confirming that this event 18, fatal hardware error I keep on getting is caused by my cpu

Question

my computer has been randomly restarting. I went into the event viewer to check for errors, and I see the WHEA-Logger reporting event ID 18. the component reporting is my Processor Core, so I assume it's my CPU. There was another question with a very similar problem, where it was also the cpu for them.

However, I would love to have a second pair of eyes on the error to make sure my assumption is correct, that this is indeed an issue with my CPU. Don't want to swap that out only to find out it was actually another issue.

Here's the full log

- System 

  - Provider 

   [ Name]  Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger 
   [ Guid]  {c26c4f3c-3f66-4e99-8f8a-39405cfed220} 
 
   EventID 18 
 
   Version 0 
 
   Level 2 
 
   Task 0 
 
   Opcode 0 
 
   Keywords 0x8000000000000000 
 
  - TimeCreated 

   [ SystemTime]  2023-07-12T19:33:58.0439307Z 
 
   EventRecordID 131441 
 
  - Correlation 

   [ ActivityID]  {40909a1c-5f9f-4e1b-bfa6-7b2792e32702} 
 
  - Execution 

   [ ProcessID]  5532 
   [ ThreadID]  5132 
 
   Channel System 
 
   Computer George 
 
  - Security 

   [ UserID]  S-1-5-19 
 

- EventData 

  ErrorSource 3 
  ApicId 0 
  MCABank 27 
  MciStat 0xbaa000000000080b 
  MciAddr 0x0 
  MciMisc 0xd01a0ffe00000000 
  ErrorType 10 
  TransactionType 256 
  Participation 0 
  RequestType 0 
  MemorIO 2 
  MemHierarchyLvl 3 
  Timeout 0 
  OperationType 256 
  Channel 256 
  Length 936 
  RawData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

Answer 1

Hello

The Microsoft-Windows-WHEA-Logger EventID 18 error indicates that there is a hardware problem. A machine check exception indicates a computer hardware error that occurs when a computer’s central processing unit detects a hardware problem.

Here are some of the main hardware problems which cause machine check exceptions:

System bus errors (error communicating between the processor and the motherboard)

Memory errors that may include parity and error correction code (ECC) problems

Cache errors in the processor; the cache stores important data and code

Poor voltage regulation (i.e. power supply problem, voltage regulator malfunction, capacitor degradation)

Damage due to power spikes

Static damage to the motherboard

Incorrect processor voltage setting in the BIOS (too low or too high)

Overclocking

Permanent motherboard or power supply damage caused by prior overclocking

Excessive temperature caused by insufficient airflow (possibly caused by fan failure or blockage of air inlet/outlet)

Improper BIOS initialization (the BIOS configuring the motherboard or CPU incorrectly)

Installation of a processor that is too much for your motherboard to handle (excessive power requirement, incompatibility)

Defective hardware that may be drawing excessive power or otherwise disrupting proper voltage regulation

Here are some actions you can take:

Update the BIOS and the drivers for the motherboard chipset.

Update all the hardware drivers, if updates are available from your manufacturer.

Check the temperature inside the computer to make sure your processor and related peripherals are not overheating.

Check the fan on your CPU to make sure it is properly attached to the CPU.

If you have overclocked your CPU, reset your settings to the default settings.

Make sure your power supply fan is working correctly.

Please note that this is a serious issue and if not resolved, it could potentially cause permanent damage to your computer. If you’re not comfortable troubleshooting this issue yourself, I would recommend taking your computer to a professional.