Computer restarts randomly when in use

[Ashish_Kothare]

Hello,
I've been facing a problem since the last 2 weeks. There hasn't been any change in the hardware. However, my desktop tends to suddenly restart either while playing games or while using heavy applications like VM Ware etc.

My config:
Processor - AMD FX-8150
Mainboard - GA-880GM-D2H
Memory - 8 GB
Graphics - ASUS NVidia GeForce 210

I tried running CPU stress test using StressMyPC, but in about 1 - 2 mins of running the test, the PC restarts. Is there any way to find out where the problem would lie?

 

[Barty1884]

Could be any number of things - the most common cause would be increased temperatures on your CPU when under load.

For AMD chips, the best way to monitor is AMD overdrive http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/technologies-gaming/over-drive

Remember, AMD chips are measured by "Thermal Margin" and not by increasing temps. It works backwards, the higher the better. OD maxes out at 70'C so if you have great cooler, it should level out at 70'C at idle, and work down from there.

Throttling begins anywhere between 0-15'C (technically shouldn't happen until you're below 10'C) and the computer will shut itself down to protect the CPU if you sit at 0'C (temps are really in the problem are at this point!).

Check those out and report back.

There are other potential causes (PSU, RAM etc) but temps are one of the more common - and pretty easy to spot too.

 

[Ashish_Kothare]

Could be any number of things - the most common cause would be increased temperatures on your CPU when under load.

For AMD chips, the best way to monitor is AMD overdrive http://www.amd.com/en-us/innovations/software-technologies/technologies-gaming/over-drive

Remember, AMD chips are measured by "Thermal Margin" and not by increasing temps. It works backwards, the higher the better. OD maxes out at 70'C so if you have great cooler, it should level out at 70'C at idle, and work down from there.

Throttling begins anywhere between 0-15'C (technically shouldn't happen until you're below 10'C) and the computer will shut itself down to protect the CPU if you sit at 0'C (temps are really in the problem are at this point!).

Check those out and report back.

There are other potential causes (PSU, RAM etc) but temps are one of the more common - and pretty easy to spot too.

Thanks Barty,
I ran the check using OD. On the CPU Stability check, the Thermal Margin goes into negative (-1.7) and stays there for a few seconds before the system restarts itself.

 

[Barty1884]

Yeah, you're having some temp issues there. A good aftermarket cooler shouldn't set you back much more than $30 - a CM 212 Evo would be a great budget option.

 

[Ashish_Kothare]

Yeah, you're having some temp issues there. A good aftermarket cooler shouldn't set you back much more than $30 - a CM 212 Evo would be a great budget option.

Thanks for that. I'll get a good cooler in. However, I still wonder why this should start off suddenly as the system has been running just fine for over an year. While on the topic, generally how many fans should the cabinet have. The SMPS has one built in, and CPU-Z as well as OD show 1 Fan. Am I missing something here?

-Ashish K

 

[Barty1884]

The PSU isn't a "fan" in the case sense as your case - it's not controlled anywhere independant of the PSU, it kicks in at certain PSU temps (or runs continuosly).

If you're seeing 1 case fan, you likely only have a single case fan attached to a fan header on your motherboard.

Generally, cases themselves should have at least 2 (1x in @ front, 1x exhaust @ back) but it entirely depends on the case. There's arguments for an intake or an exhaust if you can only accommodate a single fan, but ideally a minimum of two.

Depending on the size of the case & specific components, some people may benefit from a couple additional fans. In your case, 1xin + 1x exhaust (plus your PSU and CPU cooler of course) should be sufficient.

 

[MusenMouse]

Yeah, you're having some temp issues there. A good aftermarket cooler shouldn't set you back much more than $30 - a CM 212 Evo would be a great budget option.

Thanks for that. I'll get a good cooler in. However, I still wonder why this should start off suddenly as the system has been running just fine for over an year. While on the topic, generally how many fans should the cabinet have. The SMPS has one built in, and CPU-Z as well as OD show 1 Fan. Am I missing something here?

-Ashish K

Most likely after a year there is some dust in the air intakes and outputs of your computer that has accumulated, This can cause some serious temperature increases if you have a lot of dust or animal hair. You may want to try taking your computer outside and spraying some compressed air to knock out the dust from intake and outtake areas. Make sure to either hold the fans or spray gently as overspinning the fans by blowing air at them can cause some damage.

Also if you are using stock thermal paste that comes with the stock cpu cooler, it could be that the thermal paste has already dried up from the heat of the processor. Not as likely but this could also be an issue. As Barty said a decent aftermarket cooler should fix this as you will be reapplying the thermal paste during the replacement.

 

[Ashish_Kothare]

The PSU isn't a "fan" in the case sense as your case - it's not controlled anywhere independant of the PSU, it kicks in at certain PSU temps (or runs continuosly).

If you're seeing 1 case fan, you likely only have a single case fan attached to a fan header on your motherboard.

Generally, cases themselves should have at least 2 (1x in @ front, 1x exhaust @ back) but it entirely depends on the case. There's arguments for an intake or an exhaust if you can only accommodate a single fan, but ideally a minimum of two.

Depending on the size of the case & specific components, some people may benefit from a couple additional fans. In your case, 1xin + 1x exhaust (plus your PSU and CPU cooler of course) should be sufficient.

Thanks a ton.
I finally got home early from work and opened up the case. Had forgotten what was inside. Found 2 case fans in addition to the PSU and CPU ones. I couldn't take the CPU fan off so just brushed the inner heat sinks and tested it again. This time the pc could endure the stress test for 2 minutes, though the Thermal Margin did go down to 10. So I guess the main culprit all the dust that's accumulated on the CPU heat sinks that's preventing the fan from cooling it.. Will get the CPU cooler removed and cleaned once and check it again.
Thanks a lot once again..

 

[Barty1884]

Sorry, forgot to answer the question regarding why this is happening after a year.

MusenMouse is right as far as dust build up, and a good clean should help. A can of compressed air (usually well under $10) is your friend here. Hold the can upright, use short blasts of air, removing any dust/hair etc (obviously doing this outside is a pretty good idea).
If your CPU fan is pretty dirty/dusty then it may not be cooling your CPU adequately any longer.

Fans do wear out too, so it can't be ruled out that your CPU is just getting to the point it's no longer serving it's purpose.

AMD's stock fans are pretty noisy, even new, so an aftermarket cooler is a good option all-round.

As far as thermal paste 'drying up', that doesn't happen......and certainly not in a year.
If you remove your stock cooler to clean it, it makes good sense to clean & reapply thermal paste before reinstalling the CPU cooler (or installing the aftermarket cooler, whichever you decide), but I wouldn't remove the cooler & replace the thermal paste just for the sake of doing it.

 

[Barty1884]

Thanks a ton.
I finally got home early from work and opened up the case. Had forgotten what was inside. Found 2 case fans in addition to the PSU and CPU ones. I couldn't take the CPU fan off so just brushed the inner heat sinks and tested it again. This time the pc could endure the stress test for 2 minutes, though the Thermal Margin did go down to 10. So I guess the main culprit all the dust that's accumulated on the CPU heat sinks that's preventing the fan from cooling it.. Will get the CPU cooler removed and cleaned once and check it again.
Thanks a lot once again..

Are both fans connected to the motherboard? Are they connected to a 'splitter' and then a single header on the motherboard? That may explain the discrepancy in reporting as 1 fan.

Clearly the dirt on the CPU cooler is impacting your cooling ability. Whether a good clean will fix the issue, or if the fan is simply pretty poor, you'll have to try & see. That would have to be one dirty, dirty fan to have you in the 10'C Thermal Margin at stock speeds....even during a stress test!

 

[Ashish_Kothare]

It was in fact in a very scary state. Took all the components apart, cleaned them up and put them back in. Now it works fine. Though I'll definitely be putting in new cooler in a couple of days. Thanks.

 

[MusenMouse]

It was in fact in a very scary state. Took all the components apart, cleaned them up and put them back in. Now it works fine. Though I'll definitely be putting in new cooler in a couple of days. Thanks.

Glad to hear it was just dust and nothing more serious. I had one user at work who had so much dust in his case that the fan stopped getting power and the bios started to flag errors about the fan.