Constant crashing with Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO ATX LGA1700 Motherboard

[TheTurbanatore]

PC Specs: 

1. Asus ROG MAXIMUS Z790 HERO ATX LGA1700 Motherboard
2. Intel Core i9-13900K 3 GHz 24-Core Processor
3. Asus TUF GAMING OC V2 GeForce RTX 3070 Ti 8 GB Video Card
4. G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 32 GB (2 x 16 GB) DDR5-7200 CL34 Memory
5. NZXT Kraken Elite 360 RGB 78.02 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler
6. Samsung 980 Pro w/Heatsink 2 TB M.2-2280 PCIe 4.0 X4 NVME Solid State Drive
7. Corsair HX1200 Platinum 1200 W 80+ Platinum Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply
8. Dell AW3418DW 34.1" 3440 x 1440 120 Hz Curved Monitor


I built this PC 6 months ago and have been enjoying it without any issues. However, 2 weeks ago, I started experiencing random crashes while playing the same games at the same settings as before.

When the crashes occur, the Q-Code displayed on the motherboard is 5C and 7F. According to the motherboard manual, these codes are reserved for future AMI error and DXE codes, respectively.

Here are the steps I have taken so far:

1. Reset GPU and motherboard drivers.
2. Ensured that all software and drivers are up to date.
3. Reset CHEMOS.
4. Conducted multiple stress tests using Cinebench and other software.

The problem I'm facing is that while gaming, I can play without any issues for an hour or two, but then my PC crashes randomly.

What should I do to resolve this issue?

[Vynra]

5c is a usual indicator that there is a bent pin or something in the socket. have you checked the pins of your motherboard to make sure the socket isnt damaged?

[TheTurbanatore]

Thank you for your response, unfortunately I have not checked the CPU socket to see if there are any bent pins or damage. 

However, I have no idea how any pins even would get damaged, as I have never touched the CPU or Liquid cooler after I first installed it 6 months ago. 

Regardless, assuming I take off the liquid cooler and remove the CPU from its socket, what specifically do I look for, and what do I do? 

[Vynra]

i would check to see if any pings are not facing the correct way. if you find that any pins are bent look up videos on how to get it back to shape. but first check.

[1TM1TM]

Hi, before you go opening the CPU socket please have a look whether your GPU is perfectly plumb / horizontal or there is some sag in it? Random crashes during gaming (when components are hot) indicate either GPU losing contact with slot, or DDR5 memory instability (which should be checked using free Y-cruncher software, the VT3 method - for about 30-60 minutes to make sure temperature is similar as during active PC use).

edit: Furthermore, 3070ti cards may benefit from "undervolting" - by creating a custom step-like voltage curve in free MSI Afterburner software - to help with GPU temperatures.

[TheTurbanatore]

I just tried unplugging the GPU and replugging it, but after about 45 min of playing the game, the PC crashed again and I got the 7F and 5C error code again on the motherboard. 

The issue isnt the ram because I ran multiple OCCT tests for the memory and it was fine. 

I have no idea what to do