Custom Build BSOD after two fresh W7 Installs

Intel Core i7-4790K 4.0GHz Quad-Core Processor
Gigabyte GA-Z97X-GAMING 7 ATX LGA1150 Motherboard
G.Skill Ripjaws Z Series 32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR3-1600 Memory
Asus GeForce GTX 970 4GB STRIX Video Card
Corsair CX 750W 80+ Bronze Certified Semi-Modular ATX Power Supply
Crucial M500 Series 960GB SSD - CT960M500SSD1
Windows 7 Ultimate 64 Bit

My daughter has some interest in PCs so we decided to build a PC to see if it was something she wanted to do more of. We purchased the above part list and assembled them in an NZXT S340 ATX Mid Tower Case.

After assembly we installed W7 Ultimate 64 Bit. The system crashed upon launching any game. Crashes were immediate reboots and most often not the BSOD, but there were an occasional BSOD as well.

After a few weeks of troubleshooting we reformatted and reinstalled everything but this time we did not install any of the ASUS Graphics card drivers. We let Windows do it on its own. That seemed to help reduce the crashes. Then I realized I could disable the on board graphics in the BIOS and did so. Maybe there were conflicts between the motherboard graphics and the ASUS Graphics card. Not sure.

So as of today I am happy to say we seemed to have resolved all crashing with the exception of the BSOD, which seems to happen about once a day. We leave the PC on all of the time. The BSOD crash will occur even when no one is using the PC.

So I am at a loss as to what to do. I found this wonderful site in a google search. I am so happy to see there is a community of experts and hopefully one day I will able to give back.

...finding more info on this site. I am going to run Memtest86+ V5.01 USB today to see if there is a problem with either my memory or motherboard memory slots. If no problems found after 8+ passes I will try Driver verifyer.

Since I purchased these parts in June, I would like to know if there are problems with any of my components now in order to get support from the manufacturer.

The Memtest86+ utility is showing multiple errors. I removed all but one stick and saw the same errors come up within seconds. I have removed the stick that had the problem and placed the second of four in the same slot. This second stick did not generate errors immediately so now I will wait for 8 good passes.

Stick 1 Failed in Slot 0 (Immediate Failure)
Stick 2 Passed in slot 0 (9 Passes)
Stick 3 Failed in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0 (Immediate failure)
Stick 4 running in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0 (No failure so far)

Is it possible I have 2 bad sticks?
I confirmed on the G.Skill website that this memory is compatible with my motherboard.

Checked test results this morning and passed 7 iterations of Stick 4 running in Slot 2 with Stick 1 in Slot 0. I have now moved stick 4 to slot 3 and stick 1 to slot 1. This should confirm all 4 slots on the motherboard work.

I didn't complete the full 7 or 8 passes this time as that would take another day. After three Passes to the alternate motherboard slots and not seeing any errors I believe I can conclude the motherboard is fine. (as well as 2 of the 4 memory sticks)

I have removed the bad sticks and will now run the PC with only the good sticks to confirm my BSOD problems are resolved. I also generated an RMA with G.Skill and will wait for their advice.

Thanks. It is helpful to get a confirmation that I am on the right track. I wish I knew about this forum sooner as it has some very helpful information.

I just got an email from G.Skill support suggesting I configure each module to the rated specs.

• DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800)
• Timing 10-10-10-30
• Cas Latency 10
• Voltage 1.5V

I see that my BIOS is not properly set so I will set this and re-run my tests. I am hoping that this is the root cause.