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Digissential

Hardware Diagnostics (Extended)

Serving Stellenbosch & surrounds • Transparent pricing • POPIA-aligned

diagnostic-in-shop — Digissential

What’s included

  • Extended RAM and storage surface tests
  • Thermal and load tests for CPU/GPU
  • Power delivery and POST behaviour checks
  • Written report with findings and options

Details

TL;DR: Long, focused tests to catch sneaky faults that quick checks miss.
Local: Useful for SU students, homes in Welgevonden/Die Boord, and Technopark teams when a PC fails only under load.

Problems we hunt

  • Blue screens or restarts only during games or video calls
  • Random freezes after an hour or two
  • Sleep/resume bugs; USB or screens fail after wake
  • Drives pass quick tests but still pause or stutter
  • Fan noise climbs fast; temps spike with light work

How we test (at a glance)

  1. RAM: multi-pass patterns to expose flaky sticks
  2. Storage: full-surface reads/writes to find weak sectors
  3. CPU/GPU: load and heat tests; watch clocks, temps, and throttling
  4. Power & POST: cold/warm boots, rail checks, and event timing
  5. Sleep/wake: cycles to trigger odd USB/display behaviour
  6. Notes: simple report in plain words with options

If a drive looks risky, we pause and suggest a backup or image first.

Time & cost in Stellenbosch

  • Fee: R250 for extended testing
  • Turnaround: Same day to 48 hours, based on queue and how hard the fault is to trigger
  • Next steps: If parts or software fixes are needed, we’ll quote before doing anything

Do-nots (save parts and data)

  • Don’t keep pushing a clicking drive through stress tests
  • Don’t game with a laptop on a blanket; it cooks the CPU/GPU
  • Don’t run three “driver updaters” — they make clean testing hard
  • Don’t ignore swollen batteries or a burnt smell — stop and call

When to stop DIY & call us

  • PC shuts off under load or smells hot
  • Blue screens point to many different things (RAM/storage/power)
  • Sleep breaks USB, screens, or network every day
  • Random freezes that short tests can’t reproduce

Real stories around town

  • SU first-year (Huis Marais): Crashed only in long Zoom calls. Extended RAM passes caught a marginal stick on pass 4. Swap fixed it.
  • Die Boord home PC: Stutter during photo edits. Long storage scan found weak sectors; we moved to SSD and the pauses vanished.
  • Technopark CAD box: Screens died after sleep. Repeat sleep/wake cycles showed a dock firmware quirk. Update solved it.

What to bring

  • The device and charger/power lead
  • A short note on when it fails (apps/games/time/heat)
  • Any new parts you added (RAM/SSD/GPU)

After the diagnosis

You’ll get a clear report and options: repair, part swap, clean/thermal service, firmware update, or software fixes. No pressure. No hidden costs.

POPIA-aware handling • CPA-aligned warranties • Lawful e-waste routing on request (with data-wipe certificate)