It’s been a frustrating few days. For awhile now, my computer has been doing some really weird random crashing – sometimes just the game I’m playing shuts down, but more frequently, the whole thing locks and I have to hard reset it.
When it first started, it only happened while playing DMC: Devil May Cry and only if I forgot to shut down Discord before I started playing. Since then, it’s been happening in quite a few games (the remastered version of Borderlands, Civilization VI, Sunset Overdrive, and Spyro Reignited Triology). Sometimes it takes awhile to happen, sometimes, I’m lucky if I get to play for 15 or 20 minutes before everything freezes.
I’m not entirely surprised. I am by no means a computer wizard, and although I’ve managed a few minor upgrades, this system is over six years old, and wasn’t exactly cutting edge when I bought it. The downside of having a double gamer household on a fixed income is that it’s rarely feasible to put aside a couple thousand dollars to purchase new computers (and owning an old house means every time we get close, something more pressing breaks down on us).
Since I’ve previously replaced the cooling system, hard drive, and graphics card (as well as installing extra RAM), I’m guessing at this point, the motherboard is just showing its age. I’ve pulled the whole thing apart and cleaned it all out, as well as reseating all my components and checking my wires, and to be honest? That’s the extent of my ability to diagnose hardware, and the typical software issues I looked for aren’t the cause.
I think my computer is just ready to retire, but I’m not quite ready yet to let it go. So for the foreseeable future, it looks like I’ll be playing mostly lower-spec games in shorter stints and saving often. I’ll also probably be spending more time on other hobbies, because my frustration threshold has been so very very small.
Nerd Girl Thoughts 
Oof, I’m sorry. Mine is starting to hit that point as well. It’s not a fun feeling. I very much hope you’re able to come up with the funds to upgrade soon!
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Oy, those scenarios are never fun.
But before you do replace the system, have you given it a thorough cleaning? It could be just that it’s overheating due to dust issues in the fans and interior. For some bizarre reason, our desktop PC’s location simply attracts a ton of dust to the point where 2-3 times a year I go haul it outside, open it up, and use some canned air to blast the dust away. I do it outside because I’d rather keep the dust there than have it go throughout the kitchen or dining room instead.
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When I took it apart the other day to reseat the RAM and the graphics card, I also cleaned the whole thing out. It seems to be running a little better, but had no actual effect on the crashing issue, unfortunately.
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I have the exact same CPU and GPU and motherboard. I upgraded the GPU to ASROCK RX 560 4GB and it helped somewhat on the issues. A lot of it could be memory issues as well. It could also possibly be a Windows problem in itself. I was going to just upgrade that memory on that other PC before my bestfriend/soulmate/husband bought me my new one. So check with Windows OS , as if you’re on Windows 10, that alone does seem to cause issues. Also have you ever checked into Memtest which can check your RAM for you. Just a suggestion.
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