Intel Motherboards : Windows 10 Freezes on Z97 Extreme6 w/950 Pro

Author: myrkle
Subject: Windows 10 Freezes on Z97 Extreme6 w/950 Pro
Posted: 09 May 2016 at 2:13am

Have been using my machine for over a year with no problems, added a Samsung 950 Pro to the Ultra M.2 slot, re-installed Windows 10 64bit, and started to get intermittent freezes, usually when running installers. When frozen, the screen would no longer update, mouse and keyboard are non-responsive, and the hard drive light is constantly lit (no flickers).

Installation of the OS was using UEFI with CSM disabled.

After removing my video card, the problem went away and everything is perfectly stable now.

Obviously I'd like to resume using my video card.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any ideas on what I can try? I am worried that if I buy a new video card I'll have the same problem.

My hardware:

ASRock Z97 Extreme 6
i7-4790K (not overclocked)
LG DVD R/W on Intel SATA
Crucial MX100 SSD on Intel SATA
Seagate 2TB hybrid HD on Intel SATA
Samsung 950 Pro on M2_1
XFX R9 280x video card

Thanks for any help!