ALL steam games cause my entire computer to freeze! Please help

[Smoovest Brane]

A while ago, i used to be able to play all of my games like dishonored, civ 5, and far cry 3 on medium-high graphics and with little lag or issues. But a couple of months ago (I think around august but im not sure) i started to notice that whenever i tried to play a game, about 10min to 1 hour into the game MY ENTIRE COMPUTER WOULD FREEZE, and the only way to fix it was to hold down the power button. I am mostly computer illiterate, but i will say that my pc specs have never been a problem before this, also there were never any signs that something was wrong with my computer. (its worth noting that 10min of gameplay that i do get are completely flawless, there is absolutely no warning before the freeze.)

I am 99.99% positive that the problem is with steam, not my PC. I've head from other discussions that the steam updater may be the culpret, but crashes still occur during offline mode. Can anyone help me? Valve?

[Chas.]

Messaggio originale di mprich:

I am mostly computer illiterate..

Messaggio originale di mprich:

I am 99.99% positive that the problem is with steam, not my PC.

The problem is with your PC.

Post your system specifications, including the brand and model of power supply and tell us what range of CPU and GPU temperatures you see while gaming.

[Smoovest Brane]

OS Name Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate
Version 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1 Build 7601
Other OS Description Not Available
OS Manufacturer Microsoft Corporation
System Name CUSTOMER-PC
System Manufacturer BIOSTAR Group
System Model H77MU3
System Type x64-based PC
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz, 3401 Mhz, 4 Core(s), 4 Logical Processor(s)
BIOS Version/Date American Megatrends Inc. 4.6.5, 4/25/2012
SMBIOS Version 2.7
Windows Directory C:\Windows
System Directory C:\Windows\system32
Boot Device \Device\HarddiskVolume1
Hardware Abstraction Layer Version = "6.1.7601.17514"
Installed Physical Memory (RAM) 8.00 GB
Total Physical Memory 7.90 GB
Available Physical Memory 5.46 GB
Total Virtual Memory 15.8 GB
Available Virtual Memory 13.3 GB

I don't know how to get the information on my power supply (i'll post it if i find out) but i've never noticed any overheating problems. I never even hear the fan go off... which i think would mean that its not overheating?

[Smoovest Brane]

Is anyone else having a similar problem?

[Manny ツ]

Have you reinstalled steam?

The fan doesn't have to go off. It can still work but the Cpu will still overheat if you've got dust in the heatsink or old cpu thermal paste.

You may have dust on your motherboard\ram\graphics causing the system to overheat.

A few years ago this happened to me playing Civ 4. I had a lot of dust stuck on the motherboard resistors, after i cleaned them off the game worked with no more freezing.

Reboot the PC after playing the game for 30 minutes and go into bios. Have a look at the temperatures of your system.

You may also have something dying. Cheap Power Supply Units (PSU) can cause the PC to freeze if you don't have enough power to power everything.

Take the side of the case off and have a look at the PSU, it should tell you what you have on the side of it.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

How about trying a good benchmark, something that isn't using Steam just to be sure.

Try running 3DMark[www.majorgeeks.com] or Heaven[unigine.com]

As it could very well be some sort of Driver issues, or something with your GPU or PSU;
or heat problems, which are very common.

[Smoovest Brane]

sorry it has taken awhile to get back to this...
i took the side off of my machine, the fan was really dusty but the motherboard was almost completely clean.
I think my psu is called "Thermal Master" ATX12V.
Is that good or bad? Also thank you for all of your suggestions

[BigBoy "!.OutLawZ.!"]

Messaggio originale di Manny ツ:

Have you reinstalled steam?

The fan doesn't have to go off. It can still work but the Cpu will still overheat if you've got dust in the heatsink or old cpu thermal paste.

You may have dust on your motherboard\ram\graphics causing the system to overheat.

A few years ago this happened to me playing Civ 4. I had a lot of dust stuck on the motherboard resistors, after i cleaned them off the game worked with no more freezing.

Reboot the PC after playing the game for 30 minutes and go into bios. Have a look at the temperatures of your system.

You may also have something dying. Cheap Power Supply Units (PSU) can cause the PC to freeze if you don't have enough power to power everything.

Take the side of the case off and have a look at the PSU, it should tell you what you have on the side of it.

Could not have said it better. If you don't have the cash to buy a new power supply at the moment, i recommend to disconnect optional stuffs like neon lighting or 2nd BD/DVD player off the PSU if not used. Downclocking vidcard/CPU (can save up to couple of dozens to approx a hundred Watts and some degrees centigrade on and in yer system) can help too a bit. (to 95% or some like that) Games won't be affected much, but it can help keep the temperature a bit in the green zone. Also when purchasing a PSU read what effective (nominal) power output it supplies (prolly the small writing at the tech specs on the box). Vendors have the tendency to advertise with peak power output, which means it is reached in extreme conditions for very short times. Check power usage of yer components too when buying (is written on the tech specs on the box). Make sure you have a spare (nominal power output!!) of at least 30% above that total when buying a PSU. This helps preparing with buying/installing future heavier duty equipment. Better 20 bucks more invest than 500++ bucks meltdown!

I also recommend to place the PC 5-7 inches from the walls (better airflow) and above the floor (less dust/dirt/custom made hairballs intake) and a proper cleaning every month or some.