PC Reboots When Playing Games

[Karch_32]

I stumbled upon this thread via google, merely searching “gaming pc reboots” and nothing else, and it was first to pop up (ok, maybe second). 

 

I decided to register so I can share my current drama, but also to thank you all for your inputs. 

 

What really caught my eye is that I was running the I5-2500K until a few days ago (more on that later), and an Asus P8P67 Pro 3.0 (seems like a similar board to the op). 

 

My wife and I play online most nights, Battlefield series, currently BF1.  I built her a new rig about 18 months ago. 

 

I was getting frustrated getting my ass locked by her and everyone else (I’m too old for this), and I know very well it’s not the fiddle but the fiddler (golfer here), but I need some way to improve. 

 

I started looking into faster refresh rate monitors, and was able to parlay (subsidize) a purchase based on it will also be used for my work’s docking station.  

 

I got a good deal on a recertified Acer 2K G-Sync monitor, and the differences were stunning, visually, from my nice IPS FHD HP 27” monitor. 

 

I was running my CPU at 4.3ghz on air, no issues at all, didn’t get very hot.  

 

Side note:  my actual objective was to build a new rig this month as it turns out my rig is 7-1/2 years old, and wife, and both kids, have newer computers that I built. 

 

I was planning to reuse my Corsair HX850 PSU (bought that for when I ran two GTX 460’s in SLI), and thought about a new case as my Antec Sonata II is 15 years old and probably more about rugged and quiet than keeping things cool. 

 

Well, my wife didn’t like the idea of dropping money on a new computer, so I set out to see what else I could do. 

 

The only cpu upgrade I could do is an i7-3770k, which run about $150 used.  I’m told the i7 won’t really help with gaming, but, as luck would have it, I scored a used computer, less hard drives, for $160 locally. 

 

I sold the Asus mobo that came with the used pc, and the Corsair HX750. 

 

It came with 32GB of RAM, so I figured why not use that, since I’m apt to keep 80 tabs of Chrome open (not while gaming, btw). 

 

Here is where it goes downhill. 

 

I overclocked my evga 970 SSC some, and the graphics look great.  Frame rate is about 85 fps, though not on ultra but on 2560x1440.  

 

I realize my bios is ok with the 32GB, but Windows 7 Home isn’t, so I look into that. 

 

I have to change to Win7 Pro, or go to Windows 10.  

 

I download Windows 10 and ‘upgrade’ for free, install new drivers for the new OS, and things look good. 

 

Now, BF1 keeps crashing my computer, usually to a straight reboot. 

 

I try everything, read a lot, tech support for two hours with EA, two hours with MS Tier2 having control, etc. 

 

i finally find a tip to turn off automatic restart on update or something like that and I can play some BF1. 

 

Then, I make a change to my graphics settings in the game and it crashes to reboot. 

 

Morw research.  Made some other changes, took off all overclocking, etc, and I can play some, but not for too long (less than 15 minutes, usually). 

 

Tried to revert back to Win7, can’t do it.  Take an extra SSD and install Win7 on that, same issues. 

 

Meanwhile, all this messing around with anything and everything I somehow broke the data connector plastic piece on my Win10 ssd, so now I have to find a 22 pin connector or extension and probably clone the drive and waste $80 on a new 500GB SSD. 

 

So, talking with our gaming group, perhaps it’s the PSU?  That overclocking the GPU caused enough watts to go through the 12V rail, that, with its age, is giving up?

 

I just picked up an evga 1000W G+ from BestBuy for a very good price, but I really didn’t want to spend more money unless it’s needed. 

 

Anyway, I see a lot of similarities here and wanted to thank you all (again), and share my story. 

 

I’m heading out to find the Sata 22 pin extension that try to see if this is the problem. 

 

Thanks. 

[Karch_32]

Apparently my post in this following thread was moved to a new thread.  

 

For reference:

 

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

The Mods wanted to split that old thread. Make your own thread next time.

 

And you keep rambling on, not many people want to help with that.

[Karch_32]

My apologies. 

 

I thought it was relevant since there are a lot of similarities. 

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Necroing, posting in a thread that is older than 3 months, is frowned upon. Unless the OP revives it.

 

If you have a question similiar to what he posted, make your own thread. The OP is mostly done with this topic, and let it die.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

@Mindovermaster your responses, with respect to this topic, aren't very helpful.

 

@Karch_32So, did the PSU solve the problem?  Not clear if you've installed it yet.  If you haven't, what does your event log and/or .dmp's show?  Any particular BSOD error?  Could be a multiple reasons ... but seeing that this happened after installing 10 makes me believe it is a software vs. hardware issue.  Are the drivers for your hardware up to date with Windows 10 (vs. 7)?  Was the 10 install a "clean" install or a straight upgrade?  As a Hail Mary you could try to "Reset this PC"

 

Maybe someone else can bring forth ideas...

[norseman]

My system was very unstable until I manually entered in the tRas timings for the memory.

Everything is gravy now. Maybe look at the RAM timings because when a system is stressed is when you find a lot of issues.

 

memtest, sisoft sandra lite and other software like OCCT can help as well.

[Karch_32]

Thank you. 

 

I replaced the PSU and was able to run the game for 20 minutes without any issues.  

 

I still need to get more hours in, but hoping it was only the PSU. 

 

As for the other stuff, I just happened upon this forum for the first time today, and I didn’t read other threads, but the one resonated so close to what I am seeing, plus the cpu and chipset/mobo manufacturer, etc, so I thought to post. 

 

I dont know how you all run things, I’m actually a moderator on a car forum, obviously very different protocols.  

 

Thanks for the replies, and constructive criticism. 

 

 

[DevTech]

5 hours ago, Karch_32 said:

Thank you. 

 

I replaced the PSU and was able to run the game for 20 minutes without any issues.  

 

I still need to get more hours in, but hoping it was only the PSU. 

 

As for the other stuff, I just happened upon this forum for the first time today, and I didn’t read other threads, but the one resonated so close to what I am seeing, plus the cpu and chipset/mobo manufacturer, etc, so I thought to post. 

 

I dont know how you all run things, I’m actually a moderator on a car forum, obviously very different protocols.  

 

Thanks for the replies, and constructive criticism. 

 

 

Internet will always have a certain signal to noise ratio  so please ignore any unfriendly responses here and keep posting for this or other issues, because there are in fact some good and very capable people here at Neowin.

 

That being said, there is a kind of counter-productive culture here about the 2 things:

 

1. The OP post/topic gets unwarranted priority as if the person posting a question is somehow paying all of us volunteers for the sometimes insane level of generous help we provide.

 

2. The age of a thread strangely becomes somehow more important than the content contained in it!

 

 We are all aware how fast technology can change but the vast majority of threads locked for being "old" still often contain a wealth of valuable information worth updating and discussing, but is forever locked to further improvement by arbitrary "age of thread" considerations.

 

These two items add up to undervaluing the contributions of experts at the forum who donate their time for the "greater good" and of course always hope they can achieve any kind of "helping leverage" by having the content indexed by Google and being valuable for many other people in addition to the person who got free help from the original question.

 

You were a perfect example of this "effect" and we should all have rejoiced in the leverage of our labors instead of bushwhacking you with negativity.

 

It would be interesting to hear of your experiences as a moderator in another website forum.

 

 

 

 

 

[Nick H. Supervisor]

For what it is worth, I found the original post to be helpful. A backstory isn't always necessary, but it does help others to know what you tried before you came to ask for advice.

 

Let us know if you continue to have any issues. We're normally a friendly bunch around here and more than happy to offer ideas.

[+Random Stranger Subscriber¹]

8 hours ago, Karch_32 said:

Thank you. 

 

I replaced the PSU and was able to run the game for 20 minutes without any issues.  

 

I still need to get more hours in, but hoping it was only the PSU. 

 

As for the other stuff, I just happened upon this forum for the first time today, and I didn’t read other threads, but the one resonated so close to what I am seeing, plus the cpu and chipset/mobo manufacturer, etc, so I thought to post. 

 

I dont know how you all run things, I’m actually a moderator on a car forum, obviously very different protocols.  

 

Thanks for the replies, and constructive criticism. 

 

 

yeah. dont worry. I have no idea what the fuss is about, the other thread was very relevant (and i have been here since forvever)

 

cant help you much with your problem, as I was only going to suggest power supply issues

 

anyways,  Welcome!

[goretsky Supervisor]

Hello,

 

If you have not replaced the fans inside the chassis you may want to inspect those as well.  Turn the system off, open it up, and clean inside thoroughly.  Then go ahead and try gently tapping each fan with a finger and moving it. They should all rotate freely with no "grinding" feeling.  If there is any grinding or stickiness to the fan moving, then go ahead and replace it.

 

Regards,

 

Aryeh Goretsky 

[salamanca]

Try setting a more aggressive Load Line Calibration in your BIOS. For example, if the default is 50%, set it at 60%. This should improve CPU voltage stability at load, but make sure your cooling works well.

[Karch_32]

Again, thank you. 

 

Since you asked, I will share what I see on the other forum, and hopefully it makes sense. 

 

Its a forum dedicated to Cadillac CTS-V enthusiasts, so it’s quite niche. 

 

The emphasis is on the Gen2 version, 2009-2015, and from the factory they have 556 hp.

 

It is now common to have them ‘overclocked’ to over 800 hp without doing anything really major, but there are a lot of subtleties along the way. 

 

In the beginning, the members were either original owners ($80k cars) or second owners ($45-$60k), so with that you had a more unique group...people who love cars, have the means, and usually education, to not only buy an $80k car, but spend tens of thousands more on modifying them. 

 

I’m a mech engineer, car nut, and a sponge for stuff that interests me. 

 

Anyway, as the years go, the prices have dropped, and the newer guys are a lot less affluent, less educated on average, etc.  

 

That’s not a bad thing, but it does bring about a change, and a lot of the guys that have been around since the beginning (2011) don’t like it. 

 

The forum was built on sharing a passion, but evolved into a family.  Guys offering people rooms to stay for vacation, picking them up if they got stuck, collecting $5k when a vendor ripped a guy off and his car was broken and wife was livid. 

 

I have to close threads when someone pops into an old thread just to say ‘impressive’ or something else that adds no value and is of no relevance. 

 

We call that ‘post whoring’ and I am very intolerant of that. 

 

Generally, it’s aboit people helping people. 

 

Most arw very gracious, some less so, and a few are jerks. 

 

I can run the latter off but I have to have a reason, not my own dislike, but something so offensive, like racism. 

 

Otherwise, it’s free speech.  One in particular I think is just an unhappy person.  

 

I dont know what he’s going through, but I did offer to him to realize his tone is always negative, and while we can tolerate it, maybe he should check with his loved ones. 

 

We have a lot of sarcasm, some poking, etc.  A lot of friendships have been made, myself included.  Some expand into actually meeting, hanging out, etc, some are just lots of texting across the country. 

 

We welcome all new members, but ask that if they have a problem or question about their car, do a search first, as it’s probably been discussed, and fixed, already.  

 

The forum is an absolute wealth of knowledge.  So much so that Cameron guys come in for knowledge, as their forums are full of a different type of membership, more like high school than professional, and less helpful. 

 

It is this reason that I commented in the stale thread. 

 

On the CTS-V forum, we had guys resurrecting threads that were four years old, not 6 months, though tech moves so much more quickly than car innovation. 

 

The one place I had to put the hammer down is politics, as it’s so divisive, and caused such negativity.  

 

I got called out for censorship, to which I said fine, guilty, but the news is degrading our lives enough that I don’t need this in my favorite forum.  

 

So theyve learned to accept it, and many have thanked me for it. 

 

Personally, I like it when a new owner comes in and thanks for forum for their generosity in sharing their knowledge.  

 

With regards to forums, there is so much problem solving ability in our collective minds and experience, and to have access to it, with the generosity of the many that contribute, is truly one of the greatest aspects of the Internet. 

 

And that is why I volunteer to moderate on the other forum, to give back, and to delay or prevent it from spiraling downward where so many other well intended forums have gone. 

 

 

[Karch_32]

I played last night for 90 minutes and had zero issues with the new PSU (EVGA 1000 G+, it was on sale), so it seems my PSU was the issue. 

 

Funny thing, it is 5 months out of warranty (7 year warranty), that I paid $165 for, and the new one was $90 ($100 off). 

 

Thank you for the help, it was baffling me as it only happened playing BF1, otherwise it was stable and passed stress tests. 

[Brandon H Supervisor]

BF1 is pretty graphics intensive so I wouldn't be surprised if that game draws a bit more power than your other games.

 

PSU failures are weird like that when they're starting out sometimes

 

glad the new PSU has helped and that's a pretty good deal for the new one as well