Computer is freezing for 2 to 4 minutes in the last few days

[Wayne-]

In the last few days, I am starting to experience my screen getting frozen for 2 to 4ish minutes. So far, this has only happened when:

1. I press Win + L to lock the computer. But only when the computer has been unlocked for a long period of time. I unlocked my computer a few minutes ago after getting home so that I could make this post. And now I just locked and unlocked my computer using Win + L twice in a total of about 30 seconds. But in a few hours, if I try it again, that is when I get the 2 to 4 minute freeze.
2. It has happened when starting up Fallout 4 (Steam) and when closing Fallout 4. When starting up Fallout 4, it froze on the startup screen once. After a minute or two, the desktop appeared but the computer was still unresponsive for a few minutes. That has only happened once. I've had the computer freeze up after closing Fallout 4. In that case, the game seemed to close up fine, but when the desktop appeared, it was unresponsive. This has happened twice.

The freezing issue when I press Win+L has happened approximately eight to ten times so far.

When the computer is frozen, I still can see the mouse pointer and I can move it around on the screen. No other inputs are accepted and nothing on the screen is responsive. The computer itself is not ramping up the fans before, during, or after this happens. I did note that when the computer freezes on the lockup screen, my RGB fan settings still display the colors that they show when the computer is unlocked. The RGB colors do not change to the colors I set for the locked state until the computer is no longer frozen. I looked at Task Manager to see if there were any apps using too much resources, but I fear that I am not catching this in time or that something else is at fault.

Please see below for my system information. If there are any troubleshooting steps that I should take, no matter how technical, please let me know.

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Module Information
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MS-7E25 1.60
Intel Chipset Drivers 10.1.19199.8340
Intel Network Drivers 1.1.4.43
Realtek HD Universal Drivers 6.3.9600.2353
Intel GNA Scoring Accelerator 3.00.00.1457
Intel Serial IO Driver 30.100.2221.20
Intel ME Drivers 2319.4.30.0
Qualcomm NCM865 BlueTooth Drivers3.0.0.909
Qualcomm NCM865 WIFI Drivers 3.0.0.909
Intel Extreme Tuning Utility 7.14.1.12
LED FW Update(7E25) A1

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System Information
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Product Name: MPG Z790 EDGE TI MAX WIFI
OS: Microsoft Windows 11 Home 64-bit Ver.2009 (OS build 22631.4037)
BIOS Version: 1.60
BIOS Release Date: 07/26/2024
CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i9-14900KF
Memory: 64 GB @
- 32 GB DDR5-4800, Corsair CMK64GX5M2X6800C32
- 32 GB DDR5-4800, Corsair CMK64GX5M2X6800C32
Graphics: AMD Radeon RX 7800 XT
Drive: HDD, Elements 25A3, 5589 GB
Drive: HDD, ProductCode, 24.67 GB
Drive: SSD, MSI M480 PRO 4TB, 3726.02 GB
Network: Qualcomm FastConnect 7800 Wi-Fi 7 High Band Simultaneous (HBS) Network Adapter
Network: Intel(R) Ethernet Controller (3) I225-V #2
Power Plan: GUID: 381b4222-f694-41f0-9685-ff5bb260df2e (Balanced)

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Programs and Features
---------------------
Audacity 3.4.2 , 3.4.2, 20231217
CPUID CPU-Z MSI 2.06 , 2.06, 20231209
GIMP 2.10.36-1 , 2.10.36, 20240330
HWiNFO64 , 7.66, 20231210
LatencyMon 7.31 , 7.31, 20231210
AMD Product Verification Tool version 1.0.6.4 , 1.0.6.4, 20231211
Revo Uninstaller 2.4.5 , 2.4.5, 20240416
Microsoft Teams Meeting Add-in for Microsoft Office , 1.24.19202, 20240814
Microsoft Update Health Tools , 5.72.0.0, 20231210
Google Chrome , 127.0.6533.120, 20240815
HuionTablet , 15.7.6.756, 2024-04-24 22:48:27
K-Lite Codec Pack 18.3.0 Basic , 18.3.0, 20240421
Microsoft Edge , 127.0.2651.105, 20240816
Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime , 127.0.2651.105, 20240815
Realtek USB Audio , 6.3.9600.2353, 20231209
MSI Center SDK , 3.2024.0731.01, 20240808
e-Sword , 13.00.0000, 20240602
Sapphire TRIXX , 1.0.0, 20231219
Lexicon MPXi Native Reverb 64-Bit version 1.0.0 , 1.0.0, 20231211

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Windows Hotfix
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KB5042099 , Update,
KB5026039 , Update,
KB5027397 , Update,
KB5031274 , Update,
KB5033055 , Update,
KB5041585 , Security Update,
KB5039338 , Update,
KB5041584 , Security Update

[Earl_Intel]

Hello Wayne-,

thank you for posting in the community!

I'm sorry to learn that you are experiencing issues with your system. To better assist you and determine the most appropriate resolution, could you please provide the needed details listed below.

May I know if this processor is working fine before?

May I know also when the issue started?

Are there any changes on the system before you encounter this issue?

What are the troubleshooting steps that you already tried to resolve the issue?

Did you overclock the processor (Note: We do not recommend overclocking the processor due to it may void the warranty validation)?

You can try this troubleshooting on the article regarding to the freezing issue that you are experiencing on your system.

Tips for Random System Freezing Issue (intel.com)

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Wayne-]

Hi Earl_Intel. Thank you for your assistance.

> May I know if this processor is working fine before?

I had some gaming instability for the first month. Then the news about 14900K came out, and I immediately changed BIOS settings according to Intel's and MSI's guidance. Since doing that, the processor has been very stable.

> May I know also when the issue started?

This started happening a few days before I created this post. Approximately Aug. 16th, 2024.

> Are there any changes on the system before you encounter this issue?

I've been keeping my BIOS up to date with MSI's recommended BIOS. I am not using any Beta versions, just the general release version.

> What are the troubleshooting steps that you already tried to resolve the issue?

On the Microsoft forum, they had me run the following commands:

SFC /SCANNOW
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /StartComponentCleanup 
DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth
SFC /SCANNOW

A few files were repaired on the first scan. The second scan had no errors to fix. I have not had any issues with playing Fallout 4 since then.

The folks at Microsoft also asked me to turn off Spotlight. I currently have Spotlight off, and that did not fix the problem. So far, those are the troubleshooting steps I've taken.

> Did you overclock the processor (Note: We do not recommend overclocking the processor due to it may void the warranty validation)?

No. I've run the processor at stock settings, only changing them as recommended due to the 14900K issues.

Lastly, and perhaps most importantly: the freeze is no longer random. Since Fallout 4 stopped getting the freezes, I now have a definitive pattern. It only happens when I press Win+L to enter the locked state. The length of the freeze is directly related to how long it has been since the last time I locked the computer. When it has been one day without locking it, I am guaranteed to get a 3 to 4 minute freeze. After a freeze occurs, I can lock and unlock the computer as fast as I can put the inputs in.

[Earl_Intel]

Hello Wayne-,

Thank you for sharing this information with us, checking on the information that you provide, you might be encountering an instability issue.

Intel is seeing increases to the minimum operating voltage (Vmin shift) in some 13th and 14th gen desktop processors. The increase in required operating voltage can lead to issues such as repeated crashes and/or freezes in applications. Based on extensive analysis of Intel Core 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors returned to Intel due to Vmin Shift Instability issues, Intel has determined that elevated operating voltage is a contributor to Vmin Shift Instability issues in some 13th and 14th Gen desktop processors. Analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage stems from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor. Intel has delivered a microcode patch (0x129) as a partial mitigation addressing exposure to elevated voltages. Customers experiencing instability symptoms on 13th and 14th Generation desktop processors should contact their system manufacturer, or in the case of a boxed processor, contact Intel Customer Support.

To further isolate the freezing issue, make sure that the game is set to use the discrete graphics card and not the integrated one.

Is the freezing issue only happening on this particular game?

Best regards,

Earl E.

Intel Customer Support Technician.

[Wayne-]

Thanks for your continued assistance, Earl. I have the 14900KF, so I'm definitely using the discrete graphics card exclusively.

> Is the freezing issue only happening on this particular game?

I had crash to desktops months and months ago when I was playing the new Avatar game and Forza Horizon 5. I even had a couple complete crashes requiring a forced power cycle. But when the news about the issues with 14900KF came out, I immediately used the guidance put out by MSI and Intel. That did work for me. Since then, I've pretty much only been playing Fallout 4.

Since my last post in this thread, I read through the "Tips for Random System Freezing" that you link me to. I can rule out pretty much all of the possible reasons except for checking if some app is using too much resources. Certainly, since the computer is freezing, I could not check on that. But I can say that once the freeze ended, I have not seen any spikes in cpu or memory usage.

I've been running HWiNFO64 for about a month now and the highest temps it has reported are:

54C for the E-cores

69C for the P-cores

Question for you, Earl: if the freezes are due to my CPU becoming unstable, should I take a "wait and see" approach? Since I started this thread, Fallout has only frozen on me twice. The freeze when I put the computer in the locked state just depends on how long it has been since the computer was last locked. The longer the time interval, the longer the freeze, up to 2-3 minutes. This behavior has not changed any in about two months now and does not really impact my ability to use the computer, except that I'm keeping all my settings at stock, not using XMP, etc., etc.

From what I understand, there is not a test that I can do to determine if the CPU has been damaged prematurely. Or is there?

[RandyT_Intel · Accepted solution]

Hello Wayne-,

If you have already applied the Intel default settings to your BIOS and are still experiencing the issue, I can offer you alternative options for this case.

Please check your email. I have sent you a personal message on how to address this issue.

Randy T

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Wayne-]

Thanks for your assistance, Randy.