Computer turns off automatically, faulty PSU?

[Bamsebjørn]

Hi everybody!

I have a computer with an AMD FX-8150, 32 GB of ram, SSD and harddisk and a decent GeForce graphics card.

My computer automatically powers down, sometimes after a minute, sometimes just when I open a tab in Firefox. Most of the time it will keep on running when I play Skyrim (at high settings) or Minecraft.

I tried turning down a couple of cores. Right now it's running stable with 2 cores active. If I activate more cores it will power down.

I ran temperature monitoring software to see if it's a heat problem. The processor temperature stays between 40 and 60 degrees Celcius so I think that rules out overheating.

Could it be that the PSU if failing? Because after the computer turns off, I have to disconnect the power before I can turn it on again.

Right now I have a 600 watt PSU, maybe I need 800 watt?

Thanks for your help!

[Praetor]

when the computer shuts down did you check immediately the temperature in BIOS? if not then go check it out to see if it's hotter then it should be. a failing PSU can cause intermittent power failures but also a hot CPU.

[Ultravires]

Hey, not if our issues are exactly similar, however one of my pc's has this random issue of shutting off as well, however it seems to be with my motherboard and the onboard audio, USB plugin slots, if i use the usb ports or plug in the earphones to the back panel of the computer, i can hear some electrical static sounds. But once i start playing a video the PC will shutdown and i have to disconnect the power before i can turn it back on as well. Have you tried to check if all your fans are working properly? Also try removing all your usb connected devices to try and trouble shoot, perhaps the board could be faulty?

[Bamsebjørn]

I tried turning on the PC as soon as possible after the computer turns down. The bios always gives me a stable 40 degrees celcius. Seems normal to me?

Also, I opened the PC, all fans keep spinning...

[Praetor]

hum...

and this computer shuts down in a random fashion or only when performing a certain task (gaming, video playing)? you can start to remove all non essentials devices from the computer (extra disk, geforce gfx card if the mainboard has a dedicated gfx, only leave the minimum ram as possible) and try to simulate the event that causes the shutdown; start adding more devices until you find a device that when connected will cause a shutdown; also activating more cores will cause the computer to consume more power and in the event of a faulty PSU that can cause a shutdown.

remember this can be somewhat time consuming troubleshooting.

[Ultravires]

Perhaps trying powering down the pc and than remove your vid card, ram, and any other connected devices and put it all back together again and see if this issue still occurs?

[Bamsebjørn]

hum...

...

remember this can be somewhat time consuming troubleshooting.

Plenty of time tonight, I'll try it, thanks!

[redvamp128]

I think it might be your PSU.

have you checked the event logs?

I would also burn a live Linux with a memory test. That way you can rule out memory as being bad.

[Bamsebjørn]

I'll do a memory test aswell, thanks for the advice!

[Bamsebjørn]

So, test results... the computer still crashes if I only use 1 8GB RAM module. I tried exchanging the RAM module for another one. Same result.

The temperature of the CPU is around 20 degrees Celcius when idle and it never passes 60 degrees Celsius when I use my computer.

I did a full memory check, no errors found. All 32 GB are alright.

No memory and no temperature problems. Right now I am able to use my computer with only 2 cores active... it never powers down. Anyone got an idea what I could try before going out to buy a new PSU?

Thanks!

[Bamsebjørn]

Alright! I got a new PSU (XFX Pro 750W) and my computer is up and running. It's running full force with all 8 cores enabled. CPU temperature is 15 degrees C at idle and never exceeds 40 degrees C. Also, my computer is now super quiet... Turns out the noisy part of the computer was the PSU. I'm so happy now. :D

[+longgonebn Subscriber²]

Alright! I got a new PSU (XFX Pro 750W) and my computer is up and running. It's running full force with all 8 cores enabled. CPU temperature is 15 degrees C at idle and never exceeds 40 degrees C. Also, my computer is now super quiet... Turns out the noisy part of the computer was the PSU. I'm so happy now. :D

Which PSU did you have? I am having the same issues with the Corsair TX750 model, have to exchange it for a CX or something else. The fan on it is just broken and loud :(

[Bamsebjørn]

I had a (brand-x) 600watt PSU. I think it just wasn't made for handling a Bulldozer CPU and a decent Video card.

[Mando]

Ultravires, on 07 Jun 2013 - 08:07, said:Ultravires, on 07 Jun 2013 - 08:07, said:Ultravires, on 07 Jun 2013 - 08:07, said:Ultravires, on 07 Jun 2013 - 08:07, said:Ultravires, on 07 Jun 2013 - 08:07, said:

Hey, not if our issues are exactly similar, however one of my pc's has this random issue of shutting off as well, however it seems to be with my motherboard and the onboard audio, USB plugin slots, if i use the usb ports or plug in the earphones to the back panel of the computer, i can hear some electrical static sounds. But once i start playing a video the PC will shutdown and i have to disconnect the power before i can turn it back on as well. Have you tried to check if all your fans are working properly? Also try removing all your usb connected devices to try and trouble shoot, perhaps the board could be faulty?

that sounds like a poor earth bond in the chassis mate.

 

Check that every possible screw hole is attached to a proper mount to earth the board.

 

Most boards have at least 6 IFAIK easy to spot they have solder around the hole, its this plus the screw in the metal mount that earths the mobo/components to the metal case, which is in turn has a true earth via PSU to your house wiring/outside world earth point.

 

Im not trying to be sarcastic on the last line :)