CK3 causing computer to restart after several minutes of gameplay

[Mmccullough]

Hoping for some help regarding this issue.

I recently returned to playing CK3 at the start of the year, but have noticed my game is continually causing my PC to restart after 5 or so minutes of gameplay, and I'm unsure what is causing the issue. I regularly play Stellaris and have not encountered the issue there, so it seems to be a CK3 related issue.

I've checked out some similar threads and used the recommendations there, but cannot seem to fix the issue. I have ran Task Manager while playing CK3 and both Memory and CPU don't seem to be an issue (Memory was 60% usage). I have downloaded Core Temp and followed CPU temperatures but again these did not come close to the maximum. My GPU temp did reach 87c during one of my tests, but this was momentarily and generally remained below 85c.

I'm not at all an 'IT Wizard', so any help would be appreciated. I have attached a few files to the post that I have noticed the moderator asking for in the past.

 

[AndrewT]

My GPU temp did reach 87c during one of my tests, but this was momentarily and generally remained below 85c.

This is almost certainly the cause of your problem , temps should never reach even 80c, especially at the modest 60hz refresh rate it seems you are using.

In the launcher-game settings menu, you should either have Vsync ON (so it uses your Windows desktop's refresh rate of 60) or OFF and refresh rate capped at 60, and be in fullScreen mode.

If that's how things are you should be seeing temps more in the 60s or so.

And what actual CPU temps were you seeing? Again they should not be getting to 80c.


Clean out all air vents it has (compressed air cans are good for this). Make sure airflow to them is not blocked by anything like walls, books or whatever.
If that doesn't drop the temps enough, you probably have a faulty fan or a heatsink/thermal paste problem. You may need professional help at that point.

Good luck!

 

[Mmccullough]

This is almost certainly the cause of your problem , temps should never reach even 80c, especially at the modest 60hz refresh rate it seems you are using.

In the launcher-game settings menu, you should either have Vsync ON (so it uses your Windows desktop's refresh rate of 60) or OFF and refresh rate capped at 60, and be in fullScreen mode.

If that's how things are you should be seeing temps more in the 60s or so.

And what actual CPU temps were you seeing? Again they should not be getting to 80c.


Clean out all air vents it has (compressed air cans are good for this). Make sure airflow to them is not blocked by anything like walls, books or whatever.
If that doesn't drop the temps enough, you probably have a faulty fan or a heatsink/thermal paste problem. You may need professional help at that point.

Good luck!

Thanks for the help. I have tried the Vsync on and off (with FPS set to 60) but no luck there. CPU temps seem fine, sitting around 60c.

If this was a GPU issue, would it not affect gameplay with Stellaris, too? Would lowering graphic setting maybe help with the issue?

 

[Mmccullough]

Had a similar crash this morning with recommended fixed - GPU temp only at 51c

 

[AndrewT]

Sorry, the GPU temp has dropped from the 80s to 51? That's remarkable ... was that a result of the changes I suggested , do you think?


Anyway if it is still crashing the issue is elsewhere:
Right click on ck3.exe , properties, compatibility. Tick "disable fullScreen optimisations" untick every other box in that dialog, Apply and exit.
Then in the launcher Game Settings menu, select fullScreen display mode, Vsync off, cap refresh rate at 60.

If those don't help:
DXDIAG is a program you run from the Windows search box on the task bar. After running it will open a window and start collecting info with a progress bar in the lower-left corner. When it completes click the 'save all information' button and save it to a file then attach that file here.
IF dxdiag.txt fails to attach here, rename it to dxdiag.log , or zip it up.

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , error.log , exceptions.txt

 

[Mmccullough]

I was monitoring temperatures during a recent test and GPU was at 51c at time of reset. Again, the reset occurred within 5 minutes of gameplay. This was with the recommended changes above and low graphic settings.

Not entirely convinced it is a system issue as the computer runs Stellaris no problem. However, I tried to run Victoria 3 and while I was able to play for 30ish minutes, a similar reset occurred.

I attached the requested files in my original post but can repost later today when I am back home!

 

[Mmccullough]

Attached files. Couldn't see the exception txt. Systems log is not attached as it states it is empty.

 

[AndrewT]

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , exceptions.txt


Your symptoms are the same as the famous Windows 11 24H2 issue, but as you have Windows 10 you must have a different cause. As it doesn't seem to be overheating, or at least is no longer, it must be elsewhere. But nothing is recorded in dxdiag about it.

Look in Windows Event Viewer at the time of the latest hard reset, anything useful in there? A WARNING or ERROR entry in particular.


Please install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here please.
https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/download

 

[Mmccullough]

Please attach here your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/pdx_settings.txt .
From your Documents/Paradox Interactive/CK3/logs/ folder, attach here system.log , exceptions.txt


Your symptoms are the same as the famous Windows 11 24H2 issue, but as you have Windows 10 you must have a different cause. As it doesn't seem to be overheating, or at least is no longer, it must be elsewhere. But nothing is recorded in dxdiag about it.

Look in Windows Event Viewer at the time of the latest hard reset, anything useful in there? A WARNING or ERROR entry in particular.


Please install and run the free utility Speccy. Send its output to a text file and attach that here please.
https://www.ccleaner.com/speccy/download

System.log will not attach - the document itself is empty... unsure why? I don't have an exception document, but do have an exception folder, which is empty.

The Windows event log has flagged up Errors for the following: Distributed COM & Schannel right before the crash.

I've attached the Speccy output to this comment.

 

[AndrewT]

I see you have Norton's 360 installed but disabled. If you don't want to use that best to fully uninstall it, you might need to use Revo Uninstaller and Ccleaner to make sure it is 100% gone. Not that I think it's likely causing this issue, but best to clear the decks.

The system board temp is a bit elevated there at 50c (when others are in the 30s), does that reach 80c when you play?

And the bios dates from 2016, might be worth updating that from ASUS or AMI.

The Windows event log has flagged up Errors for the following: Distributed COM & Schannel right before the crash.

The first one is normal, we see that all the time. Not sure about the second though, are there any more details there?

Sorry i didn't find any smoking gun, as yet anyway!

 

[Mmccullough]

I see you have Norton's 360 installed but disabled. If you don't want to use that best to fully uninstall it, you might need to use Revo Uninstaller and Ccleaner to make sure it is 100% gone. Not that I think it's likely causing this issue, but best to clear the decks.

The system board temp is a bit elevated there at 50c (when others are in the 30s), does that reach 80c when you play?

And the bios dates from 2016, might be worth updating that from ASUS or AMI.


The first one is normal, we see that all the time. Not sure about the second though, are there any more details there?

Sorry i didn't find any smoking gun, as yet anyway!

Hi Andrew - Bios updated but no luck. The game will not even select me a character anymore, crashes as soon as I load the map. I left the game on the main screen for 5 minutes, and there was a lot of heat coming from the PC. Checked GPU temp again and it was at 82c. I think it is an overheating issue but I don't understand how this isn't occurring in Stellaris.

 

[Mmccullough]

Hi Andrew - Bios updated but no luck. The game will not even select me a character anymore, crashes as soon as I load the map. I left the game on the main screen for 5 minutes, and there was a lot of heat coming from the PC. Checked GPU temp again and it was at 82c. I think it is an overheating issue but I don't understand how this isn't occurring in Stellaris.

Tried another run there with graphics on the lowest setting. GPU only at 51c and the pc reset immediately. So must not be an overheating issue!

 

[AndrewT]

Well, 82c is too hot and would have been causing problems. Indeed it's not impossible that the overheating has physically damaged the GPU, although not very likely at that temp I agree.

So I'm a bit stuck now for anything else to suggest. CK3 can use a lot more memory than Stellaris, so Please expand your Windows paging file maximum size to 32gb
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/openpag...increasing-paging-file-size-windows-computers
AND exit every other app you can before starting the game.

Any better?

 

[Mmccullough]

Well, 82c is too hot and would have been causing problems. Indeed it's not impossible that the overheating has physically damaged the GPU, although not very likely at that temp I agree.

So I'm a bit stuck now for anything else to suggest. CK3 can use a lot more memory than Stellaris, so Please expand your Windows paging file maximum size to 32gb
https://www.ibm.com/docs/en/openpag...increasing-paging-file-size-windows-computers
AND exit every other app you can before starting the game.

Any better?

Changing the Paging file to 32g seems to have fixed it. I was able to play about an hour of gameplay there! Thanks for suggesting that fix. Although the lag in the game is really noticeable now... I checked RAM usage and it was 14GB / 16GB. Do you know any work around this?

 

[AndrewT]

I don't see you've mentioned any performance issue up to now ... has that been happening all along? Or are you saying that is new now?

What exactly is happening in that area - slow time passing, jerkiness in zooming or scrolling the map perhaps?

Your CPU and GPU are over the recommended ones so they ought to be okay.

 

[Mmccullough]

The drop in frame rates is a new issue since the change to the page file. Would you know any work around for this? I read online that mods for removing characters can be useful?

 

[AndrewT]

I have no idea about mods I'm afraid, you could try the User Mods forum here.

But I do not understand how a larger paging file could cause performance issues. You could dial it back a bit perhaps, from 32gb to maybe 24gb?

 

[Mmccullough]

I have no idea about mods I'm afraid, you could try the User Mods forum here.

But I do not understand how a larger paging file could cause performance issues. You could dial it back a bit perhaps, from 32gb to maybe 24gb?

It’s been a few weeks but just want to jump on to say the recent patch has fixed the problem. Patch notes said they fixed an issue with the game crashing, and I have experienced no crashes since with over 20 hours of gameplay. Thanks for your help!