New PC... won't play games (RTX 3060 Ti / Ryzen 5 5600X)

[SpyderTracks]

Chipset: before yes. In fact this afternoon I clean reinstalled Windows once again to triple check. I downloaded drivers and put on a USB, disconnected internet and clean reinstalled everything. Reconnected internet and then installed all Windows updates. Then Steam.

Ok so that's not the correct way to configure windows and not the way you previously said you'd done it.

Back again.

Deleted all partitions and installed Windows 10 Home (via Microsoft link provided above). Installed all Windows updates. Installed latest Nvidia driver. Installed Steam. Downloaded Arma 3. Played for 3 minutes (silky smooth, high frames, everything on ultra settings (defaults), 2k monitor). Crashed to desktop.

If you don't start with a clean install, you will face issues, that error although could be related to hardware could also just as much be chipset related.

 

[LegoFace]

1. Delete drive partitions
2. Install Windows Home or Pro
3. Install all Windows updates
4. Install Nvidia driver
5. Install B550 chipset
6. Install Steam

This order?

 

[LegoFace]

Update: did in that order. No change :|

 

[SpyderTracks]

Update: did in that order. No change :|

We need to take this back to square one, there's something amiss here and without being there it's impossible to say what.

This is either a CPU error or a configuration issue.

But to take it to square one, uninstall steam and any games, take it back to the raw OS.

Are you on Windows 10 or windows 11? Did you use the source image from microsoft? It would be better to do this from a clean OS, but understand if you've had enough of reinstalling.

Once you're back to the RAW OS, install Prime95 and do a test for around 10 minutes, this will only stress the CPU.

Download Prime95 version 30.19 Build 20

Download Prime95 - a handy tool for overclockers and system stability checkers, Prime95 has a feature called "Torture Test" that allows maximum stress testing on the CPU and RAM. There are several options allowing the stress test to focus on the memory, processor, or a balance of both.

www.guru3d.com

At the same time, monitor temps with HWMonitor and post a screenshot DURING the test of your CPU package temps and clock speeds.

HWMONITOR | Softwares | CPUID

HWMonitor for Windows® x86/x64 is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, powers, currents, fans speed, utilizations, clock speeds ... The program handles : CPU and GPU-level hardware monitoring...

www.cpuid.com

 

[ubuysa]

It's VERY important in cases like this that you clean install from freshly downloaded Windows install files (via the Media Creation Tool) written to a new USB drive (to ensure a good set of installation materials). That you delete all existing UEFI partitions and allow the installer to recreate them by itself. That you run Windows Update repeatedly (and across reboots) until no more updates are found. That you then go to your Optional Updates and install all updates in there (especially driver updates of course). That you then install the latest AMD chipset drivers manually (from the AMD website).

Do not install any other software except for stress testing software (like Prime95 as suggested by @SpyderTracks). To verify that your problem is hardware and not software related you need to keep the software environment as clean as possible - so install the very minimum of additional software that you need to stress test it.

 

[LegoFace]

We need to take this back to square one, there's something amiss here and without being there it's impossible to say what.

This is either a CPU error or a configuration issue.

But to take it to square one, uninstall steam and any games, take it back to the raw OS.

Are you on Windows 10 or windows 11? Did you use the source image from microsoft? It would be better to do this from a clean OS, but understand if you've had enough of reinstalling.

Once you're back to the RAW OS, install Prime95 and do a test for around 10 minutes, this will only stress the CPU.

Download Prime95 version 30.19 Build 20

Download Prime95 - a handy tool for overclockers and system stability checkers, Prime95 has a feature called "Torture Test" that allows maximum stress testing on the CPU and RAM. There are several options allowing the stress test to focus on the memory, processor, or a balance of both.

www.guru3d.com

At the same time, monitor temps with HWMonitor and post a screenshot DURING the test of your CPU package temps and clock speeds.

HWMONITOR | Softwares | CPUID

HWMonitor for Windows® x86/x64 is a hardware monitoring program that reads PC systems main health sensors : voltages, temperatures, powers, currents, fans speed, utilizations, clock speeds ... The program handles : CPU and GPU-level hardware monitoring...

www.cpuid.com

"Are you on Windows 10 or windows 11?"

Windows 10.

"Did you use the source image from microsoft?"

Yes, image from Microsoft via supplied link in thread.

"It would be better to do this from a clean OS"

I have just now finished reinstalling everything, following the installation order a couple posts above (1 to 5, and then ran Prime95 + HWMonitor, didn't install Steam or anything else)

"but understand if you've had enough of reinstalling."

Ha yeh. Well, if you've got patience then so have I

Prime95 test passed. I've attached screenshots (sorry for the photos).

 

[SpyderTracks]

"Are you on Windows 10 or windows 11?"

Windows 10.

"Did you use the source image from microsoft?"

Yes, image from Microsoft via supplied link in thread.

"It would be better to do this from a clean OS"

I have just now finished reinstalling everything, following the installation order a couple posts above (1 to 5, and then ran Prime95 + HWMonitor, didn't install Steam or anything else)

"but understand if you've had enough of reinstalling."

Ha yeh. Well, if you've got patience then so have I

Prime95 test passed. I've attached screenshots (sorry for the photos).

Thanks for trying that and doing the full reinstall, as @ubuysa says, it's always worth testing from a clean base.

Prime95 is a cpu stress test, it will put an abnormal load under all instruction sets on th CPU. The fact that's passed suggests there's no CPU fault.

Another test purely on the CPU would be Aida64 but you'd have to install the demo version.

 

[LegoFace]

Thanks for trying that and doing the full reinstall, as @ubuysa says, it's always worth testing from a clean base.

Prime95 is a cpu stress test, it will put an abnormal load under all instruction sets on th CPU. The fact that's passed suggests there's no CPU fault.

Another test purely on the CPU would be Aida64 but you'd have to install the demo version.

Ok I've ran Aida64. Screenies attached. Ran for 10 minutes.

If there is nothing untoward there then we have confirmed that CPU (Prime95 + Aida64) and GPU (Furmark) are functioning perfectly, right?

So just to recap: I have one SSD with Windows 10 Home. And another SSD with Linux Manjaro (I have also previously tested Pop_OS). All OS's play games for a few minutes before crashing. I have tested 3 games via Steam (Arma 3, Fallout 76, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun) on both Windows and Linux. I also tested Star Citizen which utilises its own launcher.

Not sure if this is worth mentioning again but I will: Machine arrived with one SSD which PCS partitioned for me. First thing I did was install Linux on empty partition. It ran lovely for working on (Blender etc.). Play games it would not. I tried playing around with Steam's Proton (experimental and using gloriouseggroll's version), using Lutris and various versions of Wine, rolling back Nvidia driver, trying experimental Nvidia driver. Nothing worked. I then deleted the main Windows partition. Still games wouldn't play on Linux.

I then purchased an additional SSD which I installed Windows on. Games wouldn't play. I then started this thread.

In hindsight I should have kept and tested games on the Windows install that came with the machine. I do wonder if me fanny around with partitions has somehow borked things. But then I have bought the new SSD which has only had Windows on it with no partitions. So I don't know :|

 

[SpyderTracks]

Ok I've ran Aida64. Screenies attached. Ran for 10 minutes.

If there is nothing untoward there then we have confirmed that CPU (Prime95 + Aida64) and GPU (Furmark) are functioning perfectly, right?

So just to recap: I have one SSD with Windows 10 Home. And another SSD with Linux Manjaro (I have also previously tested Pop_OS). All OS's play games for a few minutes before crashing. I have tested 3 games via Steam (Arma 3, Fallout 76, Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun) on both Windows and Linux. I also tested Star Citizen which utilises its own launcher.

Not sure if this is worth mentioning again but I will: Machine arrived with one SSD which PCS partitioned for me. First thing I did was install Linux on empty partition. It ran lovely for working on (Blender etc.). Play games it would not. I tried playing around with Steam's Proton (experimental and using gloriouseggroll's version), using Lutris and various versions of Wine, rolling back Nvidia driver, trying experimental Nvidia driver. Nothing worked. I then deleted the main Windows partition. Still games wouldn't play on Linux.

I then purchased an additional SSD which I installed Windows on. Games wouldn't play. I then started this thread.

In hindsight I should have kept and tested games on the Windows install that came with the machine. I do wonder if me fanny around with partitions has somehow borked things. But then I have bought the new SSD which has only had Windows on it with no partitions. So I don't know :|

Have you modified clocks at all or made any amendments in the BIOS? Or overclocked RAM?

The last test we can try is tge heaven benchmark which is a GPU focussed gaming load.

UNIGINE Benchmarks

Performance benchmarks by Unigine

benchmark.unigine.com

 

[LegoFace]

Have you modified clocks at all or made any amendments in the BIOS? Or overclocked RAM?

The last test we can try is tge heaven benchmark which is a GPU focussed gaming load.

UNIGINE Benchmarks

Performance benchmarks by Unigine

benchmark.unigine.com

Apologies, I accidentally flagged emails from this forum as spam!

"Have you modified clocks at all or made any amendments in the BIOS? Or overclocked RAM?"

No sir.

Benchmark attached.

 

[SpyderTracks]

Apologies, I accidentally flagged emails from this forum as spam!

"Have you modified clocks at all or made any amendments in the BIOS? Or overclocked RAM?"

No sir.

Benchmark attached.

The last thing to try then is the firestrike benchmark which is a full CPU and GPU gaming load. You can download the demo for 3d Mark through steam.

 

[LegoFace]

The last thing to try then is the firestrike benchmark which is a full CPU and GPU gaming load. You can download the demo for 3d Mark through steam.

Ok. Installed Steam, and ran Firestrike.

 

[Martinr36]

Looks a pretty good score, what does it say if you click on the compare with results online

 

[LegoFace]

Just purchased a new game to try on Steam: Elite Dangerous. I press the green play button and Steam shows me the loading vulcan shaders dialogue. Just as it gets to the end of the loader, the system shuts down and restarts. There's something fundamentally wrong with this machine and I'm getting angry now. Sorry to rant. You guys have been extremely patient. We've tested everything and all the testing programs show no errors. I don't know what to do now other than send it back to PCS

 

[LegoFace]

Looks a pottery good score, what does it say if you click on the compare with results online

Next time I fire up Windows I'll re-run and take a looksy.

 

[Steveyg]

Just purchased a new game to try on Steam: Elite Dangerous. I press the green play button and Steam shows me the loading vulcan shaders dialogue. Just as it gets to the end of the loader, the system shuts down and restarts. There's something fundamentally wrong with this machine and I'm getting angry now. Sorry to rant. You guys have been extremely patient. We've tested everything and all the testing programs show no errors. I don't know what to do now other than send it back to PCS

Yeah mate that's a send back at this point I would say. Really baffled by it working in 3D Mark but not in an actual game

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just purchased a new game to try on Steam: Elite Dangerous. I press the green play button and Steam shows me the loading vulcan shaders dialogue. Just as it gets to the end of the loader, the system shuts down and restarts. There's something fundamentally wrong with this machine and I'm getting angry now. Sorry to rant. You guys have been extremely patient. We've tested everything and all the testing programs show no errors. I don't know what to do now other than send it back to PCS

I would say from a very uneducated point of view, that there is something wrong with your Steam installation.

I don't believe it's a hardware error, the error only occurs on games installed from Steam, is that right?

All those benchmarks are pushing unreasonable loads, and the fact we ran both Aida64 and Prime95 AFAIK involves all instruction sets on the CPU at a torture test load. Same with Furmark on the GPU.

I've never known a system with a hardware issue get through those tests, certainly not all 3.

 

[Martinr36]

Steam certainly seems to be a common denominator, what drive is the steam library on

 

[LegoFace]

I would say from a very uneducated point of view, that there is something wrong with your Steam installation.

I don't believe it's a hardware error, the error only occurs on games installed from Steam, is that right?

All those benchmarks are pushing unreasonable loads, and the fact we ran both Aida64 and Prime95 AFAIK involves all instruction sets on the CPU at a torture test load. Same with Furmark on the GPU.

I've never known a system with a hardware issue get through those tests, certainly not all 3.

Thing is I must of reinstalled Steam a dozen times over past few weeks; on clean OS installs with no other software on, both on Windows and Linux. Plus I've reinstalled Star Citizen half-a-dozen times and that isn't on Steam (has own installer/launcher). I never change any settings in Steam.

@Martinr36 I have two drives. One for Windows, the other for Linux. Each has its own Steam installation and game installs; nothing shared between them.

 

[Martinr36]

Yeah, I've got my steam installation on my c drive, but the library itself is on my k drive, I just wondered if you had similar