Question What would you do if you were me?

[dank69]

I've been limping along with an old 6th gen intel that has been crashing more and more often. I have to do something. I am 99% sure the CPU is the problem. Current specs:

asrock z170 extreme7+
intel 6700K
980Ti

I can't handle the crashes anymore. Memtest is fine. GPU is fine. CPU stress test dies almost immediately. Has to be CPU, right, not the MB?

Assuming it is CPU, best I can replace with is 7700K which runs about $400

Or, I can upgrade MB/CPU/RAM (and case while I am at it since the front panel is broken). I tried the AMD route once and did not enjoy it so I will stick with Intel moving forward which means:

11900K + Z590 + RAM + CPU cooler = $1200 (+ case)

I'd love to upgrade the GPU but you know how that goes these days so I'll stick with the 980Ti until I can find one.

So if you had to choose between those two options, which would you choose and why?

 

[solidsnake1298]

IMO, it depends on how satisfied you are with your gaming experience. I am like most people here, hankering to upgrade to the latest and greatest. But the prices for EVERYTHING are out of control. GPUs, especially.

If you are mostly satisfied with your gaming experience, personally, I would hunker down with what you have and try to get through this chip shortage until prices and availability start to normalize.

So let's figure out why your system is crashing.

Have you checked your CPU temps at all? What kind of cooler are you using? If you are using an AIO to cool your CPU, it is quite possible that the pump has failed and what you are describing is overheating and thermal shutdowns. My Corsair H100iV2 had a pump failure a couple years ago and I experienced similar symptoms.

 

[solidsnake1298]

Have you tried going into your BIOS and doing an "Optimized defaults" reset? I don't know what settings you've manually changed in the past, forgot to set back to "auto", etc.

Not saying that it can't be a problem with your CPU, in the end. But we are trying to eliminate variables and get you to a place where you can get by until you pull the trigger on an upgrade at sane prices. Also, its unfortunate you didn't have this problem 2 months ago. I had a 6700K laying around that I sold to a friend.

AMD Ryzen 5000 is definitely killing it on the desktop. Intel isn't bad in terms of performance. But even 10nm Intel chips run hot and are power hungry. Another thing to consider is that every AMD processor is unlocked and both the X and B series motherboards allow full CPU and memory overclocking. With Intel you HAVE to get a K processor and a Z motherboard to do any manual overclocking of either memory or CPU.

 

[alexbirdie0]

I tried the AMD route once and did not enjoy it so I will stick with Intel moving forward which means:

How many years ago?

Time changes, and ZEN2 were good, and the current ZEN3 are really great. I do have a 3950x, and I am very satisfied with it( my last system was an intel-3770k-system, which was great, too).

Fewer heat, fewer energy usage, as fast as and partially even faster than the current Intel-generation, ....

Title of this thread is "What would you do if you were me?".

I would go with AMD.

 

[deustroop]

I still like Intel. My system is a 9900K / good air cooler and I run it at a mild oc ~ 5 ghz on 2-3 cores with very little heat, ~ 36 deg at idle. All core/full load is another story of course.
Your uses do not encompass high gaming so significant oc will not be involved.Like comparable ( and slightly less expensive) AMD products, an 11900K is a beast and would do fine .
I would however first find the cause of the crash cycle. Have you tried another psu ?

 

[RLGL]

11900K + Z590 + RAM + CPU cooler = $1200 (+ case)

I would not waste any more time on the old junk. Add a new power supply to the list and move on.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I would:
Reset CMOS to defaults, using jumper if possible.
Re-paste CPU, being careful with heatsink mounts if using push-pins.
Try slightly overvolting your Vcore in BIOS *at stock clocks*. Test for stability, checking temps.

Your CPU may have just degraded, and needs a tiny bit of vcore boost to keep on keeping on.

Or the RAM or PSU may be on their way out.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Assuming it is CPU, best I can replace with is 7700K which runs about $400

I would NOT waste any money on a Sky/Kaby -Lake CPU, unless it were a quad-core, and you were getting it nearly free.

FYI: I posted a deal for a complete i3-8100 / 8GB DDR4 / 1TB HDD slim system for $220 (now selling for $240). Oh wait, nevermind, you have a GPU.

 

[killster1]

i would switch psu first, if still broke then buy a board from amazon test it with that if still broken return mobo bet a 5600x / x470 for 400$

 

[crashtech]

Typically it will be the motherboard's power delivery system that fails rather than the CPU itself, but that can be hard to determine without a known good spare board.

 

[solidsnake1298]

Edit: I misread your statement about the frequency. I am wondering if the OC profile increased voltage beyond what would actually be needed for 4.4Ghz, temporarily masking any issues your PSU was causing.

If you do find that your PSU is definitely kaput, I always recommend Seasonic power supplies. They're the ODM for a lot of power supplies from other "manufacturers" anyway. I recommend their "Prime" and "Focus" lines for their longer warranties. 12 and 10 years respectively. I had a PC Power and Cooling PSU back in the day. Seasonic was the ODM. That PSU moved from build to build for 12 years. The only reason I replaced it was because I was moving from a chungus case to a Fractal Meshify C (full ATX but on the smaller side). So I needed a fully modular PSU. But that now 14 year old PSU lives on in a friend's PC.

I use a Seasonic Prime Titanium 750w now. Thanks to Anandtech's review of it.

 

[crashtech]

It's not necessarily the PSU. Accurate PC troubleshooting is difficult to impossible without at least having some "known good" spares available. Even a good PSU won't turn on if it doesn't get the signal to do so from the motherboard. Cheap PSU testers are available, but they don't do much to put load on the test part, which makes them of very limited usefulness.

 

[solidsnake1298]

It's not necessarily the PSU. Accurate PC troubleshooting is difficult to impossible without at least having some "known good" spares available. Even a good PSU won't turn on if it doesn't get the signal to do so from the motherboard. Cheap PSU testers are available, but they don't do much to put load on the test part, which makes them of very limited usefulness.

Good point. It might also be worth using the clear CMOS jumpers just to be sure it wasn't that new profile you set. I have had "stable" OC settings on one boot only for it to fail to boot the next day.

 

[crashtech]

Another thing to try is to simply jump pin 16 on the ATX connector to ground (either of the adjacent pins). Typically this was the green wire, though colored wires have gone by the wayside.

Pinout for the Standard ATX 24-pin 12V Motherboard Power Connector

Complete pinout for an ATX 24-pin 12V power supply connector. This is the standard motherboard power connector in a computer.

www.lifewire.com

 

[repoman0]

Is your PSU one of the Seasonic “G-series” that they don’t make anymore? I had a 550W version of one of those that failed and was a nightmare to figure out. In my case all my stress tests ran fine but it kept crashing in games. PSU was the last thing I tried replacing and that was it. It died right before the five year warranty was up. I bought one of their fancy 12-year warranty ones to replace it.

Either way even if your PSU isn’t the problem, it’s probably prudent to replace it if you end up buying new hardware … which makes it a solid troubleshooting purchase, IMO

edit: saw that you asked for a rec … personally I went with a Prime PX-1000. Think it was just over $200 which is over twice what I have ever paid for a PSU, but after weeks troubleshooting a failed one I just wanted the best.

 

[crashtech]

The symptom of not powering on excludes the OS as the main problem.

 

[bigboxes]

I've been limping along with an old 6th gen intel that has been crashing more and more often. I have to do something. I am 99% sure the CPU is the problem. Current specs:

asrock z170 extreme7+
intel 6700K
980Ti

I can't handle the crashes anymore. Memtest is fine. GPU is fine. CPU stress test dies almost immediately. Has to be CPU, right, not the MB?

Assuming it is CPU, best I can replace with is 7700K which runs about $400

Or, I can upgrade MB/CPU/RAM (and case while I am at it since the front panel is broken). I tried the AMD route once and did not enjoy it so I will stick with Intel moving forward which means:

11900K + Z590 + RAM + CPU cooler = $1200 (+ case)

I'd love to upgrade the GPU but you know how that goes these days so I'll stick with the 980Ti until I can find one.

So if you had to choose between those two options, which would you choose and why?

I would get a new power supply. Save the old one for testing/swap PSU. New computers deserve a new power supply. I have four Seasonic power supplies. Two are Prime models (850W & 1000W).

You should consider AMD as well. I was with Intel from 2009-2021. Three months ago my 4790K box died. I built the rig in my sig two months ago. You don't have to go that gonzo. Just get what you can afford.

I too am waiting on a video card. No hurry at today's prices.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Glad to read the issue was resolved without spending money.

Consider this a bump for users searching for the solution to these symptoms. And I will use is as an opportunity to comment on the initially proposed build specs.

If I were building a high end Intel, it would be using the 10850K. Easily found for under $400, 10 core, excellent gaming performance. 11900K is one of the worst values out there.

And I will add my voice to the chorus; Based on the time period involved, a new PSU was a must for a new build.

But despite the fire sale pricing on some Intel CPUs right now, I'd still build AM4 instead. Much more robust ecosystem, that is chock-a-block with great boards. Top notch performance, better performance v. power consumption, higher core support, and may even get the new 3D V-Cache variant later this year. Which you might immediately dismiss as superfluous, if looking to get 5yrs from CPU+mobo combo. But consider this: The used market for Z and K Intel hardware has traditionally been a bad time. Where as with AM4, the used market offers far more choice and generally better pricing. Which as you have discovered is a big deal when looking for parts to troubleshoot a problem on an older, but not old enough to be cheap, Intel system. For myself it is similar to considering long term cost of ownership when purchasing a vehicle. Some change them so often it is irrelevant, while many will keep the vehicle long enough to enjoy the cost savings.

 

[deustroop]

If I were building a high end Intel, it would be using the 10850K. Easily found for under $400, 10 core, excellent gaming performance. 11900K is one of the worst values out there.

The 10850 has old pcie transport and less of it. And the cpu is a tad slower . Old tech v new tech . I take your point that the 11900 is overpriced but one would want the considerations to be clear.

 

[deustroop]

Why is the comment above at all regarding AMD ? I specifically confined the reply to the Intel choices.

The extra two cores of the 10850 are great for multithreaded intensive apps but get in the way of some lower level performance, like we all do all day, which is one benefit from the 11900 which has 8 no10.

 

[DAPUNISHER]

Why is the comment above at all regarding AMD ? I specifically confined the reply to the Intel choices.

The extra two cores of the 10850 are great for multithreaded intensive apps but get in the way of some lower level performance, like we all do all day, which is one reason the 11900 has 6 not 8.

Brother, you can restrict your comments to whatever you like. But these products do not exist in some narrowly defined space all their own. So when PCIE 4.0 is used as a differentiator, AMD enters the chat.

And what the heck does 6 not 8 mean? Also, you can build whatever you want too, it's all good to me. But the 11900 is generally considered to be a turd. Benchmark Steve roasted it proper

 

[crashtech]

OP clearly stated they would not be going with AMD because of a past bad experience. I think that's probably an outdated opinion, but it's not for me to convince anybody except to say that AMD AM4 is a pretty mature platform at this point and I have not experienced significant problems with it.

Anyway, the rig in question is working again, so talk of its replacement is premature.

 

[dank69]

IMO, it depends on how satisfied you are with your gaming experience. I am like most people here, hankering to upgrade to the latest and greatest. But the prices for EVERYTHING are out of control. GPUs, especially.

If you are mostly satisfied with your gaming experience, personally, I would hunker down with what you have and try to get through this chip shortage until prices and availability start to normalize.

So let's figure out why your system is crashing.

Have you checked your CPU temps at all? What kind of cooler are you using? If you are using an AIO to cool your CPU, it is quite possible that the pump has failed and what you are describing is overheating and thermal shutdowns. My Corsair H100iV2 had a pump failure a couple years ago and I experienced similar symptoms.

No, I'm using air and the temps aren't bad. Honestly I think I might have damaged it slightly way back when I first bought it and was working on OC and it overheated briefly. I've been running it at stock speeds ever since and it was mostly fine with a crash here or there. The last year or so the crashes have been getting more and more frequent and are now pretty much unbearable.

I started keeping an eye on load and temps to diagnose and that has nothing to do with it. It sometimes gets into a cycle where it crashes and then will crash a few more times just during startup.

As for gaming I don't push it very hard currently because I just don't have the time I used to have. My kids are just getting into gaming now so I do have plans for the near future. That's why I started looking into upgrading but it seems like from my limited research that this isn't really a stellar Intel generation. Then again, brand new 11900K is only $170 more than 3 generation old 7700K, and the ABT looks interesting.

 

[dank69]

Have you tried going into your BIOS and doing an "Optimized defaults" reset? I don't know what settings you've manually changed in the past, forgot to set back to "auto", etc.

Not saying that it can't be a problem with your CPU, in the end. But we are trying to eliminate variables and get you to a place where you can get by until you pull the trigger on an upgrade at sane prices. Also, its unfortunate you didn't have this problem 2 months ago. I had a 6700K laying around that I sold to a friend.

AMD Ryzen 5000 is definitely killing it on the desktop. Intel isn't bad in terms of performance. But even 10nm Intel chips run hot and are power hungry. Another thing to consider is that every AMD processor is unlocked and both the X and B series motherboards allow full CPU and memory overclocking. With Intel you HAVE to get a K processor and a Z motherboard to do any manual overclocking of either memory or CPU.

I will recheck the BIOS this weekend when I get some time. I am not as concerned with overclocking as I used to be because I just don't have the time to tweak and test over and over anymore.

 

[dank69]

How many years ago?

Time changes, and ZEN2 were good, and the current ZEN3 are really great. I do have a 3950x, and I am very satisfied with it( my last system was an intel-3770k-system, which was great, too).

Fewer heat, fewer energy usage, as fast as and partially even faster than the current Intel-generation, ....

Title of this thread is "What would you do if you were me?".

I would go with AMD.

Gosh, at least a decade or more. Don't even remember what generation it was...want to say 59xx. I remember buying the first card with 6 mini DP because I had fever dreams of running 6 Dell 3007 monitors, haha. Never did convince my wife that that was necessary. Even then it was only GPU, never tried AMD CPU, and I think that was one of the reasons I wasn't super happy, but AMD wasn't really there yet with their CPUs.