Question Computer Powers On Then Shuts Off Instantly (After 1 second)

[Andrew5]

Update: Broken motherboard and/or CPU.

Hello,
I am having an issue where as soon as I power my 6-year old computer on, it shuts off after 1 second.
Then, it attempts to turn on again, but shuts off again, and the cycle continues until I hold down the power button.

I removed all USB devices, all PCI/PCI-e devices, all SATA devices, all fans (but the CPU fan/radiator), one RAM module at a time, and the issue still continues.

I suspect that the culprit is the power supply. I shorted pins 15 and 16 (power supply stayed on) then used a multimeter to check all voltages, and they are all within acceptable range, but I have my doubts about whether it means the power supply is fine (as there is no load).

Leading up to this, in the past month, my computer has restarted by itself without explanation once or twice a day.

Unfortunately, I do not have any spare computer parts lying around, and I'm pretty isolated where I am right now.

Should I take a gamble and order a new PSU, or could it be another part that's causing the issue?

What other tests should I try? As a matter of fact, could it be the CMOS battery (no data lost after startup, so I personally doubt it)?
About 10% of the time, the computer does start up successfully, either on first "attempt", or after a few attempts.

Built in June 2014, used for moderate gaming, video editing. All parts but CPU and PSU have been upgraded since then.

OS: Windows 10 Pro
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K (with Corsair H60)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-D3H
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
RAM: 16 GB (2 x 8 GB DDR3)
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W
Storage: 1 TB Corsair Force NVMe SSD (via PCI-e Adapter), 512GB Samsung 850 Pro SATA SSD

Thanks

 

[Ralston18]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age (6 years ?). Heavy gaming, video use, or even bit-mining?

Next successful boot:

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, and informational events that correspond with the shutdowns.

Could be a thermal shutdown. Replace CPU thermal paste.

However the symptoms certainly make the PSU suspect.

 

[Andrew5]

Update your post to include full system hardware specs and OS information.

Include PSU: make, model, wattage, age (6 years ?). Heavy gaming, video use, or even bit-mining?

Next successful boot:

Look in Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, and informational events that correspond with the shutdowns.

Could be a thermal shutdown. Replace CPU thermal paste.

However the symptoms certainly make the PSU suspect.

Updated.
I have been unable to boot since my last post.

 

[jasonf2]

Can you get into bios? If you can get into bios, check your thermals. Thermal cycling typically kicks in somewhere above 80 degrees Celsius. At idle in bios with that cooler I would consider anything above 40-50 to be high. Ralston18 noted replacing the thermal paste but with the AIO you are running if you are getting thermal runaway at boot I would be more suspect of a pump failure than a thermal paste issue.

The power supply listed is a value line PSU. Seasonic is one of the few manufactures of power supplies (many brands out there simply put their sticker on a power supply that someone else builds). They make some very good power supplies and some very cheap power supplies. In this game you really do get what you pay for. While there is no real guarantee of quality when picking a PSU there are a couple of things that I recommend. First off the 80 plus designation has "colors" or "metals" however you see it. For the most part anything produced below "gold" is value line. While there is no technical reason that a bronze level PSU has to be low quality the pricing tier that they are build in tends to push manufactures to put the cheapest parts in that they can. On the other end of the spectrum with a "Titanium" it generally takes high level components to hit the efficiency requirements for the sticker and as flagship PSUs the manufactures tend to put their best parts into those units. I have been building for over 30 years and the one component I will never skimp on is the PSU I have just had too many problems with cheap ones in the past. I put titanium in my personal builds.

The second thing I also suggest is that when getting a PSU look it up. Toms has pretty objective reviews and if those reviews are poor move on. Some titanium level PSUs are junk while some bronze level review well. I would also suggest that with recent GPU power requirements that you get a 750 watt or above. There is no running power penalty for oversizing your PSU but when the power budget is exceeded there is no upgrading one other than replacement. 750 right now should let you put a 3080 in with no problems.

 

[Archaic59]

Hello,
I am having an issue where as soon as I power my 6-year old computer on, it shuts off after 1 second.
Then, it attempts to turn on again, but shuts off again, and the cycle continues until I hold down the power button.

I removed all USB devices, all PCI/PCI-e devices, all SATA devices, all fans (but the CPU fan/radiator), one RAM module at a time, and the issue still continues.

I suspect that the culprit is the power supply. I shorted pins 15 and 16 (power supply stayed on) then used a multimeter to check all voltages, and they are all within acceptable range, but I have my doubts about whether it means the power supply is fine (as there is no load).

Leading up to this, in the past month, my computer has restarted by itself without explanation once or twice a day.

Unfortunately, I do not have any spare computer parts lying around, and I'm pretty isolated where I am right now.

Should I take a gamble and order a new PSU, or could it be another part that's causing the issue?

What other tests should I try? As a matter of fact, could it be the CMOS battery (no data lost after startup, so I personally doubt it)?
About 10% of the time, the computer does start up successfully, either on first "attempt", or after a few attempts.

Built in June 2014, used for moderate gaming, video editing. All parts but CPU and PSU have been upgraded since then.

OS: Windows 10 Pro
CPU: Intel Core i7-4790K (with Corsair H60)
Motherboard: Gigabyte Z87X-D3H
Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
RAM: 16 GB (2 x 8 GB DDR3)
PSU: Seasonic S12II 520W
Storage: 1 TB Corsair Force NVMe SSD (via PCI-e Adapter), 512GB Samsung 850 Pro SATA SSD

Thanks

The GTX 780 uses a good bit of power. Take it out of the computer and try booting with Intel onboard graphics. Don't forget to plug the monitor into the motherboard. If it boots and runs without shutdown, the PSU could very well be worn out. Although it may still shutdown anyway, removing the biggest load, the GPU, may reveal a PSU problem.

 

[Andrew5]

The GTX 780 uses a good bit of power. Take it out of the computer and try booting with Intel onboard graphics. Don't forget to plug the monitor into the motherboard. If it boots and runs without shutdown, the PSU could very well be worn out. Although it may still shutdown anyway, removing the biggest load, the GPU, may reveal a PSU problem.

Yes, I have already tried removing all external devices.

In fact, I tried booting the computer out of the case, with only the motherboard, CPU, the stock CPU cooler, RAM, and PSU, connected to a display. The replacement PSU came in and I swapped the connectors. I tried replacing the CMOS battery, but it appears that as of this morning, the motherboard can no longer retain any of the BIOS configuration. That being said....

It is with sincere condolences that I announce that my CPU/motherboard (probably the motherboard) is no longer with us.

Now I have a decision to make... ditch the i7-4790K CPU/16 GB DDR3 RAM and buy a new CPU/RAM/Mobo set, or replace the motherboard with another Z87/Z97 one?