ATTN: IT and Tech Experts PC **Still Freezing** w/Upgrades

[LenaSexton]

If you recall awhile back my computer was being upgraded with an additional stick of memory, so that I now have 16GB RAM.
https://www.ambercutie.com/forums/threads/hardware-upgrade-cumming-soon-and-questions-excited.37789/

We also added another 1TB hard drive, so now I have 2TBs. I incorrectly thought that I had 500GB (referencing previous post) on the original hard drive, but already had 1TB before upgrade. The whole reason for the upgrade was to improve the performance of my computer, because I had experienced it freezing to the point I had to do a hard reboot in the past. We weren't 100% sure if it was my i5 processor, lack of disk space or not having enough memory.

It has been a little over a 2 weeks since we made the upgrades and it seems like my system is even more unstable. I used to be able to splitcam on 2 sites, run Skype and at times watch/listen to Youtube simultaneously without too many issues. For the most part I only ran into issues if I tried to use OBS to stream before the upgrade. Now as recently as Saturday, my computer froze during a lengthy private session on MFC... not good!

Now, I'm lucky if I can splitcam let alone do much else without my computer freezing and doing a hard reboot! I watch my task manager and the only thing that I notice that may fluctuate quite a bit is my CPU.

I've been reading and trying to do my own diagnostics and these are my findings. I was surprised that one program says that my motherboard is overheating, but that would make sense being that at times I could smell the heat not a burning smell though coming from my tower when the CPU is being used more at times. However, I was also reading that some were saying the motherboard temp isnt' all that reliable.

I have included screenshots of my hardware/software spec info if anyone out there that is a techie or IT expert can point us in the right direction. Help! There maybe something that obvious to you that we aren't seeing. Our next course of action is to get another cooling fan, but any expertise you have would be greatly appreciated.

 

[eas_studio]

computers go slower with time do fragmentation on the disk or simply installing to many programs check the task manager to see which process are running at the same time the are many ways to improve a computer speed what software are you using to broadcast? maybe use a lower frame rate on split cam click on the broadcasting settings the where says select preset then create new and use the settings in the pic frame rate = 30fps, preset = very fast, profile = base line , bitrate 3500kibit/sec that should help a little

 

[SMuser69]

One thing I can see right away is your motherboard temp sensor looks like it's broken since you would see flames coming off it at 122celcius (there's no way your motherboard is 251 degrees Fahrenheit and your CPU is that cool) . Your motherboard might be throttling the bridges if it's reporting that temp. A replacement fan will not fix your motherboard's temp sensor if it's broken. The CPU is cool enough to show your have proper cooling.

Also did someone RAID those HDD together?

Why didn't you buy an SSD drive for the drive upgrade? even 500GB SSD would had probably increased performance by a factor of 10x and probably been the same price.

 

[Deleted member 37064]

Aside from the temp sensor reading hot, I looked up your drives.

The top one listed is a 5400 RPM drive, the bottom one is a 7200 RPM. Did you migrate drives and move to the 5400? That'd be one performance issue. If you're OS isn't on the 7200, I'd move it there. An SSD would drasticly improve performance but then you'd be buying another drive.

I would also look at upgrading the firmware in your system if you haven't yet. Also, any manufacturer software such as ASUS board utilities, etc.

 

[LenaSexton]

computers go slower with time do fragmentation on the disk or simply installing to many programs check the task manager to see which process are running at the same time the are many ways to improve a computer speed what software are you using to broadcast? maybe use a lower frame rate on split cam click on the broadcasting settings the where says select preset then create new and use the settings in the pic frame rate = 30fps, preset = very fast, profile = base line , bitrate 3500kibit/sec that should help a little

One thing I can see right away is your motherboard temp sensor looks like it's broken since you would see flames coming off it at 122celcius (there's no way your motherboard is 251 degrees Fahrenheit and your CPU is that cool) . Your motherboard might be throttling the bridges if it's reporting that temp. A replacement fan will not fix your motherboard's temp sensor if it's broken. The CPU is cool enough to show your have proper cooling.

Also did someone RAID those HDD together?

Why didn't you buy an SSD drive for the drive upgrade? even 500GB SSD would had probably increased performance by a factor of 10x and probably been the same price.

Aside from the temp sensor reading hot, I looked up your drives.

The top one listed is a 5400 RPM drive, the bottom one is a 7200 RPM. Did you migrate drives and move to the 5400? That'd be one performance issue. If you're OS isn't on the 7200, I'd move it there. An SSD would drasticly improve performance but then you'd be buying another drive.

I would also look at upgrading the firmware in your system if you haven't yet. Also, any manufacturer software such as ASUS board utilities, etc.

@eas_studio I will definitely keep that in mind once my system is more stable, because I was looking forward to using streaming software like OBS and others. There's so much more I feel that you can do with those to enhance your stream!

@SMuser69 A close relative of mind recommended the hard drive I purchased since they felt it was the most compatible with what I have. I wasn't aware of the speed issue with the hard drives. It is funny you mention RAID, because I thought I could buy a partition manager to make the system recognize the 2 drives as one BIG drive. Needless to say I was wrong, but when I looked up the way to do it I remember reading about RAID.
In hindsight, I should have looked into it more but I was in a rush to get back online. Are you saying that I need to replace the motherboard temp sensor? @ForceTen Windows is installed on the faster hard drive. I will check into the firmware to see if it needs to be upgraded. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks!

 

[Deleted member 37064]

@SMuser69 A close relative of mind recommended the hard drive I purchased since they felt it was the most compatible with what I have. I wasn't aware of the speed issue with the hard drives. It is funny you mention RAID, because I thought I could buy a partition manager to make the system recognize the 2 drives as one BIG drive. Needless to say I was wrong, but when I looked up the way to do it I remember reading about RAID.
In hindsight, I should have looked into it more but I was in a rush to get back online. Are you saying that I need to replace the motherboard temp sensor? @ForceTen Windows is installed on the faster hard drive. I will check into the firmware to see if it needs to be upgraded. I will keep you guys posted. Thanks! [/B]

If the OS is installed on the faster of the two drives, and the 5400rpm drive is your data storage you're fine. I was concerned that you had migrated from the 7200rpm drive (Toshiba) to the 5400rpm was causing some performance issues.

Regarding RAID, given the speed differences, I would NOT recommend making them a RAID device as you will run at the slower of the two speeds.. The capability exists on many current mid to higher range mainboards, so no special software would be needed if it's there. I'm one who prefers a smaller/faster OS drive such as a 512GB SSD or NVMe drive and a larger data storage drive. This way, all your programs are installed on the OS and then the files you may not use often is stored on the other. RAID can be nice. But, IMO, it's not really necessary for most users.

Regarding the temp sensor, I would look into updating all firmware and software related to your hardware first. There might be a bug in the software causing the temp sensor to read incorrectly. Typically these are non-replaceable.

 

[silentm0de]

From what you describe, and the motherboard sensor reading, your board is giving in. I bet it is a desktop PC with all the harddrives you put into it. So you can at least change the motherboard, which would be almost impossible if it was a notebook.
Steps you can do:
Clean your case, especially all the cooling parts, with compressed air. At least, us a vacuum cleaner. Overheating often happens because of too much dust accumulating in the coolers. Blow it all out!
Remove the second RAM you bought and see it is more stable then. Personally, I bet this isn't the issue.
Get CoreTemp (free) and check the temperature readings of your processor when you work. Your Corei5 should be around 60°C, or less, depends on the quality of your overall cooling. Most cases are too small and have bad airflow because people do not pay attention to it. Heat is a major concern in IT hardware, that's why we keep server rooms air conditioned at 20°C, thus prolonging the lifespan of components enormously. Too much heat always leeds to instability!

Instability can also stem from a broken or almost broken power supply. A good quality power supply is very important for a stable system!

Check the capacitors on your motherboard, mostly those around the CPU.

If they look something like this, the board is almost dead. There should be no bulge at the top, as if it would pop open any second, and certainly nothing leaking out of them.

If nothing helps of the above helps, I would first change the board. Most of the time it is a broken motherboard, though it could be hard finding a board for your CPU. It is a 5th generation Intel i5, so you would need a socket 1151 board. If this wasn't the issue, get a new power supply. It could also be a faulty HDD (why are you guys still using this ancient technology? Go SSD, they are not soo expensive anymore and speed up your thing by a factor of 10 or something!!). If it is your HDD, you should hear strange clicking noises when you put your ear near the HDD (check when your computer freezes.)

If you have any more question, feel free to contact me! Oh yeah. Get yourself a decent SSD for your OS. Be happier than ever before!

 

[LenaSexton]

If the OS is installed on the faster of the two drives, and the 5400rpm drive is your data storage you're fine. I was concerned that you had migrated from the 7200rpm drive (Toshiba) to the 5400rpm was causing some performance issues.

Regarding RAID, given the speed differences, I would NOT recommend making them a RAID device as you will run at the slower of the two speeds.. The capability exists on many current mid to higher range mainboards, so no special software would be needed if it's there. I'm one who prefers a smaller/faster OS drive such as a 512GB SSD or NVMe drive and a larger data storage drive. This way, all your programs are installed on the OS and then the files you may not use often is stored on the other. RAID can be nice. But, IMO, it's not really necessary for most users.

Regarding the temp sensor, I would look into updating all firmware and software related to your hardware first. There might be a bug in the software causing the temp sensor to read incorrectly. Typically these are non-replaceable.

Just an update, I actually went to the Asus website and discovered had several updates to make including firmware and BIOS! The real test will be when I get on cam this late evening. Hopefully the updates will make the system more stable. I am seeing noticeable improvement already! *Keeping fingers crossed*.

 

[LenaSexton]

From what you describe, and the motherboard sensor reading, your board is giving in. I bet it is a desktop PC with all the harddrives you put into it. So you can at least change the motherboard, which would be almost impossible if it was a notebook.
Steps you can do:
Clean your case, especially all the cooling parts, with compressed air. At least, us a vacuum cleaner. Overheating often happens because of too much dust accumulating in the coolers. Blow it all out!
Remove the second RAM you bought and see it is more stable then. Personally, I bet this isn't the issue.
Get CoreTemp (free) and check the temperature readings of your processor when you work. Your Corei5 should be around 60°C, or less, depends on the quality of your overall cooling. Most cases are too small and have bad airflow because people do not pay attention to it. Heat is a major concern in IT hardware, that's why we keep server rooms air conditioned at 20°C, thus prolonging the lifespan of components enormously. Too much heat always leeds to instability!

Instability can also stem from a broken or almost broken power supply. A good quality power supply is very important for a stable system!

Check the capacitors on your motherboard, mostly those around the CPU.
View attachment 86337View attachment 86338
If they look something like this, the board is almost dead. There should be no bulge at the top, as if it would pop open any second, and certainly nothing leaking out of them.

If nothing helps of the above helps, I would first change the board. Most of the time it is a broken motherboard, though it could be hard finding a board for your CPU. It is a 5th generation Intel i5, so you would need a socket 1151 board. If this wasn't the issue, get a new power supply. It could also be a faulty HDD (why are you guys still using this ancient technology? Go SSD, they are not soo expensive anymore and speed up your thing by a factor of 10 or something!!). If it is your HDD, you should hear strange clicking noises when you put your ear near the HDD (check when your computer freezes.)

If you have any more question, feel free to contact me! Oh yeah. Get yourself a decent SSD for your OS. Be happier than ever before!

I think the overheated motherboard was a false alarm. The program I was using, Speccy, is known to give inaccurately high motherboard temp readings.