Computer randomly shuts down when playing games

Discussion in 'Software' started by DoesNotAfraid, Jan 29, 2011.

  1. DoesNotAfraid

    DoesNotAfraid Private E-2

    Hi, my computer randomly shuts down when playing games. The inside of the computer is clean and I really don't know what could be wrong. Maybe a power issue or my crappy case? I've checked through similar threads and I can't find any solutions that helped. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Here are my specs

    OS: Windows 7 Professional
    MB: Gigabyte
    CPU: AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+ Dual Core 3.2GHz
    GPU: nVidia Geforce GTX 285 BFG OCX
    RAM: 4GB
    PSU: Alpha Power 450w Power Supply Unit ATX
    Case: EZ Cool
     
  2. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi

    Are your drivers upto date, mainly the graphics card? also check Device Manager for any yellow ! marks.

    Does this only happen when playing games or has the random shutdown happened when using other applications?

    It could well be your PSU is a little underpower for all the hardware you have connected, as even USB devices can draw power

    What are your system temps and you can use Speedfan to let us know these as random shutdowns can be where the temp of motherboard , CPU and GPU hit a high.

    In Event Viewer at the exact time of a shutdown are there any error warnings, likely in System or Application logs, if so paste them into a notepad file and attach to your next post as per HOW TO: Attach Items To Your Post [/QUOTE]
     
  3. dlb

    dlb MajorGeek

    I would agree with the power supply diagnosis mentioned above. IMO, even a high quality 450w power supply is much too weak for a GTX285 and A64X2 6400+, and "AlphaPower" is not even close to a high quality unit, and is probably not capable of delivering a steady 450w of power, it probably has a peak output of closer to 375w on all rails combined (the 5v, the 3.3v, and the 12v), which likely means you have less than 250w of power available on the 12v rail which is BY FAR the most important voltage. A quality 550w or 650w would most likely fix the problem (it's better to have more wattage than you need for many reasons: you don't EVER want to run your PSU at 100% max for any amount of time, PSUs are most efficient at a 40%-65% load level, etc). With power supplies (and PC components in general, but especially with power supplies) you get what you pay for. A 550w unit from Antec or Enermax or ThermalTake will completely destroy a 650w unit from AthenaTech or RaidMax or iMicro or DiabloTek or CoolMax or EchoStar or Deer or BesTec or.... the number of makers of :crap power supplies is huge, but the list of quality PSU makers is much shorter: the 3 I mentioned plus most CoolerMaster units, all Seasonic, all Corsair. These are great brands. A 1000w low end unit will cost less than a quality 600w unit, and there's a reason: the cheepo 1000w unit is likely a 450w unit with a 1000w sticker. No joke. There is no real "standard" when it comes to labeling power supplies, especially in Taiwan and China. If you'd like some actual makes and models recommended, let us know. A great source for all things power supply, check out www.jonnyguru.com. IMO, they are the last word when it comes to power supplies.

    (no offense is intended with my above comments about the "AlphaPower" unit - it's surprising how many people have no problems spending $150 or more on a motherboard, $300 on a video card, $250 on a CPU, but scoff at paying $100 or more for a power supply; IMO, the power is the MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT in a computer; without it, you have an expensive neat-looking box that sits there and does nothing, and a low quality unit will -at best- shut off when stressed slightly, or because of its lack of ripple control, it sends 'dirty' current thru all your expensive components, slowly burning them up from the inside-out, or -at worst- will burst into flame and destroy your precious graphics card, motherboard, and CPU in the process; I've seen it happen)
     
    Last edited: Feb 5, 2011
  4. dlb

    dlb MajorGeek

    . . . . I almost forgot . . . .

    :wave Welcome to Major Geeks! :major
     
  5. Spaceoid

    Spaceoid Private E-2

    Hi i have an issue with me pc shutting down when playing some game to, here are some specs.

    Field Value
    Sensor Properties
    Sensor Type ITE IT8712F (ISA 290h)

    Temperatures
    Motherboard 36 °C (97 °F)
    CPU 50 °C (122 °F)
    Aux 54 °C (129 °F)
    Hitachi HDS721032CLA362 32 °C (90 °F)

    Cooling Fans
    CPU 5625 RPM
    Chassis 5273 RPM

    Voltage Values
    CPU Core 1.39 V
    +3.3 V 3.25 V
    +5 V 4.89 V
    +12 V 11.84 V
    +5 V Standby 4.68 V
    VBAT Battery 3.04 V
    Debug Info F 78 80 FF
    Debug Info T 54 36 50
    Debug Info V 57 00 CB B6 B9 E4 00 (F7)

    Field Value
    Motherboard ID 03/18/2010-C51XEMCP55PXE-M2N32SLI-00

    Field Value
    Video Adapter Properties
    Device Description NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT
    Adapter String GeForce 9800 GT
    BIOS String Version 62.92.24.00.70
    Chip Type GeForce 9800 GT
    DAC Type Integrated RAMDAC
    Installed Drivers nv4_disp (6.14.12.5896 - nVIDIA ForceWare 58.96)
    Memory Size 512 MB

    Video Adapter Manufacturer
    Company Name NVIDIA Corporation
    Product Information http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?PAGE=products
    Driver Download http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp

    Field Value
    Computer
    Operating System Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    OS Service Pack Service Pack 3
    DirectX 4.09.00.0904 (DirectX 9.0c)
    Computer Name VERTIK
    User Name matthew

    Motherboard
    CPU Type Unknown, 3000 MHz
    Motherboard Name Unknown
    Motherboard Chipset Unknown
    System Memory 3072 MB
    BIOS Type Award (03/18/10)
    Communication Port Communications Port (COM1)
    Communication Port ZTE Diagnostics Interface (COM15)
    Communication Port ZTE NMEA Device (COM16)
    Communication Port Printer Port (LPT1)

    Display
    Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GT (512 MB)
    Monitor Plug and Play Monitor [NoDB] (S2B06511026)

    Multimedia
    Audio Adapter SoundMAX HD Audio

    Storage
    IDE Controller NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA Controller
    IDE Controller NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA Controller
    IDE Controller NVIDIA nForce 590/570/550 Serial ATA Controller
    IDE Controller Standard Dual Channel PCI IDE Controller
    Floppy Drive Floppy disk drive
    Disk Drive Hitachi HDS721032CLA362 (298 GB, IDE)
    Disk Drive ZTE MMC Storage USB Device
    Optical Drive BDV316B (16x/48x DVD-ROM)
    Optical Drive HSPA USB SCSI CD-ROM USB Device
    SMART Hard Disks Status OK

    Partitions
    C: (NTFS) 305234 MB (235418 MB free)

    Input
    Keyboard HID Keyboard Device
    Keyboard HID Keyboard Device
    Mouse HID-compliant mouse

    Network
    Network Adapter WAN (PPP/SLIP) Interface (188.29.62.130)
    Modem ZTE Proprietary USB Modem

    Peripherals
    Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
    USB1 Controller Standard OpenHCD USB Host Controller [NoDB]
    USB2 Controller Standard Enhanced PCI to USB Host Controller [NoDB]
    USB Device Unknown Device
    USB Device USB Composite Device
    USB Device USB Composite Device
    USB Device USB Composite Device
    USB Device USB Human Interface Device
    USB Device USB Human Interface Device
    USB Device USB Human Interface Device
    USB Device USB Human Interface Device
    USB Device USB Mass Storage Device
    USB Device ZTE Diagnostics Interface (COM15)
    USB Device ZTE NMEA Device (COM16)
    USB Device ZTE Proprietary USB Modem
     
  6. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Right click 'My Computer' and give us the CPU info at least and try a different program like Speccy as your list is inadequate, gives almost no info and what it does give is mostly useless. Your PSU volts are a bit low.

    EDIT: Whoa spaceoid, you really should start a new thread and not piggyback on top of someone else's. One problem is hardly the same as someone else's.;)
     
    Last edited: Oct 24, 2011
  7. Spaceoid

    Spaceoid Private E-2

    sorry, i posted here because it said look at other related postes, i will start my own thread.
     

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