the last year and half and I'm not sure how to diagnose the problem. It freezes at sporadic intervals and is not just limited to CPU/GPU intensive tasks. For example, one time it could freeze during starcraft 2, but then other times while just listening to music or browsing the internet. Sometimes it happens multiple times in a day, but then other times goes multiple weeks without a problem.

Things I've tried:
Ran prime95 overnight
-Max temps, 55C CPU
-No crashes
Ran memtest overnight
-No errors
Used FrozenCPUs PSU tester
-All good
Used multimeter to check all PSU connectors/pins
-Voltages well within +- 5% tolerance
Various benchmark testing programs
-Temperature levels fine throughout
-Multiple times ran, never crashed
Grabbed a Kill-a-watt meter
-My PSU is a 650W corsair HX model, max pull was 370W on kill-a-watt
New optical drive (DVD/CD combo drive installed)
All old hard drives removed, one new SSD drive installed
Reformatted and only have basic applications/games/drivers installed

I'm out of things to try, but this problem still occurs randomly. Does anyone have any ideas/tests that I could try? I'm trying to decide whether a not a new PC is worth it or if this problem can be diagnosed. My current PC is powerful enough for the games I play, but if this problem ends up being something faulty with something such as the motherboard, I'll put money towards a new computer. My current rig is listed below.

Current setup:
Evga 780i SLI motherboard
Intel q9450 CPU, stock @2.6ghz, oc'd to 2.8ghz
G.Skill (2x 2GB) DDR2 1066 memory
Evga 8800GTX @ stock
1x combo DVD/CD drive
1x SSD - main drive running everything
1x HDD - Backup SATA drive that usually is kept unplugged
ASUS xonar essence ST audio card
Corsair 650W HX power supply

Thanks for any suggestions

 

[manu2b]

I'd see two options:
SSD or RAM.

Have you tried memtest?

What is your SSD model? HAve you updated the firmware?

 

[Shakka]

It's an Intel 330 series 180GB model. And I HAVE ran memtest overnight (~8 hours of run time) with no errors. Also, I had a raptor HDD initially (which eventually died), then had a normal HDD, and when this SSD was on sale, I moved to it. The problem occurred across all three hard drives, so I'm fairly confident it is NOT the hard drive. Also tried a whole new set of SATA cables and using different SATA ports on the motherboard to rule that out.

 

[Conumdrum]

Mem possibly. Run Memtest.

 

[Shakka]

Memtest has already been recently run overnight with no errors

 

[Conumdrum]

PSU? You didn't mention you ran memtest so have you tried another PSU? Have you done a full reinstall of widoz?

 

[Shakka]

Ran memtest overnight
-No errors
Reformatted and only have basic applications/games/drivers installed

No luck I had a 620W corsair PSU and then sent it in under warranty and they sent me a 650W HX corsair PSU. Like I said before, the kill-a-watt showed maximum of 370W being pulled and my PSU is 650W. I tested all of the voltage outputs for every pin in all of the connectors and they all checked out.

 

[Conumdrum]

Okay, sorry you have covered all the bases. Wow it could be anything. Try reseating your ram and GPU and disconnect all connectors and reconnect. Heck try reseating the CPU too.

Something could just be getting old on the mobo or GPU. Got a spare GPU to try?

 

[redduc900]

I don't see any mention of which OS you're running, but regardless... remove the board from the case, and connect only the bare minimum hardware. Besides the obvious like the CPU / HSF and PSU (24 and 4 / 8-pin connectors), install only 1 x DRAM module installed in the 1st DIMM slot, the SSD and videocard. Remove the soundcard, and don't connect the HDD, ODD or anything else non-critical. With everything connected, reset CMOS, then enter the BIOS to change only those settings absolutely necessary for a successful boot into the GUI.

 

[Shakka]

Okay so thanks for all of the advice. It's about that time, and I caved in and built a new computer. The parts are coming in (hopefully) before the end of the week. As for this troublesome build, I'm going to take out all of the components and clean them out with an air compressor as well as strip a bunch of unnecessary components out like extra HDD's, sound card and reformat windows. This computer will still be used so we will see if this problem persists.

 

[PolePosition]

I'm curious, what parts you selected for your new build on order?

Depending on your budget, you might shoulda waited until next week when Haswell is released, or so I have heard.

 

[RJARRRPCGP]

My computer has been touchy for about the last year and half and I'm not sure how to diagnose the problem. It freezes at sporadic intervals and is not just limited to CPU/GPU intensive tasks. For example, one time it could freeze during starcraft 2, but then other times while just listening to music or browsing the internet. Sometimes it happens multiple times in a day, but then other times goes multiple weeks without a problem.

Things I've tried:
Ran prime95 overnight
-Max temps, 55C CPU
-No crashes
Ran memtest overnight
-No errors
Used FrozenCPUs PSU tester
-All good
Used multimeter to check all PSU connectors/pins
-Voltages well within +- 5% tolerance
Various benchmark testing programs
-Temperature levels fine throughout
-Multiple times ran, never crashed
Grabbed a Kill-a-watt meter
-My PSU is a 650W corsair HX model, max pull was 370W on kill-a-watt
New optical drive (DVD/CD combo drive installed)
All old hard drives removed, one new SSD drive installed
Reformatted and only have basic applications/games/drivers installed

I'm out of things to try, but this problem still occurs randomly. Does anyone have any ideas/tests that I could try? I'm trying to decide whether a not a new PC is worth it or if this problem can be diagnosed. My current PC is powerful enough for the games I play, but if this problem ends up being something faulty with something such as the motherboard, I'll put money towards a new computer. My current rig is listed below.

Current setup:
Evga 780i SLI motherboard
Intel q9450 CPU, stock @2.6ghz, oc'd to 2.8ghz
G.Skill (2x 2GB) DDR2 1066 memory
Evga 8800GTX @ stock
1x combo DVD/CD drive
1x SSD - main drive running everything
1x HDD - Backup SATA drive that usually is kept unplugged
ASUS xonar essence ST audio card
Corsair 650W HX power supply

Thanks for any suggestions

Take out the board, clean it then reseat all cards and RAM!

 

[Shakka]

I'm curious, what parts you selected for your new build on order?

Depending on your budget, you might shoulda waited until next week when Haswell is released, or so I have heard.

Intel i7 3820
Asus P9x79 Deluxe
16 gb Corsair Vengeance DDR3
Sapphire Radeon HD 7970 GHz Vapor-x edition
Intel 330 SSD + WD 1TB HDD
Corsair 850W HX PSU

And very good call on that. I already ordered my parts, but I think I read somewhere benchmarks/the processors will be released Saturday(?). I guess once those are out, we can see how they compare to current component's performance vs. price and then I can always consider returning what I have for the newer stuff if need be. As cool as new stuff is, sometimes older established parts have the kinks worked out so there's always that positive too. Guess we will see though! Thanks for the info

EDIT: oh and I spent right around ~$2000 - $1750ish in components and the rest for a new monitor

 

[PolePosition]

I have a simular system, same CPU, and certainly not the ideal chipset for overclocking as a 3770k by far outperforms it, but at least you shouldn't have no more problems with freezes or lagging, and should run pretty cool.

I was sorta in the same boat last year but ventured onto this platform when it was relatively new, but I do like getting the newest tech on the market regardless of possible kinks and issues that may arise. Tried and tested does give some peace of mind though.

 

[Knufire]

Problem is you're going to be two generations behind when the new CPUs come out...X79 isn't the platform to go on for pure gaming.

X79 is for any of the following:
1. Need 3 or more GPUs
2. Need more than 4 cores
3. Need more than 32GB of RAM

An Ivy Bridge based CPU (3770K + Z77 board) would have performed slightly better for gaming, and probably been quite a bit cheaper.

The Intel 330 series SSDs are kinda slow compared to newer models. You'd also never need 850W...750W is more than enough for two OCed 7970s + OCed Intel CPU.

 

[Shakka]

So the reason I went the 3820 route and x79 is that i found the 3820 at microcenter for $230 opposed to $300 ish on newegg. Now that I'm looking, the 3770k is also $230 at microcenter, doh. So you would suggest returning the 3820 and motherboard and get the 3770k for $230 and then what are some good options for motherboards? I see the Z77 to be the most common, but what brand and model of the z77 boards?

 

[wingman99]

ASRock Z77 Extreme 6 is a good board that has been proven.

 

[Knufire]

Also know if you get a 3570K (which should perform nearly the same in games) and a Z77 board, you get an extra $40 off.

But again, new CPUs are coming out in like three days, so I'd hold off for now, but be sure to not miss the Microcenter return period.

 

[Shakka]

Okay so after doing some reading, I'm still trying to decide. Please correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I've gathered, lga 1155 is pretty much done with their hardware whereas the lga 2011 platform is a bit more powerful and if I got the 3820, it would allow for a possible upgrade in the future. Then again, for my past builds, i have never upgraded just the cpu and have always just oc'd and waited until I could put together a whole new rig. I believe I heard somewhere the haswell line may include a 2011 chip as well. So I guess where I'm at is one of the two options below depending on what new CPUs are released.

Scenario 1 - new haswell line of CPUs include a 2011 chip with better/similar performance for not an outrageous price
*buy the haswell chip, keep the 2011 x79 board

Scenario 2 - haswell turns out to not be within price range/performance etc.
*get the asrock z77 and 3770k

One of my concerns is that I read the 3770k gets hotter than the 3820. Does anyone know how much this difference is? I went with a more portable cube case (mountain mods bob slay v2) and the noctua nh-l12 cooler due to case height limitations. I'm not sure how well this setup will dissipate heat, so if the 3770k runs much more hot, i may consider keeping the 3820/x79. Thoughts on all of this?

 

[PolePosition]

The only reason you may want to stick with LGA 2011 X79 is if you want to or need 6 cores in a CPU, where you would need to upgrade to a 3930k from a 3820, but for gaming, there is no advantage there, and is mostly for video rendering and autocad / 3d environments. Either way, I'd skip the nh-12 cooler and opt for a sealed water CPU cooler such as the Corsair H80 or H100 where there are no case issues, easier access to RAM slots, and better air flow around your VRMs in a not-so-congested package. I just don't like those towering infernos hanging off a motherboard adding more stress to it without any support on the back side. That is just me and I'm the one who has to work inside that case. I don't think a Haswell chip will work on an LGA 2011 X79 board. There is supposed to be a new release coming for LGA 2011, but I don't think it is Haswell or won't work with current X79 boards.

Haswell is socket 1150, not 1155 (soon to be discontinued) with Z77 3570k / 3770k, and I haven't seen no Haswell socket 2011
So if you want the latest and greatest, return what you have and get a quad core Haswell 4770k and look for a socket 1150 motherboard.