Random shut-off, can't seem to diagnose..

[mslade]

Hello all, new member here.

I'm having a problem with my PC and having a hard time diagnosing. I would like to throw out the facts and see if anybody has some insight for me. This is a hand-built, 5 month old PC. The general specs are as follows:

MB: Asus P5N32-E SLI Plus
PSU: Thermaltake Toughpower W0116RU 750W
CPU: Intel Core2Duo E6600
RAM: 4 sticks of Kingston HyperX DDR2 800 1GB (of which WinXP x86 only recognizes 3.2GB)
Graphics: EVGA GeForce 8800 Ultra 768MB PCI Express x16
NIC: onboard
Sound: onboard
OS: Windows XP Pro x86

It has run like a dream since I got it. Lately it has started randomly turning off. Not restarting, not blue screening, but turning off.

The behavior is very sporadic and hard to duplicate, therefore hard to test. This also makes it hard to pinpoint when it started and what I had changed before that. My best two guesses are I started playing a video game a lot (Guild Wars to be exact), and recently reinstalled Windows XP. I'm not sure if either of these was a catalyst though. This PC has been through many installations of XP and Vista unscathed, and I make sure to low-level format each time. I have gone through stints of playing GW quite a bit in the past and not had any trouble.

It only happens when I'm playing Guild Wars, but I'm not sure if that means anything else. It will only happen once every few days. I can have Guild Wars running for 8 hours straight and not have a problem, and on a subsequent day it will shut off after a few hours of playing.

My first thought is that this was a heat issue, but I have checked all of my fans and they are running smooth. The case is huge and has great airflow as well as 8 large fans. I was meticulous about my application of the thermal paste to the CPU.

I have read a number of people who've had similar problems due to an underpowered PSU. With a 750W power supply I don't think that's my problem but I thought I would bring it up. Is it even possible that I have a PSU problem if I can run demanding graphics for hours on end one day with no problems?

I have conducted overnight memory tests to make sure my RAM has no errors at its current speed and it does not.

If anyone has seen anything like this before or has ideas on what I might try, I am all ears and welcome the suggestions. If you want any additional technical specs please let me know and I would be happy to provide.

Thanks

Mark

[sewolf]

Have you checked your battery? I had the same issue with one of my systems and found out that replacing the CMOS battery corrected the issue. Funny thing is the old battery was still keeping time. Just a suggestion.

Sewolf

[Jiggy]

It could be a random mobo fault that will make diagnosing very difficult and time consuming, also you can try -

1. Check for Bad Capacitors (http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=25482).
2. Try all your parts in another mobo, to rule out the parts. (if you have another mobo to hand)
3. Try other parts in your mobo, to rule out mobo.
4. Make sure all power connectors to the mobo are firmly seated.
5. Make sure you dont have too many devices running off one power rail.

[mslade]

Well I installed a new battery a few days ago and it just shut off on me today so that wasn't it. I'm going to try the PSU next. Hopefully that works.. will keep this thread updated.

[Whyzman]

Once it shuts down, are you able to boot back up immediately? Or, do you have to wait a bit before it will boot again?

Your PSU is definitely hefty at 750W but it is important to remember that the power is segmented into different rails. It could be that one vital rail is not measuring up... Definitely, substituting a different PSU should help to see if there's anything awry and hopefully nail the problem down.

It certainly sounds like you've enough cooling power. However, you might want to try an external fan lightly blowing on the interior and see if that helps...

[mslade]

Thanks for the additional input, Whyzman. Yes, I'm able to boot up immediately after the shut-off. One time it shut off twice in about a 10 minute period. Every other time I can turn it right back on and resume, with no more problems for days.

I'll keep the different rails in mind and hopefully make some progress.

Mark

[Whyzman]

I'm not sure how to read these, but I would suggest a look in the Events Viewer. Use this eventvwr.msc in the RUN box. Perhaps under System it might show some odd events. If you double click on any that show some sort of error punctuation they will display what happened. Perhaps something will be telling....

[mslade]

One of the first things I checked... nada. I'm 99% certain this is hardware related.

[Whyzman]

Well, I guess the PSU is the best place to start then. If heat related you'd think it would shut down immediately after rebooting from a shut down.

If the PSU replacement doesn't do the job, I would suggest checking to see how many BIOS updates have taken place between your version and the latest. It might be necessary to update...

[saphalline]

All specs are fine. That PSU should have no trouble with that hardware.

What is this system plugged into? As in, the power cord from the back of the PSU goes where?

[mslade]

Wow, it's been a while. I hate when people start threads and never close them out, so I've had this bookmarked since I posted it. Anyhow, still no resolution.

My best bet right now is a busted PSU. I've had it reboot on me during Dungeon Siege (the first game), which is very outdated with respect to the rig I'm running... so I don't think it has to do with what kind of load I'm putting on my PSU / vid card. Anyhow, I'll keep this bookmarked and maybe someday I'll actually get to post a resolution =/

Mark

[DARKSCORPION]

Let me tell you something funny,few months ago i had a similar issue i start playing Gears of war on my time off.Sometimes turned off and sometimes it will run very stable, though it was weird i knew it had something to do with the psu or the temperature well i had a new 430psu and i though that may be the issue so i changed to a 590psu....same brand the issue was the same, sometimes turned off sometimes don't well to make the story short i replaced the mobo, ram and that was not the issue. the real issue was the brand of the psu yes it was a cheap psu now im running my gamer pc playing cod4 or Gears of war stable with a 300psu.(different brand i meant a good brand......)this may be not your case but don't go just because is 750watts try to cover any possible issue
and psu's has lot to do with suddenly shutdowns.though thermaltake is a good brand.

[Sylvander]

Try loading an OS [Windows or Linux] off a "live" optical disk and see how the PC performs in that software environment with your present hardware.

e.g.
BartPE (http://nu2.nu/pebuilder/)

Knoppix 5.1.1 (http://iso.linuxquestions.org/knoppix/knoppix-5.1.1/)

Ubuntu 7.10 (http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/downloading?release=desktop-newest&arch=i386&mirror=http%3A%2F%2Fubuntu.virginmedia.com%2Frelea ses%2F&debug=%5B%27country_US%27%2C+%27country_UK%27%2C+% 27continent_NA%27%5D&download-button=)

You can run Windows portable programs off a USB2 Flash Drive or HDD using Bart or Knoppix->[which includes Wine, which succeeds in running about half the prog's].

[BenQ]

I am not an expert but I think might be your POWER supply dont have enought power or faulty, dont trust the print say! ....I had similar problem and I pulled out amost everything one by one and replace back...end up the final stage is the power supply! Now my PC is working fine

[mslade]

Yeah at this point I'm convinced it's the PSU. I'm going to send it back and will let you all know what happens.

[BenQ]

mslade, If you love you PC too much , its always worth buying a good power supply.

[Heartborne]

The only experiences I've had with random shut-off have been, as you've all agreed, PSU related or in my own experience, heat related.

A shutdown can occur if the cpu, memory, chipset or video card get too hot. It might be worth downloading coretemp or even sensorsview and take a look at your temps while idle, then run a game or other demanding application and see how fast they jump up.

My old computer used to do this all the time because I didn't know back then to install case fans. I guess I didn't realize how important cooling is. Running games heated up the components REAL fast. The fact that it happens while you are playing guild wars supports both overheating and psu issues as possible causes.

[Antigod]

Hi there

Im also experiencing the exact same issues. I have recently built a new dual core system based on a XFX 680i LT and so far all seems well, except the last couple of days it has shut itself off randomly twice!

It first happened last night, booted up, starting installing Crysis, installing another app at the same time whilst browsing the t'interweb, bang, PC off! As anyone would, I panicked, booted back up and played on the PC without any hiccups for a good 2 hours! Booted back up this morning, whilst the Windows XP screen was loading, bang, pc off! I had to leave work so couldnt load it back up.

I assume its the PSU, I actually hope it is, problems like this are a pain the diagnose. I have a Coolmaster 500W PSU, I would have thought this was enough power and decent brand to keep up, maybe not?

When it does power off it can power on straight away, there are no delays or waits.