Hard Lock Crash. 1.0. Terrifying hardware damage. Fair warning.

[RobCardIV]

Im 45 years old. I've been building my computers since i was 15. I know the basics tech, game dev, and how to avoid virus, get anything i want for free.

This bug scares me. I cant afford to purchase a new computer atm.

I formatted my hard drive and reinstalled windows today, as, thats generally the holy grail of bug squashers.

I can play Red dead redemption 2 on near max settings on my @%$#ty old nvidia 1660 super - amd cpu.

recently only 7d2d causes any problems. 

it HARD LOCKS my computer.  sometimes after an hour of gameplay, sometimes after 3 minutes.

sometimes i can restart no problem.  sometimes i cant even restart my pc.

The scary thing is, sometimes when i try to restart, my machine turns on, but there is zero video signal.

even 10 resets, even unplugging for 3 minutes and trying again.

it "feels" like it might be frying my nvidia video card, and after 20 minutes the parts settle and start working again. . . . thats the best i can trouble shoot this one.

also, the password system on this forum is worse than microsofts... letters, numbers, upper case, lowercase... on par with microsoft X_x.... but you cant even use words ? 

so the best i could do is 1234 !@#$ asdf ASFD.

like thats any more secure than CatGotYotounge1234.

 

[Sora]

it HARD LOCKS my computer.  sometimes after an hour of gameplay, sometimes after 3 minutes.

sometimes i can restart no problem.  sometimes i cant even restart my pc.

If you are running an Intel 13th of 14th gen CPU, you have probably run into an Intel CPU manufacturing flaw.

This Youtube video <here> gives an excellent overview & cause analysis for this problem, if it applies to you.

(For anyone running a potentially affected 13th or 14th gen CPU, you'll need to look into applying the microcode update ASAP, or potentially warrantying your CPU if it's too late to update).

If you are not using one one of those affected CPUs then, the only suggestions I can think of are the standard:
* Update drivers

* Update Bios (less likely)
* Update anything that might be related/needed by 7D2D. Perhaps MS VC++?

* Make sure your system's software is supported, i.e. Win10/11 with the right updates.

also, the password system on this forum is worse than microsofts... letters, numbers, upper case, lowercase... on par with microsoft X_x.... but you cant even use words ?

I agree that it's... limiting. However 7D2D's forums allow us to add a 2FA to our account (eg Google Authenticator etc.), which in my personal opinion is way better than some complex password.

Good luck.

 

[Riamus]

Check your temps.  If your computer is overheating, you will need to install better fans or even just place a desktop fan next to the computer.  If it's a laptop, get a cooling pad.  But it could be that Intel problem as well.

 

[SylenThunder]

This definitely sounds like a hardware issue. Check your event log to see what is going on there. Double-check your temps when the issue occurs. Try doing things like swapping out the PSU to see if the one you have is going bad. 

Assuming you have actually been building computers for thirty years, you should be familiar with this kind of troubleshooting.

I can play Red dead redemption 2 on near max settings on my @%$#ty old nvidia 1660 super - amd cpu.

So you can play a flat 2D game that only cares about your GPU without an issue.  Good for you.  That means absolutely nothing in comparison to a fully 3D Voxel game with complex structural integrity and AI calculations. You might as well be comparing a Yugo to a Type-R on the track, and RR2 is the Yugo.

7 Days requires a lot from your CPU, RAM, and storage. More than nearly any other game on the market currently. Most likely you are hitting a hard limit on some of your drivers or hardware. 

Since you did not follow the instructions for reporting an issue, all we can do to assist you is offer vague suggestions and common troubleshooting. Things you would already be checking out as a seasoned PC builder and troubleshooter. 

So please, do the needful. This is PINNED for a reason.

 

[Beelzybub]

old nvidia 1660 super

I would guess that maybe the fan is going on your gpu, or it needs a repaste.
You can track system temps and fans and such using hwinfo64, a free app.

 

[TWORDY]

Could You post your PC specs?

If You`re using PC for long hours every single day and PSU has 7+ years, I would assume that Power Supply Unit is likely to cause damage and hard crashes to PC. Your GPU and HDD issues might easily stem from that. 7DTD seems GPU heavy also, especially for 1660 S. 1660 Super is not even a mid-tier GPU, not a super duper card.

Check the temps first with MSI afterburner. Clean PC case, replace thermal paste on Your CPU and heatsink. Check all the GPU fans if they do spin correctly. How is your airflow in the housing? Do you keep your PC on the carpet or a clean desk?

Run Prime95 utility for stability check with lots of CPU and RAM usage. If You`re brave enough please run 3DMark benchmark for GPU overload - if PC stays stable for longer than 15 min then it is usually ok.

Your PC hard locks, no video, (do You hear fans spinning as normal or extremely loud?) check the RAM sticks with MemTest utility, swap the ram kits between slots on the mobo.

Get a different PSU from a friend of yours. Unplugging the cable between PSU and a socket is not really a troubleshooting. 

This is what I would do first.

 

[aceguy7]

I had a similar issue with this as well with 7 days to die and my pc. The game would play fine for about an hour then random hard locks. It turns out my PSU was failing and I got a replacement and no problems after that. Definitely sounds like hardware failure as others have mentioned..

 

[TWORDY]

it "feels" like it might be frying my nvidia video card, and after 20 minutes the parts settle and start working again. . . . thats the best i can trouble shoot this one.

Yes, you are most likely frying Your components because Your PSU provides bad current values to the components under heavy load. It has nothing to do with 7DTD specifically, but this might be caused by any recent 3D game or recently updated one. I would bet also that RAM sticks might be involved or both things. If things go as normal after 20 minutes then I would expect some bad capacitors disforming probably in the PSU. I would start with the PSU so the rest of PC components are not getting cooked.