Maximum PC

Here's a weird one because it has plagued not only my current build but also my previous rig...

Sometimes only the slightest bump on the side of the case will cause the computer to lock up. Everything is seated and solid. I even often even haul the computer around to show people the innards while it's running and it never freezes. But just give it one...little...quick pop of a nudge while walking by (or riding by in my case...wheelchair) and it's lock city. It used to happen on my previous machine as well. The only common software related issue I can think of is that both computers may be (MAY be!) under a particularly heavy load at the time. Either from a game or by heavy multitasking. The only hardware similarities have been the use of Corsair Dominator RAM and Western Digital Velociraptor hard drives. (different units of the same class of parts in both machines) I also run a mild overclock and did on the previous machine. The only thing I can think of is that maybe a bump might cause a mechanical drive to skip a beat. But the nudges that cause the locks seem so very slight! Could it just be happening right when a machine might be susceptible to sudden velocity changes? Like a drive is trying to access just as a quick tap to the chin comes in with a left hook? Maybe the Vraptors are touchy beasts and should all be destroyed? Clever girls...

Loadout:

OS - Windows 8 Pro
Mainboard - ASUS P9X79 DELUXE LGA 2011 Intel X79
Processor - Intel Core i7-3820 Sandy Bridge-E 3.6GHz
Memory - CORSAIR DOMINATOR GT 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3 1866 (PC3 15000)
Video - EVGA 04G-P4-2686-KR GeForce GTX 680 4GB
Audio - Currently Onboard (come on Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR! woohoo!)
System Drive - (2) in RAID0 OCZ Vertex 4 VTX4-25SAT3-256G 2.5" 256GB SATA III (SSD)
Data Drive - (2) in RAID0 Western Digital WD VelociRaptor WD1000DHTZ 1TB
Optical Drive - LG WH14NS40
Cooling - CORSAIR Hydro Series H100 (CWCH100) Liquid CPU Cooler
Power - CORSAIR HX Series HX1050 1050W

To start the diagnostic process I would run Memtest86+ to check the ram. Second I would run the WD diagnostic software for the hard drive to check if it is dieing or good to go. Read about if the WD software will check the drives in a raid array....I don't think it will, but you never know they may have upgraded it since I used it last.

You do know that if you loose one drive in raid 0 you loose all your data too?

Look in the Event Viewer for errors.

Look in the bios power section to see if the power supply is producing enough voltage, it should be 5 volts, 3 volts and 12 volts, plus or minus 5%. Also look at all the fans when this happens, one may be stopping or very slow on the CPU or video card.

I would download Ccleaner and run the "registry" section of the app to clean out the registry. Some dead ends may be causing the system to crash.

If you updated the video card drivers the wrong way, this will also cause the computer to lock up.

Nasty

thanks Nasty! she's a fresh build and running smooth as butter. had my vraptors in raid0 in the previous rig too. (just to be clear...brand new parts in new rig. none reused from the previous build which had the same problem...) I'll run memtest one of these nights when i go to bed. and i found that using the diag software downloaded from WD will not see raid well/at all. the answer to that is to use the WD diag from the Ultimate Boot CD baby! (http://www.ultimatebootcd.com/) the version they use on there works. weird, eh? they talk a bit in the forums about that over there...

will run tests and report back in a day or two (pesky holidays!). but my gut tells me everything is solid. it wont haunt me if i don't figure out this weird problem. i would just be curious to know if others have had the same thing happen to them... happy holidays!

yeppers!

and, again, thanks SO very much for the diag rundown. while i've done most everything, it's nice to have a good check list of things to do all in one place! rock on!

If a slight bump causes a computer lock then you either have a poor connection or a short. Since the same problem appeared in a prior build I would suspect a common part transferred from the prior build to the new one has a short that a knock makes some sort of either contact (shorts out, closed) or quick break (open fault).

Whelp, Sharptooth, I would think the same thing but I'm using all new parts. But I'm still with ya since 2 samples does not a scientific statistic make. In other words, it is totally possible that I could have the same sort of loosely connected part in both builds. It just baffles me since I do move the computer around quite a bit to show people things with nothing locking and everything has been re-seated ad nauseam. The only common points with both machines are the aforementioned type of RAM and drives, a slight overclock and heavier loads (gaming/multi-tasking).

I wont beat myself up if I can't figure it out. I was just curious if others had had similar experiences. But again, it SEEMS to point to a loose connection. However, if we set that aside for a moment, can anyone think of anything else that could cause this? That's why I thought maybe the Vraptor drives, speedy creatures that they are, might be more susceptible to jarring.

At any rate, I appreciate the help and advice. Thanks again, all!

I have a V-Raptor drive in my system and have had not one problem since I built the machine, actually this is the second machine I am running it in....and still no problems. Are you sure you don't have an extra standoff under the main board in the wrong place and that is the gremlin shorting things out? 9 holes in the motherboard should match up with the 9 standoffs in the case.

You could have something worked loose in the power supply that is intermittent. Slide the psu out and shake it around a bit when the pc is on, if the machine dies you know it is the psu that is biting you in the butt.

Nasty

Could it be an issue with static electricity? In these dry winter months it's pretty easy to build up a large static charge just from moving across a carpet - and I assume your chair could also build up a charge?

I know I've knocked a PC or two dead in my time - just by touching the case and giving it a static blast.

HDD's are fairly robust, even during seek/read/write opperations it would take a significant bump to cause problems...

If it's not shorting as Nasty mentioned, then check any add-in cards, I've experienced this problem 3 times in the past 2 decades, all 3 times it was due to loose add-in cards, twice it was the video card, the third time was a sound card. In the case of the video cards, according to the motherboard manufactuer, it was a manufacturing defect on the motherboard AGP slot where the fingers inside the slot were just barely connecting with the video card. Fortunately, both times I had a spare computer to test the video card in where it worked just fine & both times the manufacturer replaced the motherboard under warranty. I can only guess that it was the same issue on the sound card, since swapping to a different PCI slot eliminated the problem so I didn't even try to RMA that board.

Beyond that, I would suspect static charge or bad PSU as already mentioned.

Guys! We have a winner! Ever since I got the wheelchair, I HAVE been able to build up one heck of a static charge. I even recently had to replace the motherboard on my laptop due to a simple static shock! Wow. I've been around the block enough times to know that that should have been it. I was so focused on the bump that I forgot the factor of...touch! OMG. What an epiphany. Thank you SO much guys... I've actually been thinking about getting a small length of thin linked chain to hang from a corner of my chair. I think I should probably get right on that!

Let it be known to my other disabled technophile buddies: you could be rolling death to computers! Ground out before you blow out! Thanks again everyone!

(Also, my computer thanks you all because I was literally punching it today! Sheesh...)