Need help troubleshooting

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l3ender

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My computer (the desktop in my sig) has just started automatically restarting the past day or so. I turn it on, and then without any warning it will just shut off and then process to boot again. I'm stumped as to why this is happening. Here's what I've tried:

1) Disconnecting all but the basic peripherals. Just keyboard, mouse, and monitor.
2) Checking CPU temperatures. I watched the temps in BIOS and it still restarted when the CPU was running around 30°C. I had my case open so there was plenty of air flow.

I know it's not related to the OS because it will still happen if I'm in the BIOS. I thought it was overheating so I opened my case and made sure there was enough air, but that didn't seem to matter. I next thought it could be faulty RAM. I proceeded to run MemTest but it got a few minutes into testing and the computer automatically restarted.

I'm at my wit's end here. Might it be a circuit problem on the motherboard? Or is there a way to tell if the GPU is overheating? Any ideas?
 
Have you tried clearing the CMOS? Also, do you have another PSU you can swap with? Is your CPU overclocked? How long does it take until it starts to restart?
 
I'll try clearing the CMOS now. I don't have a readily available PSU, no. No CPU overclocking. It takes about 3-5 seconds to restart.
 
Clearing the CMOS did nothing. I turned it back on and within 5 seconds it restarted. I'll play around with the RAM in the HTPC.
 
Hmm...how's the heatsink to the cpu? Try cleaning the cpu heatspreader, apply thermal paste again and remount the heatsink.
 
Off the wall things to check...
On/Off switch might be sticking
PSU might be on the way out
CPU fan might be spinning too slowly (it IS spinning?)
Hard drive might be dying (run diagnostic if possible or check in another system)
Look at capacitors...any of them leaking, crusty, or puffy?
 
I ended up buying a new PSU and slapped it in the computer and it's working great now.

Thanks for all the suggestions and tips.
 
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