Computer freezes about 20-30 minutes after starting most 3D games

v0id

Member
May 30, 2003
162
6
81
So, I built a new computer a few months ago and am having some problems running 3D games. Normal operation (web browsing, videos, etc) seems to be OK. What happens is that I start a game, and after running for about 20-30 minutes, the computer just freezes completely - no error message, no restart, no mouse or keyboard input possible, etc. This has happened with Crysis, Call of Juarez: Bound in Blood, and even older games like NWN2 or even Far Cry. I end up having to hard reset to fix things. I would guess that the problem has something to do with my video subsystem since the computer is fine during non-gaming use.

Specs are as follows:

Phenom II x3 720 BE (stock 2.8 GHz)
ASUS M4A78T-E mainboard
Mugen II heatsink
4GB G.Skill DDR3 1333
2x Radeon HD 4850 512 MB
WD Caviar Black 1TB
Silverstone Element 500W PSU
Lian-Li PC-7B case
Windows 7 x64 Professional
Latest (9.10, 10/22/09) Catalyst drivers

I imagine some people might think the PSU is not beefy enough but I'm not sure that's it - it's a quality unit. See a pretty comprehensive review here: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=13.

Heat might be an issue but the case does have 120mm fans at the front and back, in addition to 2 120mm fans strapped to the heatsink (in push/pull config).

Anybody have any thoughts/suggestions?
 

theevilsharpie

Platinum Member
Nov 2, 2009
2,322
14
81
Locking up completely is usually a sign of a processor malfunction.

Try to run a processor stress test (e.g., Prime95) for 30-45 minutes to see if you can replicate the system freeze. It would also be helpful to monitor the system temps during the test.
 

v0id

Member
May 30, 2003
162
6
81
Anything in the event viewer?

Event viewer shows a 'critical' 'Kernel-Power' event for the most recent time this happened. Full text of the event is below.


theevilsharpie said:
Try to run a processor stress test (e.g., Prime95) for 30-45 minutes to see if you can replicate the system freeze. It would also be helpful to monitor the system temps during the test.

I've been running Prime95 for about 30 minutes and have not been able to replicate the freeze. Core temps are 39° C, with Prime95 having run on all three cores for a while.

I did some messing around with OCing when I first built the computer, and my recollection was that Prime95 would fail after thirty minutes to an hour with modest overclocks, and within 5 minutes with more agressive overclocks (say, 3.4 GHz). Still, it wouldn't freeze the computer when that happened.

--

Event Viewer text:

- System

- Provider

[ Name] Microsoft-Windows-Kernel-Power
[ Guid] {331C3B3A-2005-44C2-AC5E-77220C37D6B4}

EventID 41

Version 2

Level 1

Task 63

Opcode 0

Keywords 0x8000000000000002

- TimeCreated

[ SystemTime] 2009-11-15T22:38:38.159613300Z

EventRecordID 3435

Correlation

- Execution

[ ProcessID] 4
[ ThreadID] 8

Channel System

Computer Dude

- Security

[ UserID] S-1-5-18


- EventData

BugcheckCode 0
BugcheckParameter1 0x0
BugcheckParameter2 0x0
BugcheckParameter3 0x0
BugcheckParameter4 0x0
SleepInProgress false
PowerButtonTimestamp 0
 

v0id

Member
May 30, 2003
162
6
81
OK, after about 24 hours of Prime95 and 100% utilization for all 3 cores, temps are at 42 C. Not great, but not enough to freeze the system or even have Prime95 fail.

Anybody have any other ideas?
 

mpilchfamily

Diamond Member
Jun 11, 2007
3,559
1
0
Could be a video driver issue. Try reinstalling them. If you still have problems then ren Memtest to see how the RAM stands up. It may find something Prime missed.
 

Antique

Junior Member
Nov 11, 2009
15
0
0
The video card might be the cause of the problem.
Have you tried reinstalling them or use another one?

The game you might be playing doesn't work properly on that video card and it needs more resources. try using this tool if your system passed on the system requirement of the game.
 

davidrees

Senior member
Mar 28, 2002
431
0
76
Most likely:

1. Bad memory - I don't fully trust most of the software testers - try swapping memory around and if you have multiple dimms, you may end up swapping out the bad part

2. Bad video card - most likely to be cooling, but possibly power or failing caps or overheating VRMs

3. Malware. Maybe you have some critter that is trying to phone home or do something else and your gaming is preventing it from promptly delivering more "Herbal Levitra" spam.

4. Bad motherboard (Caps, VRMs)

5. Bad Power - are you on a UPS? My guess is that your system is at people power only when gaming - probably drawing more power than when you just stress the CPU. Could be the PS, could be the power infrastructure or something in between.
 

v0id

Member
May 30, 2003
162
6
81
mpilchfamily, I don't think it's a video driver issue. This is a clean Win7 x64 install immediately updated to the latest ATI Catalyst drivers. There isn't anything else really kicking around to conflict with.

I'll leave MemTest on overnight and see what happens.

Antique, both video cards are fairly new although I suppose one or both could be malfunctioning somehow. I didn't notice any blown caps or anything last time at the cards. It's possible that the two cards together are trying to pull more juice than my PSU can supply - tomorrow I'll try removing one and see what happens.

davidrees, tomorrow I'll inspect the mainboard and video cards for any visible problems. I don't think malware is an issue as I'm pretty well protected and this started happening basically as soon as I started trying to play 3D games on the new computer. Unfortunately the memory I'm currently using is the only pair of DDR3 modules that I have... I will try switching their slots and see if that makes a difference. I am not on a UPS. Perhaps I'll pick up a Kill-a-watt meter and see how much power the box is actually trying to draw from the wall.