Please help my game is freezing

https://youtu.be/zf2AwULrVAw

This is a Prebuilt PC and was working great for a year. It started happening after I replaced the CPU cooler with an air cooler. The game feels very unstable and I’m also getting chat delay, but not sure if that’s related. No errors in Event Viewer.

Freeze is at 19s

What could be the cause? Is it the PSU?

did

you

forget

thermal

paste

Get MSI afterburner and check everything, might be what #2 pointed while changing the cooler

Short answer: It’s very unlikely that the PSU suddenly became “bad” right after a cooler swap. Much more likely: something about the new cooler install (or what you bumped while doing it) is causing instability.

I’d approach it like this:

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1. Understand what a PSU issue usually looks like

A failing or undersized PSU typically causes:

• Sudden power offs / hard resets under load
• System refusing to power on, or power cycling
• Sometimes WHEA / kernel-power errors in Event Viewer

It almost never shows up as “game feels unstable” and “chat delay” with no errors, especially right after mechanical work on the CPU cooler.

So for now: assume not PSU unless you’re actually getting shutdowns/reboots.

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2. First suspect: bad cooler mount / thermal issue

You changed something directly on the CPU, so check that first.

1. Check CPU temps under load

   • Use something like HWMonitor / HWInfo / MSI Afterburner.

   • Note:

     • Idle: typically <40–50°C.
     • Gaming: ideally <80–85°C (depends on CPU).
   • If you see temps spiking to 90–100°C or rapid jumps + clock speeds dropping → the cooler isn’t making good contact or the thermal solution is wrong.

2. Check the physical mount

   • Make sure:

     • The plastic film (if any) was removed from the cooler base.
     • Thermal paste is applied properly (small pea/rice in the center is usually fine).
     • Screws are tightened evenly in a cross pattern; not one side fully tight and the other loose.

   • If in doubt, re-seat the cooler:

     • Clean old paste from CPU and cooler with isopropyl alcohol and a lint-free cloth.
     • Reapply paste and remount carefully.

3. Verify fan connection

   • The CPU fan must be connected to CPU_FAN header, not some random SYS_FAN.
   • In BIOS, confirm the CPU fan is detected and spinning at a sane RPM.
   • If the fan isn’t ramping, set a normal temperature-based fan curve.

If CPU is overheating and throttling, that alone can cause the “unstable” feeling and even chat delay because the system is choking under load.

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3. Second suspect: something got slightly unseated

While working in the case it’s very easy to nudge components and cause marginal contact.

With the PC fully powered off and unplugged:

1. Re-seat GPU

   • Remove the graphics card and firmly reseat it in the PCIe slot.
   • Re-plug the PCIe power cables until they click in.

2. Re-seat RAM

   • Pop the sticks out and click them back in until both latches lock properly.

3. Check power cables

   • Main 24-pin motherboard connector.
   • CPU 8-pin (or 4+4-pin) near the CPU socket.
   • GPU power cables.
   • Anything you may have pulled against while removing the old cooler.

A slightly loose GPU or RAM stick can cause in-game instability without clean errors.

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4. Third suspect: case airflow changed with the new cooler

Switching from one cooler type to another can change airflow patterns.

Check:

• You still have at least one front/side intake and one rear/top exhaust.
• Fans are oriented correctly (the side with the frame/cross-braces is exhaust).

• GPU temperatures under load (use MSI Afterburner / HWInfo):

  • If GPU is now running 10–20°C hotter than before, it might be hitting thermal or power limits causing janky frame times and laggy feel.

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5. Why chat delay might be related

If the CPU is:

• Overheating and downclocking, or
• Spending time at 100% usage because of throttling,

then everything gets sluggish:

• Game frame times spike.
• Voice/chat/Discord feel delayed.
• Browsers and overlays stutter.

So:

• Watch CPU usage and temps in Task Manager + monitoring software while gaming.
• If you see consistent spikes to 100% CPU or high temps when the “chat delay” happens → it’s a CPU / cooling issue, not the internet or PSU.

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6. When to seriously suspect the PSU

Start looking at the PSU if any of this is true:

• The PC shuts down / reboots under load (especially when GPU + CPU both heavy).
• You hear strange electrical noises (crackling, not just normal coil whine).
• It was already a very cheap / no-name PSU close to its rated limits.

You can do a simple load pattern:

• Run a CPU-only stress test (Cinebench / OCCT CPU). If stable:
• Run a GPU-only stress test (e.g., a benchmark / FurMark, briefly).

• Then game or run a combined test.

  • If each is stable alone but the system crashes only when both are loaded, then PSU becomes a serious suspect.

But with:

• No shutdowns,
• No Event Viewer errors,
• Instability starting right after a cooler swap,

the probability is overwhelmingly on cooler/thermal/mounting/loose-cable issues, not PSU.

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7. Practical next steps (in order)

1. Monitor CPU temps and clocks while gaming.
2. If bad: re-seat the cooler properly (clean + new paste).
3. Re-seat GPU, RAM, and major power connectors.
4. Check case fans and airflow direction.
5. Only after all of the above, and if you’re seeing hard crashes under combined load, start suspecting or testing the PSU / considering a known good PSU swap.