Hello,

I've seen similar problems on this board like mine but not quite the same so I opened a new thread.

PC shutting off (completely) randomly - doesn't matter hot or cold, it can shut off after being on for days, and can shut off right after a cold start, sometimes even at bootup before Windows.

People have described similar problems when running hardcore games, but for me it's not the case, at least it never happened to me while playing a game.

I'm thinking it's the motherboard since it's quite old (Gigabyte GA-P31-DS3L), and not the PSU since from what I heard - if it's the PSU, most probably it wouldn't turn on again.

I'm running a Core 2 Duo 2.66 Ghz on a 450W PSU.

Any advice from the experts?

(Can it be the RAM, CPU, or something else?)

have you recently added or replaced hardware that might be using more wattage?
does your computer shut off when idle or when many components are being used at once?

I upgraded the RAM a few months back but the shut-offs started a while after. Like I said, it's totally random - could be under some load, could be during bootup after a cold start, could be while idling.

For example, I've been playing a lot of Starcraft II lately, but not even once did it shut off during play. That's why I have a feeling it's something with the motherboard.

could be your PSU if it's only 450W....how old is it?.....you say you play games.........might be your PSU slowly dying and random offs for now and then ...............and if it's the one that came with your case...then the chance is that it's not putting out 450W of True Power any longer as they are rated differently than a brand name PSU.

go here to check you usage http://extreme.outervision.com/psucalculatorlite.jsp

and what GPU are you using? Ram?

PSU is easily 1-2 years old.

My specs:
Crucial 4GB DDR2 SDRAM Dual Channel 1066 (PC2 8500) (2 sticks of 2 GB)
NVidia GeForce 8600 GTS

Could the new RAM take more power even tho it's the same amount of sticks as before?