PC shuts down after 5 min of gaming

D

DF-1

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My PC shut itself down 5 minutes into playing yesterday and rebooted. Happened again after the reboot.
I didnt play for 2 hours after that and it never crashed.
The next day I tried a different game, same thing -- crash.
I then put a big box fan right near the PC, pointed down at the PSU and launched game #1. No crash in hours.

specs: i7 5930k (OC to 4.4), Asrock Extreme 4 x99, RTX 3080, corsair Ax1200i PSU, bunch of SSD/HDD, win 10 x64.
cpu, mobo are from mid-2016. PSU is beginning of 2015.

I've been hearing loud pops from the PC for years now.
What do you think is broken?
 
my bet would be on a worn out psu and thats usually one of the easier thing to test, if you have a spare....
 
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DF-1 said:
I've been hearing loud pops from the PC for years now.
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Not sure if serious.

But generally, if something loud is happening that's not coming out of the speakers, you'll be able to spot that by looking at the mobo, video card, or PSU circuit board.
 
I wonder if there's some thin sheet metal getting hot and expending, then popping under the stress. Paint can lid in the summer kind of thing. The few times in the distant past I heard a pop from my PC it was done. Chinese capacitor committing Sudoku in the power supply. Took out almost entire systems.
 
If I were you I would grab one of the evga powers supplies on sale right now and see if it fixes it. If it's not then swap out the grfx card and see if it's good then. This is how I troubleshoot. The last time it turned out to be my older 2080Ti was faulty so I sent it in for an rma which took 4 weeks. Sorry this is happening to you. This is why I almost always have spare parts laying around and a complete backup PC ready at all times.
 
You have been hearing loud pops for years and never bothered to look into it? Would like more detail on this.
 
Eat only ramen for a week or two, buy a new PSU. If nothing happens, return it and suck up the restocking fee, if any.
 
pendragon1 said:
discharge it and then pull it and check the guts.
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I'd probably fry myself.

duronboy said:
Not sure if serious.

But generally, if something loud is happening that's not coming out of the speakers, you'll be able to spot that by looking at the mobo, video card, or PSU circuit board.
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Yes serious. Can't see anything that looks damaged.

xDiVolatilX said:
If I were you I would grab one of the evga powers supplies on sale right now and see if it fixes it. If it's not then swap out the grfx card and see if it's good then. This is how I troubleshoot. The last time it turned out to be my older 2080Ti was faulty so I sent it in for an rma which took 4 weeks. Sorry this is happening to you. This is why I almost always have spare parts laying around and a complete backup PC ready at all times.
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any link? wasn't Johnnyguru the best PSU reviews? the website is down. I saw a Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x for $165, a cheap EVGA 850 Bq for $65, but i dislike Evga and it doesn't seem very good, but it is cheap.

Furious_Styles said:
You have been hearing loud pops for years and never bothered to look into it? Would like more detail on this.
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I'm not sure what other details I can possibly provide. I sit near the PC, occasionally i'll hear some pops. sometimes a few in a row. Never any smell, never had any performance problems because of it.
 
DF-1 said:
I'd probably fry myself.



Yes serious. Can't see anything that looks damaged.


any link? wasn't Johnnyguru the best PSU reviews? the website is down. I saw a Corsair RMX Series (2021), RM1000x for $165, a cheap EVGA 850 Bq for $65, but i dislike Evga and it doesn't seem very good, but it is cheap.


I'm not sure what other details I can possibly provide. I sit near the PC, occasionally i'll hear some pops. sometimes a few in a row. Never any smell, never had any performance problems because of it.
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Peep this thread we were discussing the discounted power supply sales going on right now.


https://hardforum.com/threads/evga-supernova-16oow-p-199.2021102/page-3#post-1045432227
 
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pendragon1 said:
all you do is unplug it and hit the power button a few times, then youre gtg.
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Not really

While you can sufficiently drain the line caps that way to get the output power rails low enough to not power the computer, the primary side of the supply can still be super spicy. The primary side mosfet heatsink usually is live at around 375V RMS, and even unplugged, large line capacitors have a habit of self recharging, as the plates don't uniformly discharge. This can leave spicy voltage on the heatsink for an extended period of time, and even longer if the bleed resistors aren't working properly.

If opening any SMPS supply, a voltmeter is needed to verify the primary side heatsink and caps aren't still charged. I would not recommend assuming anything unless you don't mind being bitten by high frequency switching voltage. It hurts a lot worse than being bitten by the mains. It's not usually enough to cause death, but you'll be swearing and throwing stuff.
 
Axman said:
Eat only ramen for a week or two, buy a new PSU. If nothing happens, return it and suck up the restocking fee, if any.
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Limiting one's diet to afford new PC parts is an admirable choice. Stay the F away from ramen, though. Brown rice, lentils, and potatoes are a far better choice.
 
GiGaBiTe said:
Not really

While you can sufficiently drain the line caps that way to get the output power rails low enough to not power the computer, the primary side of the supply can still be super spicy. The primary side mosfet heatsink usually is live at around 375V RMS, and even unplugged, large line capacitors have a habit of self recharging, as the plates don't uniformly discharge. This can leave spicy voltage on the heatsink for an extended period of time, and even longer if the bleed resistors aren't working properly.

If opening any SMPS supply, a voltmeter is needed to verify the primary side heatsink and caps aren't still charged. I would not recommend assuming anything unless you don't mind being bitten by high frequency switching voltage. It hurts a lot worse than being bitten by the mains. It's not usually enough to cause death, but you'll be swearing and throwing stuff.
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sure, but i didnt say start poking around in it, just to inspect the guts (for signs of over heating, bad caps, stuck fan, etc). thats safe enough, imo.
 
funkydmunky said:
Are all your fans working, especially the PS one? How long since a good dusting blow out?
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All work, although i've got a huge (E-ATX) case and not great airflow. I've had the side panel off for years as well.

The PSU fan seems to be working, although its pointed downwards. Never dusted the PSU, kind of doubting that fixes it.


There were times I've felt the PSU and it was running hotter than it did when it did these restarts. Seems a little odd that a big fan would make it stop restarting.
Also my PC can't be using more than 1/2 the wattage of it, I don't have a crazy setup.
 
DF-1 said:
All work, although i've got a huge (E-ATX) case and not great airflow. I've had the side panel off for years as well.

The PSU fan seems to be working, although its pointed downwards. Never dusted the PSU, kind of doubting that fixes it.


There were times I've felt the PSU and it was running hotter than it did when it did these restarts. Seems a little odd that a big fan would make it stop restarting.
Also my PC can't be using more than 1/2 the wattage of it, I don't have a crazy setup.
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I'd try to figure out where those pops/noises are coming from, might help you locate the source of the problem.
 
Furious_Styles said:
I'd try to figure out where those pops/noises are coming from, might help you locate the source of the problem.
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well, its not like its constantly happening. I haven't heard any popping in the last few days at least.

edit: heard 1 pop just now. again, no smell, no sign of anything, no shut-down.
 
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DF-1 said:
well, its not like its constantly happening. I haven't heard any popping in the last few days at least.
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Do you have any radiators? Could just be them cooling down. But I do think a PSU swap is in order if that's the most likely culprit.
 
edited above post since i heard a single pop 5 minutes ago

Furious_Styles said:
Do you have any radiators? Could just be them cooling down. But I do think a PSU swap is in order if that's the most likely culprit.
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no radiators for ~ 2 years now.

I'm going to try and buy a PSU today. that G+ P+ Evga one doesn't sound the best.. trying to find a good 850-1200 watt for a reasonable price now. (super flower / seasonic / high end CWT (corsair) I guess)

my googling is failing me. i wonder if there's warranty on this ax1200i I received in new condition as an RMA?
 
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If the popping is electronic, there'd be a smell, visible damage, and if its been going on for years I doubt anything would be working at this point. Are all the fans clear of cables? Is the popping you're hearing something getting snagged in a fan, possibly stopping it and powering down the system? Computers shouldn't make popping noises that aren't coming out of a speaker.
 
Didn't notice it but did you say what cpu cooler you're running?

I had similar problems on my homeserver and I went to PSU as my first guess but it turned out to be the Corsair AIO going dead (after years in near 24/7 work, so no regrets).
 
DF-1 said:
edited above post since i heard a single pop 5 minutes ago


no radiators for ~ 2 years now.

I'm going to try and buy a PSU today. that G+ P+ Evga one doesn't sound the best.. trying to find a good 850-1200 watt for a reasonable price now. (super flower / seasonic / high end CWT (corsair) I guess)

my googling is failing me. i wonder if there's warranty on this ax1200i I received in new condition as an RMA?
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I believe those have a 10 year warranty.
 
dvsman said:
Didn't notice it but did you say what cpu cooler you're running?

I had similar problems on my homeserver and I went to PSU as my first guess but it turned out to be the Corsair AIO going dead (after years in near 24/7 work, so no regrets).
Click to expand...
Had some corsair AIO that started leaking, replaced it 2 yrs ago with a Noctua NH-D15S

I saw that the temps were OK for CPU and GPU. It actually didn't seem to help the temps when I added that big box fan (but it was pointed downwards in this big case, so maybe that's why?)

I think i also heard some loud pops ~ 2 weeks ago. Had a power outage around then too. Had to restart the PC like 13 times before it would boot. It got stuck in the BIOS ~8 times, and tried to boot from the wrong drive ~4 times which was kind of strange.

I just ordered the corsair rm1000x, hopefully that fixes it. If I can do an RMA on an RMA'd PSU i guess ill have a backup for (hopefully not) next time!
 
Toriessian said:
If the popping is electronic, there'd be a smell, visible damage, and if its been going on for years I doubt anything would be working at this point. Are all the fans clear of cables? Is the popping you're hearing something getting snagged in a fan, possibly stopping it and powering down the system? Computers shouldn't make popping noises that aren't coming out of a speaker.
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You may be onto something.
I have a fan cable from the front of the case that is an absolute pain in the ass to get to in this case that rubs against the fan I believe. Doesn't always happen, but always on startup, and usually stops making that noise after 2 minutes or so. You think that it's also banging around and making these sounds? I don't know that it could produce such loud pops.
I tried to fix it a couple of times, but it keeps getting out of place... maybe i should tape the damn thing down once and for all.

I don't make my PC pretty. I don't care about cable management/RGB/looking at the PC. Pure utility.

Furious_Styles said:
I believe those have a 10 year warranty.
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Even if I received it as an RMA for a 950TX? That's awesome.
 
DF-1 said:
You may be onto something.
I have a fan cable from the front of the case that is an absolute pain in the ass to get to in this case that rubs against the fan I believe. Doesn't always happen, but always on startup, and usually stops making that noise after 2 minutes or so. You think that it's also banging around and making these sounds? I don't know that it could produce such loud pops.
I tried to fix it a couple of times, but it keeps getting out of place... maybe i should tape the damn thing down once and for all.

I don't make my PC pretty. I don't care about cable management/RGB/looking at the PC. Pure utility.


Even if I received it as an RMA for a 950TX? That's awesome.
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Hmm, not positive on their policy about that. I'd definitely contact their support department and ask though.
 
DF-1 said:
You may be onto something.
I have a fan cable from the front of the case that is an absolute pain in the ass to get to in this case that rubs against the fan I believe. Doesn't always happen, but always on startup, and usually stops making that noise after 2 minutes or so. You think that it's also banging around and making these sounds? I don't know that it could produce such loud pops.
Click to expand...

You may not be hearing the sound of the fan and object making contact, you may be hearing the bearing in the fan not liking the angle the fan is at after having something get snagged in it.
 
pendragon1 said:
sure, but i didnt say start poking around in it, just to inspect the guts (for signs of over heating, bad caps, stuck fan, etc). thats safe enough, imo.
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Still risky. If you accidentally touch the PSU lid on the primary mosfet heatsink, expect BBQ. Likewise, if you brush the lid on the primary mosfet heatsink while it's touching the case or another part of the supply, expect a loud bang and a dead power supply.

It's like playing the operation game, but instead of a buzzer, it's swearing, throwing things and a dead PSU.

I've been doing SMPS repair for decades, and I still have the random mishap with the PSU lid. They're awkward to remove because of the hooks, and can get stuck and spring around.

I'd recommend leaving it unplugged for several hours or overnight with a load attached before messing with it.
 
funkydmunky said:
Are all your fans working, especially the PS one? How long since a good dusting blow out?
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kyang357 said:
I would dust off psu and gpu, then run memtest to see if memory is going bad.
Click to expand...

So I took your suggestions and tried to dust the PSU out. I also put my smartphone light through it and it looks normal.

I have a case where the PSU is mounted upside down, and because of that there was no dust, like at all in the PSU -- it looks brand new. I then put it on its side (un-anchored) fan pointing towards the side panel thats currently off thinking that maybe its not getting great air between the metal case/carpet underneath (but i don't think that's true). I think the only thing really heating it up is the warm GPU air.
I should also only be using ~600 out of 1200 watts at most.

I booted up game #1 and kept checking the fan on the PSU. It wasn't spinning most of the time. It does function, but I guess its cool enough that the PSU doesn't need to run it most of the time. I've just played ~ 4 hours with the computer, no box fan, no restarts.

No idea why it restarted 3 times over 2 days and then worked with a box fan immediately after on day #2.

If it works tomorrow, I guess ill cancel my new PSU order? What's wrong with this PC :eek:


Edit: just played another 45 min w/ an ambient temp of 84 F in the house. I think this PSU isn't the thing that caused it. I cancelled my order.
 
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It could have been a funky update or something that resolved its self after the multiple restarts. I mean I always try to resolve any hardware issues first, but I have also experienced weird issues that just went away and never came back.
 
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