Computer shutting down when gaming - PSU?

[hatthewmartley]

Hi all,

This is a problem I've had for about 2 years. Basically, when gaming, my computer will just shut off, usually an hour into it and when the system is under quite a bit of load. In trying to fix it, I have replaced my motherboard, CPU, GPU and harddrives, but still the problem persists. The tower is well ventilated and I have decent fans. I monitor CPU/GPU temps and they seem to be okay, so I'm starting to think it may be the PSU but just looking for some guidance/advice before I replace that too. Here are my specs:

M/B MSI MS-7640
CPU AMD FX-6200 3.8Ghz 6 cores
RAM 4GB DDR3
GPU ATI Radeon HD 5850
HDD 1150TB total
PSU Corsair 550w (unsure of model specific)
Win7 64

As an example, the system managed Crysis on high settings fine all the way through until the last few levels, which feature some very graphically intensive parts. My computer just couldn't handle those last parts and it would shut down. I already have a new GPU on order anyway as the 5850 is starting to become outdated.

Is there anything else worth listing? Thanks in advance.

 

[C12Friedman]

I'm thinking you've pretty much eliminated any other possibilities... I'd be blaming the PSU at this point. I'm assuming it is the Corsair Enthusiast Series CMPSU-550VX which has a 5 year warranty - might as well contact Corsair about RMA

 

[hatthewmartley]

I think it's over 5 years old unfortunately. My brother bought a new one recently though that died on him, and instead of going down the warranty route, he flat-out bought another. I'll get him to chase that up. I'm gonna give it a try with the new GPU when Amazon decide to deliver it, obviously if the problem persists I'll be looking at the new PSU. I'm gonna give it a once-over tomorrow to check for dustbunnies and such.

 

[sora]

I think it's over 5 years old unfortunately. My brother bought a new one recently though that died on him, and instead of going down the warranty route, he flat-out bought another. I'll get him to chase that up. I'm gonna give it a try with the new GPU when Amazon decide to deliver it, obviously if the problem persists I'll be looking at the new PSU. I'm gonna give it a once-over tomorrow to check for dustbunnies and such.

Try and get a new PSU since the GPU might be overkill with the current PSU that you are using.