Hey guys, will tip 1kfg or more if someone can walk me through fixing my computer.

What happens: Randomly when I am gaming the computer will either freeze or go black screen with fans going to full throttle before restarting or forcing me to press the physical restart button. Sometimes it happens multiple times in a day, sometimes it doesn't happen all day.

What I have checked:
I have bought new ram, swapped them out and the problem persists.
I have cleaned my computer with air taking off any dust (this seems to help for a few days but then the problem persists. Might not be helping at all and randomly just not restarting)
I have changed my ram profile from the XPM or whatever its called setting on and off.
I have installed new drivers all around
I have unplugged devices from usb ports that were not being used
I have gotten new power cords to plug my computer into
I have probably done more than this but this is just off the top of my head

This problem has plagued me for a few years now.

I will download any software that would help diagnose the problem, I have HWMonitor and temps seem fine although IDK how to check them in the past like right before a restart, but just idling or gaming they seem fine.
I also got a different software that shows me an error code after restarts, I forget what it is called but it did seem to show the same code over and over on restarts, I think it was like 41 or something but i forget what that program was called
edit - the program I got was called Event Viewer, and it did seem to have the same code on restarts. Will check again and update after next crash

Let me know what you think I should do and I will try to follow along as quickly as possible.

edit - open to hopping on a disc call or whatever, sharing screen, anything you need!

This post was edited by HEDDU on Mar 28 2026 06:57pm

Here is what I see in event viewer after crash and they do seem close to when my computer restarts. Like it shows one today 3/28/26 @ 6:08 and my pc did crash around then which prompted me to make this thread



This post was edited by HEDDU on Mar 28 2026 06:59pm

what time did the last error persist? is that is what is highlighted?

i would document what time it happens the next time it happens then sort event viewer like you did but look for that time on that day

quick google search of the lines before and after the critical event should help get an idea

also need to know:
1. What games are you playing and on what settings?
2. Graphics card and RAM size?
3. Have you launched task viewer side by side on another screen while the game that causes the issue is running? You wanna see what the CPU and RAM % are running at.
4. Have you taken the case off and made sure that the fans are spinning and not stopping?
5. Is PC positioned in a well ventilated area?

I have a little surface 2 that i tried to run d2r on - it kept drawing too much power for the 1070 it had in it and PC kept crashing due to overheating. sounded like a jet taking off.



This post was edited by Phillyy on Mar 28 2026 11:54pm

what time did the last error persist? is that is what is highlighted?
-Last pc crash was around 6pm ish my time and event viewer shows a critical error at 6:08 pm. I will take note of exact time next time it crashes and check event viewer more closely

i would document what time it happens the next time it happens then sort event viewer like you did but look for that time on that day
-kk will do!

quick google search of the lines before and after the critical event should help get an idea
-kk will document next crash time closely and get more info on lines before/after

also need to know:
1. What games are you playing and on what settings?
-d2r, cs2, LoL, all mid settings to get higher fps
2. Graphics card and RAM size?
-2080 super, 64gb ram @3200hz
3. Have you launched task viewer side by side on another screen while the game that causes the issue is running? You wanna see what the CPU and RAM % are running at.
-I will try to do this although the issue just resets the computer and it is so random though I may not be able to time it to see exactly before (sometimes it goes days between crashing)
4. Have you taken the case off and made sure that the fans are spinning and not stopping?
-clear case on top and bottom and they do keep spinning always
5. Is PC positioned in a well ventilated area?
- yes and the issue has persisted through computer being in different areas, wood floor on stand, on table, etc.


I will get more specifics on the event viewer around times of crashes and keep you posted!!

I see your reply but I’m heading out the door. Will comment back here after church

If it's bugging when you play games, I'd go for the graphic process unit.
2080 are from 2018, close to 8 years. My bet is that when the GPU is required and starts to work, its temp goes way too high to actually register just before crash, therefore you wouldn't see the results. The only optimal method is to have a tool to mesure the heat physically.
Depending of the brand, the amount and quality of thermic paste can suck, so I'd personnally go for some, a siringe is around 10 to 15€, and replace the ones from GPU and also CPU (never a bad thing to do).

Also, still about gpu, check the fans are turning on your GC aswell. This would be the second reason your computer is crashing, but I still bet on the thermic paste.

Any led that turns on on your motherboard before it crashes ?

This post was edited by pluckplk on Mar 29 2026 09:18am

Can you list your computer specs? Sounds like a gpu or ram problem.first thing I’d do is take the gpu out and run on integrated graphics (if you have it) to see if the problem still occurs.

Is there a way to have a software like HWMonitor store heat temps so that I can look back on them after a crash? Or can I only do that with physical equipment?

I used the following thermal paste: ARCTIC MX-4 (incl. Spatula, 4 g) - Premium Performance Thermal Paste for All Processors (CPU, GPU - PC), Very high Thermal Conductivity, Long Durability, Safe Application
When I put it on I put a ton on because I was kinda mad I had bought a hole tube of the stuff to use once lol. If you think it should be replaced I can get more and replace it.

Also, still about gpu, check the fans are turning on your GC aswell.
I will turn my pc so that I can see into it at all times and look at the fans next restart and keep you posted

please let me know if there is a better way for me to list specs, this is what i got off google for best way to do




I noticed those images didn't say ram name from what I saw, I am using Corsair LPX 32GB 2 x 16GB Memory, Vengeance LPX Black

I re-purchased another set of these about a year ago to swap out to see if ram was causing the issue and it still persists.

also it seems like nothing about my storage is listed on there, I have 2x 500gb ssd
Samsung 970 EVO SSD 500GB - M.2 NVMe Interface Internal Solid State Drive with V-NAND Technology (MZ-V7E500BW)

and 1 4TB hard drive

WD Blue 4TB PC Hard Drive - 5400 RPM Class, SATA 6 Gb/s, 64 MB Cache, 3.5" - WD40EZRZ

This post was edited by HEDDU on Mar 29 2026 04:50pm

Okay so I had a crash today @5:21 pm. I have screenshotted the event viewer tasks around that time and here is what I see