3 Simple step to check if your system is stable.

[Dujith]

If you are encountering random disconnects from the game. Be it by a simple boot or a blue screen of death,
there are some simple check to see if your PC is unstable.(not everything is Blizzard their fault :P)

Step 1. CPU stability: (even a mild O/C can cause problems most applications wont notice)
Get Prime95(32bit version) or Prime95(64bit version)
If you unsure which OS you have just use the 32bit version.
The first time you run this it will start the test, just select to do a stress test, keep it running for half an hour.
This will stress your CPU for 100% and will generate errors and stop the testing if a core is overheating.
In that case clean or adjust your cooling of your CPU (pref by someone who knows what they are doing)

Step 2. GPU stability:
Get Furmark, start it and it will start to load your GPU to its full capacity. (so expect your fans to go into overdrive ),
keep it running for 10 minutes (errors will show fast!).
Any errors will show up or your GPU will lock up. In that case clean your GPU cooling or RMA it.

Step 3. Motherboard and RAM stabilty:
The stealthy killer, most applications will run fine. But programs like WoW that use alot of memory will fail if these are broken.
Get Memtest86+ (preferably the ISO), burn it and restart your computer with the CD in the drive.
The program should autostart and check your memory.
In short: no messages means everything is ok, any messages = bad.

NOTE: Always ground yourself before removing anything from your motherboard, best way todo this in home is by holding the case with one hand while the power plug is in the socket (PSU ofc switched off). If in doubt do not stick your hand in your PC.

In case of error messages shut down computer, take out every RAM stick and place 1 back.
Boot the PC and let memtest check again, this way you can single out the defective RAM stick.

These 3 steps will let you check your PC stability, note that most stability issues are due to overheating.
This mostly caused by dust, so clean your PC once in a while.

[chaud]

Prime95 is useless, LinX generates more load.

[BicycleMafioso]

Yea, dislike prime95. I use IntelBurnTest and OCCT.

[Dujith]

I'm sorry. But how is a 100% load (for temp) and a checked workload (for calculation error) useless?
Either come up with some reasons (vaild ones) or /shoo :P

[BicycleMafioso]

I'm sorry. But how is a 100% load (for temp) and a checked workload (for calculation error) useless?
Either come up with some reasons (vaild ones) or /shoo :P

Too slow.

[vesseblah]

OCCT is faster to reveal stability problems than Prime95.

[Cilraaz]

OCCT is faster to reveal stability problems than Prime95.

Pretty much this. Prime95 was king until OCCT/LinX/IBT hit the scene. I believe all use Linpack, so they're fairly evenly effective. I had allowed Prime95 to run for 16 hours with no errors during one stage of my overclock. OCCT found instability in 10 minutes. After stabilizing my overclock, OCCT hit a higher max temperature then Prime95. Prime95 is dead for stress testing.

[Bluedevil21]

Prime95 is useless, LinX generates more load.

I wouldn't call it useless, more along the lines of being less effective as the others. Some systems just cant withstand the torture of OCCT/Linx, whereas Prime95 is the perfect program to stress test the system. If it were useless, nobody would use it, which is clearly not the case. IBT, is just a program that will ignite your cpu on fire & I would only use that program if I lived near/in the desert areas. Generally most people won't even put that much load on their computers that these programs do; hell I know I've tried and failed.

To the OP, I would put memtest86+ first though because anytime you build a new system. Making sure the memory & other components work should be first priority anyways.

[vesseblah]

I wouldn't call it useless, more along the lines of being less effective as the others. Some systems just cant withstand the torture of OCCT/Linx, whereas Prime95 is the perfect program to stress test the system. If it were useless, nobody would use it, which is clearly not the case. IBT, is just a program that will ignite your cpu on fire & I would only use that program if I lived near/in the desert areas. Generally most people won't even put that much load on their computers that these programs do; hell I know I've tried and failed.

You're missing the whole point of stress testing the CPU.

If it dies when you run OCCT/Linx your overclocking was a fail. There's no point doing stress test when you eliminate the possibility of your computer failing it.

[BicycleMafioso]

I wouldn't call it useless, more along the lines of being less effective as the others. Some systems just cant withstand the torture of OCCT/Linx, whereas Prime95 is the perfect program to stress test the system. If it were useless, nobody would use it, which is clearly not the case. IBT, is just a program that will ignite your cpu on fire & I would only use that program if I lived near/in the desert areas. Generally most people won't even put that much load on their computers that these programs do; hell I know I've tried and failed.

If it can't withstand IBT, though, how can you rule it stable? "Some systems can't withstand OCCT". Sure. Then it isn't stable.

(Note: I was too lazy to press f5 after having this tab open for a few hours, so this might've been said)

[Cilraaz]

You're missing the whole point of stress testing the CPU.

If it dies when you run OCCT/Linx your overclocking was a fail. There's no point doing stress test when you eliminate the possibility of your computer failing it.

There's a sub-section of the overclocking community that doesn't care about real results. They just want to pat themselves on the back for their "stable" overclock. They're usually the ones who return and wonder why they're getting strange BSoDs or random data corruption.

[Bluedevil21]

If it can't withstand IBT, though, how can you rule it stable? "Some systems can't withstand OCCT". Sure. Then it isn't stable.

(Note: I was too lazy to press f5 after having this tab open for a few hours, so this might've been said)

You're missing the whole point of stress testing the CPU.

If it dies when you run OCCT/Linx your overclocking was a fail. There's no point doing stress test when you eliminate the possibility of your computer failing it.

You both are aware that just because I pass OCCT/Linx, but fail IBT doesn't make my system unstable. Seriously coming off like the same people that say "hey you need 800w PSU's even though you only run a single card" Or "hey you need to pass all these damn tests in order for your system to be stable. The programs are nothing more than stress testing benchmarks, you act like it's some holy grain you're suppose to follow in order to throw a stamp on my system stating "stable."

There's a sub-section of the overclocking community that doesn't care about real results. They just want to pat themselves on the back for their "stable" overclock. They're usually the ones who return and wonder why they're getting strange BSoDs or random data corruption.

Can I get a list or link to these people ? Really curious on seeing how you figured in these results.

[Cilraaz]

You both are aware that just because I pass OCCT/Linx, but fail IBT doesn't make my system unstable.

Sure it does. You system failed a stability/stress test. By the nature of that statement, it's unstable.

Can I get a list or link to these people ? Really curious on seeing how you figured in these results.

Have you read the thread? You can't discard OCCT/Linx/IBT as a valid testing tool because it makes your system crash. That's what it's supposed to do. By sitting back and saying "it's ok, Prime95 works even though those others don't", you're deluding yourself into thinking you have a stable system. If OCCT/Linx/IBT/other stress test fails, it's failing for a reason. That reason is instability. If you discard that crash as being valid, then you're discarding the acknowledgement of an instability within your system. If you're willing to accept a 95% stable system, that's great, but it doesn't make the system stable.

As tetrisgoat said:

"Some systems can't withstand OCCT". Sure. Then it isn't stable.

Any stable system can withstand an hour long test of OCCT. Some unstable systems can withstand an hour of OCCT. Each of these stress tests run slightly differently from each other. Ideally, a stable system should run each one with no problems.

[llDemonll]

He figured them based on facts of how many people show up in communities going "I overclocked an now my computer is having problems but I know its not the overclock because I ran prime95 for two hours"

And yea, it does make your system unstable. A stress test is designed to test stability of systems under load. If you don't pass the test, then it was a failed test

[Dujith]

Geez, go away 1 day and the kids are fighting :P anyway, OCCT seems good, gonna run it besides the other ones suggested here and see what is most newb friendly

To the OP, I would put memtest86+ first though because anytime you build a new system. Making sure the memory & other components work should be first priority anyways.

Well, this is for when your computer has trouble running WoW. Not for a new build.
Most WoW related errors are due to drivers and or overheating anyway. Bad memory will show up in alot more games.

[Cilraaz]

Geez, go away 1 day and the kids are fighting :P anyway, OCCT seems good, gonna run it besides the other ones suggested here and see what is most newb friendly

It's actually pretty user friendly. Just fire it up, click the test tab on the left, and press go. Make sure to use the Linpack test, as that's the strongest CPU stress test. There's also GPU and PSU stress tests available.

[Kouki]

Step 2. GPU stability:
Get Furmark, start it and it will start to load your GPU to its full capacity. (so expect your fans to go into overdrive ),
keep it running for 10 minutes (errors will show fast!).
Any errors will show up or your GPU will lock up. In that case clean your GPU cooling or RMA it.

You lost credibility at furmark.

[Cilraaz]

You lost credibility at furmark.

Lost credibility by refering to a well-known and often-used GPU stress test program? Yeah, I can almost see that.

Also, it's against forum guidelines to quote an entire huge post when quoting a portion of the post will do.

[Dujith]

You lost credibility at furmark.

So what other program then?