On Our Bench: Custom PC Freezing After Login Was a Failing CPU (NJ)
A real repair from the bench at Dave's Computers in Somerville, NJ. A custom-built PC would freeze right after logging into Windows. It looked like a memory problem. It turned out to be the processor.
What came in
A customer brought in their custom PC because it would freeze shortly after logging into Windows. Not a blue screen, just a hard freeze, every time.
How we tracked it down
- Updated the BIOS first. The PC has an MSI motherboard running an Intel Core i5-13600K, and an outdated BIOS can cause exactly this kind of instability. We updated it, but the freezing continued.
- Tested the RAM and graphics card on their own. We pulled both out and installed them in our bench PC, then ran a heavy 4-hour stress test with SENTINEL, our in-house stress testing tool built to verify whether parts are good or failing. Both passed with no errors, so they were not the problem.
- Narrowed it down to the CPU. With the memory and graphics card cleared, the processor was the main suspect. We installed a 100% healthy test processor in the customer's PC to see how all of their other components reacted with it in there. It ran perfectly, with no freezing or crashing at all. That confirmed the Intel Core i5-13600K was failing.
What we did
We upgraded the PC from the failing 13th gen Intel processor to a 14th gen, closed it up, and had it tested and ready to go back to the customer within 24 hours. See our CPU upgrade service for how processor upgrades work at our shop.
Custom PC freezing or crashing? It starts with our custom PC diagnostic, where every part gets tested with known-good parts from our bench, so you only pay to replace what is actually broken. Everything we do for these machines is on our custom PC repair and upgrades page.
Parts on This Job
The brands and models involved in this repair.
| Part | Brand / model | What we did |
|---|---|---|
| Processor (removed) | Intel Core i5-13600K, 13th gen (S-spec SRMBD) | Confirmed failing with a healthy test processor, then replaced |
| Processor (installed) | Intel Core, 14th gen | Installed as the upgrade |
| Motherboard | MSI | BIOS updated |
| Memory and graphics card | Customer's original parts | Passed a 4-hour SENTINEL stress test, kept in the build |
PC Freezing or Crashing? Bring It to Dave's in Somerville, NJ
Drop it off at our shop and we will find the part that is actually failing before anything gets replaced. Call to schedule or send a repair request.
📞 (908) 428-9558