Losing my mind with hard locks/sudden reboots

*Please read this whole post before replying.

I've had this problem with my rig for half a year now, and I've had enough. If someone can help me figure out and solve this problem, I'm willing to compensate.

PROBLEM:
My computer will either hard lock or reboot itself, randomly, during gaming only. It seems to happen more in some games than others. It happens in CS:GO fairly frequently, but not that often in Dark Souls 2, for example. It does not happen when left on overnight or when doing other things like browsing, music, etc.

When it hard locks, everything freezes. Monitors, sound, NUM lock no longer toggles, it doesn't even look like USB still has power (mouse lights will turn off and not come back on when moved). I've let it sit during a hard lock for 5 minutes, and nothing changes. There is no BSOD, nothing shuts off, it's just locked.

When it fully reboots itself, it does just that. Without warning it will just turn off and back on. No BSOD, no Event Viewer errors, nothing.

The only components I have not changed in my PC over the past 8 months (since problems started) are:
PSU - Corsair HX850
EVGA 780 Ti - I originally thought this was the problem, and I RMA'd it. The problem persists.
Toshiba - 256GB SSD. No firmware update possible, generic-y drive. Is my C:\ with Windows on it.
WD External - 3TB
WD Internal - 1TB

All other components have changed. I used to have a 2500k, different motherboard, different RAM, PSU (I got a new one after problems started), etc.

Things I have tried:
RMA GPU.
Windows 7 to Windows 8.1.
Windows Updates are up to date.
All firmwares and BIOS are up to date (i.e everything from Asus website, BIOS, etc).
Different SATA ports for SSDs.
Tons of video display and game options.
Event Viewer shows nothing of note, no errors before crashes or anything.
Different power outlet (wife's PC is on the same circuit and has no issues).
Everything is currently stock.
Memtest.
CPU/GPU temps are fine.



This problem is honestly completely ruining my experience on my PC. I can't play any games that use Hardcore modes (like D3), or anything with online ranking, since I can DC at any time. I will give any information I can and try anything to remedy this for once and for all. Thanks in advance.

can you find any dump prep files? not sure if they would be created in this scenario.

I would run a GPU benchmark and then a CPU benchmark to try and see which of the 2 cause a lock up. that will let you know if its a video card problem or a system problem. (or neither or both).

Have you tried a fresh install of the OS on system drive? ( I know its not fun but may fix any serious system file problems if that is the cause)

Not sure if this is possible but can you run any games in safe mode (single player?) and does this still occur?

mrkma said:

can you find any dump prep files? not sure if they would be created in this scenario.

I would run a GPU benchmark and then a CPU benchmark to try and see which of the 2 cause a lock up. that will let you know if its a video card problem or a system problem. (or neither or both).

Have you tried a fresh install of the OS on system drive? ( I know its not fun but may fix any serious system file problems if that is the cause)

Click to expand...

I've looked with BlueScreenView and nothing is generated. I have to reset the computer to fix the problem, so no error is logged anywhere that I can see (BSOD logs, EventViewer).

Going from Win 7 to Win 8.1 was a fresh install on the Toshiba. Even before switching to 8.1, I'd reinstalled 7 on a few occasions. I can run benchmarks just fine, though I haven't done extended (i.e 8hr) testing. It happens completely randomly, sometimes after hours of play, sometimes after 20 minutes. I find it unlikely that the same issue would be caused by 2 separate video cards, and travel over completely different CPU/mobos.

sircuddles said:

I've looked with BlueScreenView and nothing is generated. I have to reset the computer to fix the problem, so no error is logged anywhere that I can see (BSOD logs, EventViewer).

Going from Win 7 to Win 8.1 was a fresh install on the Toshiba. Even before switching to 8.1, I'd reinstalled 7 on a few occasions. I can run benchmarks just fine, though I haven't done extended (i.e 8hr) testing. It happens completely randomly, sometimes after hours of play, sometimes after 20 minutes. I find it unlikely that the same issue would be caused by 2 separate video cards, and travel over completely different CPU/mobos.

Click to expand...

I would have to agree with you.

Just to be clear, did this happen when you had the different cpu and mobo? if not I may have an idea.

mrkma said:

Just to be clear, did this happen when you had the different cpu and mobo? if not I may have an idea.

Click to expand...

Yes, it did. Part of the reason I upgraded almost every component was each time I thought I was fixing this problem (PSU, then GPU, then Mobo/CPU/RAM). This is why I figure it has to have some connection with the parts that have remained the same, I just can't figure it out or find any clues that lead me to an answer.

My bet is its the PSU. sounds like a failed component in the PSU is causing the issue. My experience has shown that PSU and MOBO can do this if a part fails in them. Since the mobo has been changed, I am thinking PSU. Unfortunately it can be a costly experiment to buy a new one and try it out.

If you want to think outside the box, you could think about the box. Suppose the power button or reset button on your PC case, or the wiring between the buttons and the motherboard, is faulty?

mrkma said:

My bet is its the PSU. sounds like a failed component in the PSU is causing the issue. My experience has shown that PSU and MOBO can do this if a part fails in them. Since the mobo has been changed, I am thinking PSU. Unfortunately it can be a costly experiment to buy a new one and try it out.

Click to expand...

I thought that may be the case, but it rarely actually reboots. I'd say it hard locks 4/5 times, and only reboots 1/5. It seems odd to me that a PSU issue could cause a system lock, with nothing powering down. When it locks, all fans/components continue running, nothing turns off.

If you want to think outside the box, you could think about the box. Suppose the power button or reset button on your PC case, or the wiring between the buttons and the motherboard, is faulty?

Click to expand...

That's interesting, but I would think if that was the case I'd get this problem outside of gaming, which I don't. I've had this issue for a lot of months and not once has my PC locked or turned off outside of gaming.

I assume everything is running stock speed?

I would agree with a psu problem. Take out the 780 and use the intel hd gpu. Run some games on that and see if you get reboots. The intel gpu will use a lot less power then the 780. If it runs fine rma the psu.

trick0502 said:

I assume everything is running stock speed?

I would agree with a psu problem. Take out the 780 and use the intel hd gpu. Run some games on that and see if you get reboots. The intel gpu will use a lot less power then the 780. If it runs fine rma the psu.

Click to expand...

Yeah, everything is stock. If it's a PSU problem why does it just lock sometimes instead of rebooting? Like I mentioned above it only reboots 1/5 times, the rest of the time the system just locks. Can a PSU cause those kinds of errors?

sircuddles said:

Yeah, everything is stock. If it's a PSU problem why does it just lock sometimes instead of rebooting? Like I mentioned above it only reboots 1/5 times, the rest of the time the system just locks. Can a PSU cause those kinds of errors?

Click to expand...

Yes.

trick0502 said:

Yes.

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I did not know that. I don't have another PSU to test, should I just RMA it outright (using the advanced RMA so I have no system downtime) or is it worthwhile to do what you said and test my system without the 780 Ti?

sircuddles said:

Yeah, everything is stock. If it's a PSU problem why does it just lock sometimes instead of rebooting? Like I mentioned above it only reboots 1/5 times, the rest of the time the system just locks. Can a PSU cause those kinds of errors?

Click to expand...

I think it would depend upon where the problem in the PSU is. For example, maybe the part of the PSU that supplies power to the video card has some internal problems under a high amp draw causing it to do some weird stuff in certain situations. Lower voltage power ( such as fans) on different lines might still be working? It all depends upon the type of component failure. Again this is all with the expectation that the PSU is the problem.

I would agree with above and say pull the video card and try it with integrated graphics. It is free to try and you can do it right away. Also do you have any software for your PSU to monitor the voltage? I know some of them come with that.

Have you by chance ran any benchmarks with your system? Would be interested to see if the benchmarks cause the same problem and how quickly.

Do you have any software to monitor the PSU?

In the end though I would probably exchange the PSU. Until that happens, you have some stuff to try.

As far as I know the only software monitor for a PSU you can do is on the rails, and they all are well within where they should be.

I've run benchmarks when I was originally OCing plenty, and I attributed all those crashes to bad OCs. Once my video card was down to +200 or so, I didn't crash in benchmarks so I thought it was fine. I ran for maybe 30 minutes at most though, it may be that it needs longer before failure. I may run one now in the background while I do other things for an extended time and see if it causes anything. If it does, I'll try integrated and use that as a test so I don't have to play CS:GO for 2 hours on integrated graphics, because that sounds horrible.

Alright so I finally managed to get another system lock (not reboot). Through all the testing I did today I had OCCTPT running, noticed nothing out of the ordinary at all, including once it had frozen. Interestingly, it seemed to only happen when I was actually playing CS:GO.

To start I opened up Heaven and let it run on my 3rd monitor at maxed settings, 1080, etc. It ran for an hour with no issues. My GPU was only pulling 87%ish power load, so I opened Prime95. I let both of them run for an hour, nothing.

Then I decided to let CS run in observer mode (like a spectating thing, while I watched a stream and did other stuff) for about 2.5 hours, nothing.

I then actually jumped into a game of CS and within 20 minutes had a lock. I also noticed that my USB devices took a second to power on once the PC had rebooted, but that may be semi-normal when powering up after a hard reset.

I'm still planning on RMA'ing my PSU, but I don't know, it doesn't feel like it's a PSU problem. I really thought with Heaven and Prime running I could get a crash, maybe an hour wasn't enough. What would you guys recommend, still RMA PSU?

What if the odd things you are seeing with USB are a cause and not a symptom? List all of the USB devices you have on your PC. Remove all of them, and use your wife's mouse and keyboard while playing CS:GO.

I must admit, that doesn't sound like a PSU problem. I would expect according to what I was thinking the high usage of the GPU would cause it, which clearly did not happen ( nothing happened when you did the benchmark). What graphics modes ( Directx, opengl) does haven and CS both use? Maybe the issue is with that if they use different ones?

Also maybe run a prime 95 benchmark for a short period of time just to see what happens. I know that is very stressful on the system. At this point figuring out why it happened only during certain scenarios will help figure out the issue.

Is it possible to play CS GO in safe mode? if so I would try that also. again would potentially help narrow down any hardware conflicts.

Yes replace the PSU. Everything you have describe sounds like a failing PSU.

evilsofa said:

What if the odd things you are seeing with USB are a cause and not a symptom? List all of the USB devices you have on your PC. Remove all of them, and use your wife's mouse and keyboard while playing CS:GO.

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I don't think anything USB is the problem, as that only happens once I get to desktop after a hard reset, and even then only sometimes. Connected is:

Das via PS2 but also via USB hub (Das keyboards have 2 ports in the side)
Razer Naga 2014
Logitech G35s
Logitech webcam
Xbox Controller
WD 3TB External
iPod dock

mrkma said:

I must admit, that doesn't sound like a PSU problem. I would expect according to what I was thinking the high usage of the GPU would cause it, which clearly did not happen ( nothing happened when you did the benchmark). What graphics modes ( Directx, opengl) does haven and CS both use? Maybe the issue is with that if they use different ones?

Also maybe run a prime 95 benchmark for a short period of time just to see what happens. I know that is very stressful on the system. At this point figuring out why it happened only during certain scenarios will help figure out the issue.

Is it possible to play CS GO in safe mode? if so I would try that also. again would potentially help narrow down any hardware conflicts.

Click to expand...

I've run Heaven and Prime95 at the same time for over an hour with no issues. I also just played CS for almost 2 hours with no issues.

tl;dr this shit is sporadic as hell, going to RMA PSU and I'll bump this thread with the outcome.

caniba said:

Yes replace the PSU. Everything you have describe sounds like a failing PSU.

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Will do.

I had 2 homebuilt machines with similar issues. One intel/nvidia, the other amd cou and gpu.

The lockups and reboots drove me nuts.

I finally unplugged the rosewill card reader from the usb header on one of them. Every problem was solved.

I unplugged a similar rosewill card reader from the usb header on the other machine. Again, every problem was resolved.

I would unplug EVERYTHING from the mobo (including gpu) and see what happens.

Just going to update this in case someone sees it from a Google or forum search and is having similar problems.

I RMA'd my PSU and haven't had a crash or reboot since installing it, 4 days ago. I originally thought this problem stemmed from somewhere else, as I didn't think lockups without reboots could be a PSU issue. So if you're reading this and having similar problems, take a look at your PSU.

Unfortunately in this long process I RMA'd a 1260 core capable 780 Ti so I'm stuck with this 1200 one... lesson learned I suppose. Thanks to those in this thread for all the advice. In my OP I did say I'd compensate, so I'll be messaging mrkma to arrange something.