Hello,
In October I upgraded my desktop PC with the following components:
AMD Ryzen 3800x
Gigabyte Auros Pro B550m motherboard
32GB DDR3 3200MHz HyperX memory
1TB Samsung 960 Pro NVMe SSD
1TB Seagate Barracuda HDD
AMD Rx 5700 GPU
Seasonic 550W 80 plus bronze PSU
Since upgrading I have experienced a number of hard crashes, similar to switching the PC off at the wall or experiencing a power cut, which have occurred multiple times a day without any warning. After returning a number of parts believing them to be faulty and other troubleshooting techniques I was still having issues. Here's a list of things I have tried to resolve the problem:
I've tried two separate motherboards as I returned the first thinking it was faulty
Updated the BIOS firmware on the motherboard from F1 to F4 and to F10
Disabled and enabled XMP Profile 1
Tried replacing my PSU for another 550W PSU which has the required power capability for this build
Installed two separate dual memory module kits in the correct DIMM slots (as specified in the motherboard manual), both kits have been compatible sets
Clean installed Windows 10 multiple times on two different SSD drives, both NVMe and SATA
Updated Windows 10 to the latest version
Updated all chipset and GPU drivers to the latest versions
Used different power cables and sockets to rule out instability
Used HWiNFO diagnostic software to analyse if there are any power spikes, overheating or other concerning components, with all results coming back completely fine
Changed system power settings
Disabled fast boot up
Unplugged everything but the essential components
Disabled motherboard and GPU audio drivers (recommended with Kernel Power 41)
Run both system fans and the CPU fan at 100% constantly to ensure more than enough airflow. I have also monitored temperatures of all components up to the time of the computer crashing
Changed the thermal paste (as a result of returning my motherboard)
Disassembled and reassembled all components to ensure all connections were correctly seated
I ended up taking my PC to a reputable IT specialist who ran the system through a number of stress tests to find absolutely no hardware issues or any issues with Windows 10 itself. I was then told it was very likely to be a software issue with a particular program but was unable to pinpoint which one. Upon collecting my PC I decided to do a factory reset and have proceeded to install a new program every day until I experience another crash. It has been over a week now since my PC has crashed and earlier today I installed Affinity Designer as the next program on the list and within minutes of running the program for the first time my PC crashed.
It seems as though, through troubleshooting over the last 2 months now that the cause for this crashing is in fact Affinity Designer. Please can someone advise the best route forwards? As a graphic designer this is my work PC and it has been an absolute nightmare over the last 2 months and so I am keen to have this resolved ASAP. The version of Affinity Designer I am running is 1.8.5.703.
I look forward to a response and I appreciate your help in advance.