Question Is my GPU overheating and flipping my breaker?

Dec 17, 2022
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Hello everyone! I am having a very frustrating issue with PC, and I am hoping I can get some help please!
Specs:
  • Motherboard: Z370 Aorus Gaming 7
  • CPU: i7-8700k
  • GPU: EVGA 1080 FTW
  • RAM : 32GB (4x8 DDR4)
  • PSU : Corsair CX750F
  • Cooler : Corsair H115?
So this is the PC I built back in 2016, I know it's dated compared to what's out there. It has been amazing for a long time, though. I moved into a new house in November 2021, and have made no changes to the PC at all since that time. There has also been no additional lamps, or electronics added to my office, either. Everything has worked for over a year with no issues.
I point this out because my office/entryway circuit has been flipping consistently lately (5-6 days). I did the regular troubleshooting, unplugging specific lamps, printers, etc., and trying again. Then, I figured my pc was probably the culprit. I took a heavy-duty extension cord, connected it to my PC, and tried it in two different rooms... Sure enough, it was causing a power outage in those rooms as well!
So my first "fix" was replacing the PSU. I figured that might be failing and causing a surge. It was an EVGA 850 GOLD, replaced it with a brand new PSU, hoping that would fix it, but it did not. Same problem. It's a pretty cool little PSU, though!
After some more trial and error, I realized this was ONLY happening when I would play a game. When my PC was working, I had been playing MW2 and Civ 6 lately, but now if I try those games again, I notice it can happen anywhere between 2-15 minutes of game time. The time is never exactly consistent.
So now I'm telling myself it's the GPU. I watched it run since I had the case open from swapping the PSU, and upon inspecting it, it seems to sound and run fine. The heat sink on top does get quite hot, but nothing else noticeable. Furthermore, when I play games, I notice NO graphical glitches or stuttering of any kind. The game will simply be playing, then everything suddenly shuts down due to a flipped breaker.
Once I get home from work, I will go more in depth and check temperatures... But I am having trouble finding any information on GPUs just overheating and shutting a PC down completely, especially with no games crashes or graphical glitching.
Some things to note - I have called and spoke with an electrician. He said there's no way my PC, and everything else in that circuit is enough to flip the breaker. It is an arc fuse, which he did say can be touchy and sometimes go bad, but then I told him I was able to replicate the problem in two other rooms on different circuits. So he said "yeah, no way." But he can still replace it (upgrade it?) if I like?
I also do not think it's the motherboard, I looked over the entire thing pretty thoroughly and did not see anything <Mod Edit> up looking. I don't think It's the CPU, but I could trying to replace the thermal paste? All the wiring looked fine as well. I even replaced all the wiring leading to the PSU, and i disconnected the RAM and checked all that over.
I have not been finding the greatest info regarding this issue, so I'm really at a loss here. Has someone experienced a similar occurrence and can confirm I need a new GPU, before I spend a good chunk of money?
Thanks in advance!
 
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Aeacus

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It's the breaker which has the issue. So, play electrician to fix/replace it. <- This is cheapest option.

You can also buy good quality (CyberPower, APC or TrippLite) UPS, preferably line-interactive, true/pure sine wave, so that when breaker should go "pop", UPS will keep your PC running, until you flip the breaker back. <- This is best redundancy option.

I'd do both, since a breaker that can't sustain ~500W load is no good. Per 1 room, breaker should easily sustain 2500W load. And UPS also offers additional benefits, like having AVR in it, which normalizes all electricity your PC gets (e.g surges, brownouts). And when there's blackout (not by your breaker, but from the main grid), UPS keeps your PC going, so you can safely Shut Down your PC.
 
But I am having trouble finding any information on GPUs just overheating and shutting a PC down completely, especially with no games crashes or graphical glitching.
Overheating GPU can cause crashes, blue screens, even shutdowns/restarts. But it can't trip the breaker. Not with any semi-competent PSU in between. And while CXF is not any great unit it certainly has all protections that should apply in such scenario. So of course do feel free to check GPU temps when you can but I seriously doubt it is a problem here.
I would start with replacing outlet-PSU cable. Then new breakers. Then ... then we have a bigger problem.
 
Dec 17, 2022
8
0
10
It's the breaker which has the issue. So, play electrician to fix/replace it. <- This is cheapest option.

You can also buy good quality (CyberPower, APC or TrippLite) UPS, preferably line-interactive, true/pure sine wave, so that when breaker should go "pop", UPS will keep your PC running, until you flip the breaker back. <- This is best redundancy option.

I'd do both, since a breaker that can't sustain ~500W load is no good. Per 1 room, breaker should easily sustain 2500W load. And UPS also offers additional benefits, like having AVR in it, which normalizes all electricity your PC gets (e.g surges, brownouts). And when there's blackout (not by your breaker, but from the main grid), UPS keeps your PC going, so you can safely Shut Down your PC.

I know those arc fuses are really touchy... but is that something that would be happening with multiple circuits? I was able to replicate the issue in other rooms, it was always the PC doing it.

Those fuses say 120v on them, too. So that's 1200 watts right? Ugh, I suppose I'll get some legit fuses put in on Monday.

Thanks!
 
Dec 17, 2022
8
0
10
It's the breaker which has the issue. So, play electrician to fix/replace it. <- This is cheapest option.

You can also buy good quality (CyberPower, APC or TrippLite) UPS, preferably line-interactive, true/pure sine wave, so that when breaker should go "pop", UPS will keep your PC running, until you flip the breaker back. <- This is best redundancy option.

I'd do both, since a breaker that can't sustain ~500W load is no good. Per 1 room, breaker should easily sustain 2500W load. And UPS also offers additional benefits, like having AVR in it, which normalizes all electricity your PC gets (e.g surges, brownouts). And when there's blackout (not by your breaker, but from the main grid), UPS keeps your PC going, so you can safely Shut Down your PC.

Yeah, that CXF was cheap and decent. I just grabbed it quick as a simple solution. Looks like my older PSU isn't causing the issue anyways, so I might swap it back in.

I will look into a UPS, but in the meantime, I will work on the fuses. Possibly reapply the thermal paste in the GPU.

Thanks for the tips!
 
I know those arc fuses are really touchy... but is that something that would be happening with multiple circuits? I was able to replicate the issue in other rooms, it was always the PC doing it.

Those fuses say 120v on them, too. So that's 1200 watts right? Ugh, I suppose I'll get some legit fuses put in on Monday.

Thanks!
Depends on the circuit rating.
120v x 15a = 1800w
120v x 20a = 2400w

Most residential rooms in a house(US) are 15a circuits.

The other outlets you tried are a completely different circuit?
 
Dec 17, 2022
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Depends on the circuit rating.
120v x 15a = 1800w
120v x 20a = 2400w

Most residential rooms in a house(US) are 15a circuits.

The other outlets you tried are a completely different circuit?

Yeah, my PC is set up in "Office/Entry", then I tried it in 2 different bedrooms and it happened again the same way as it originally did.

I did not try it in a place like the kitchen though, which has higher watts im sure. Maybe that should be what I do first when I get home.
 

Aeacus

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I know those arc fuses are really touchy... but is that something that would be happening with multiple circuits?

Multiple fuses can be bad as well, not just one. So, better to replace them all with new ones, rather than replacing them one-by-one.

Those fuses say 120v on them, too. So that's 1200 watts right?

If 120V at 10A, then it's 1200W. But fuses should be rated far more in terms of Amps.
 

Aeacus

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... Well now I'm mad the electrician may have wired the house poorly...
Cutting corners is still very much a thing. Especially when home owner sets small budget for construction and there isn't enough money to build it properly.

We all want best quality with cheapest price, but this can't be done. It's either poor quality with cheap price, or good quality with high price.
 

Alan Alan

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Aug 9, 2022
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I just read a bit on arc breakers. It seems they are trying to do a better job of detecting arcing on electrical wires. Basically it detects quick arcs that can set off fires. The normally happens from a lightning strike or any fast power rise. My guess is the power draw from your computer is adding to the sensing circuitry in the arc breaker. This effectively lowers the threshold of the trip point. I'm sorry you went thru all the trouble thinking its a computer problem but do thank you for posting this problem. As far as a solution goes, I would recommend you contact the engineering division of the arc manufacturer. Explain the problem, it's possible they have a slower acting breaker. Computer power supplies are switching supplies, they have the ability to quickly draw power from the ac line. I have seen large inductors used to suppress noise in old lighting systems used in concerts to keep the buzz from the wires to the lights from getting into the pa system. However using an inductor before a power switching supply might stop the breakers from false triggering but can reduce the input voltage to the computer power supply. Perhaps you can contact your power supply manufacturer and ask if the know of any line inductors that could fix this problem. An inductor is simply a coil of wires the effectively slows down changes to line currents. good luck, this problem is not your problem alone. More cases should come as more arc breakers come into play. Read this, arc fuses aren't required everywhere.
As of January 2008, only “combination type” AFCIs meet the NEC requirement. The 2008 NEC requires the installation of combination-type AFCIs in all 15 and 20-amp residential circuits with the exception of laundries, kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and unfinished basements, though many of these require GFCI protection.


The 2014 NEC added kitchens and laundry rooms to the list of rooms requiring AFCI circuitry, as well as any devices (such as lighting) requiring protection.

 
Dec 17, 2022
8
0
10
I just read a bit on arc breakers. It seems they are trying to do a better job of detecting arcing on electrical wires. Basically it detects quick arcs that can set off fires. The normally happens from a lightning strike or any fast power rise. My guess is the power draw from your computer is adding to the sensing circuitry in the arc breaker. This effectively lowers the threshold of the trip point. I'm sorry you went thru all the trouble thinking its a computer problem but do thank you for posting this problem. As far as a solution goes, I would recommend you contact the engineering division of the arc manufacturer. Explain the problem, it's possible they have a slower acting breaker. Computer power supplies are switching supplies, they have the ability to quickly draw power from the ac line. I have seen large inductors used to suppress noise in old lighting systems used in concerts to keep the buzz from the wires to the lights from getting into the pa system. However using an inductor before a power switching supply might stop the breakers from false triggering but can reduce the input voltage to the computer power supply. Perhaps you can contact your power supply manufacturer and ask if the know of any line inductors that could fix this problem. An inductor is simply a coil of wires the effectively slows down changes to line currents. good luck, this problem is not your problem alone. More cases should come as more arc breakers come into play. Read this, arc fuses aren't required everywhere.
As of January 2008, only “combination type” AFCIs meet the NEC requirement. The 2008 NEC requires the installation of combination-type AFCIs in all 15 and 20-amp residential circuits with the exception of laundries, kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and unfinished basements, though many of these require GFCI protection.


The 2014 NEC added kitchens and laundry rooms to the list of rooms requiring AFCI circuitry, as well as any devices (such as lighting) requiring protection.



SUPER helpful information. Thank you very much!

Still seems odd to me that it would only start happening a year after I move in to a brand new house... Like I said we haven't added any new lights or appliances to the circuit.

I will start working on this first thing tomorrow and hopefully get a quick update out!
 

Alan Alan

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Aug 9, 2022
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SUPER helpful information. Thank you very much!

Still seems odd to me that it would only start happening a year after I move in to a brand new house... Like I said we haven't added any new lights or appliances to the circuit.

I will start working on this first thing tomorrow and hopefully get a quick update out!
Glad to have helped. You might just have a bad breaker that's tripping early. I had that a long time ago. It was the main breaker that powers the sub breakers for half of the house wiring. So if it happens on different circuits in might be that one. I'm a retired electronics guy, that's how I know this stuff. Also those inductors are often called Chokes. Although it's hard to say whether this will work or not it might be worth a try if worse comes to worse. It's a line filter and surge suppressor. It might isolate the computer spikes from the spike sensitive arc breakers. You might ask engineering from the company who actually made your arc breakers about this before doing anything. A house electrician has limited knowledge on this type of stuff so go into engineering. https://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=110684&csid=_25
 

Karadjgne

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Arc faults work by seeing a difference in voltage on the neutral. 120v goes out the breaker, 120v should come back in. If neutral and ground touch anywhere, that divides the voltage, breaker trips. If DC voltage is applied to the neutral, that can change the amplitude return, affecting the voltage, 120v goes out, 122v comes back in, breaker trips.

The actual voltage doesn't matter, the breaker only needs see a difference. Depending on physical location of the circuit runs, many arc fault issues can stem simply from large circuit runs, like HVAC, that can have bleed draw affecting the neutral, the wire run simulating a coil.

What's not clear exactly is Which breaker trips. If it's the same breaker, with the pc on the bedroom, you have 2 things happening. There's a bad connection on the line side neutral, allows back feed through the neutral buss bar, and a weak breaker. If the pc is tripping different breakers, the breaker according to the circuit it plugged into, I'd say it's a grounding issue at the pc. That could be as simple as a bad power cord, allowing bleed under high stress between neutral and ground.
 
Dec 17, 2022
8
0
10
Arc faults work by seeing a difference in voltage on the neutral. 120v goes out the breaker, 120v should come back in. If neutral and ground touch anywhere, that divides the voltage, breaker trips. If DC voltage is applied to the neutral, that can change the amplitude return, affecting the voltage, 120v goes out, 122v comes back in, breaker trips.

The actual voltage doesn't matter, the breaker only needs see a difference. Depending on physical location of the circuit runs, many arc fault issues can stem simply from large circuit runs, like HVAC, that can have bleed draw affecting the neutral, the wire run simulating a coil.

What's not clear exactly is Which breaker trips. If it's the same breaker, with the pc on the bedroom, you have 2 things happening. There's a bad connection on the line side neutral, allows back feed through the neutral buss bar, and a weak breaker. If the pc is tripping different breakers, the breaker according to the circuit it plugged into, I'd say it's a grounding issue at the pc. That could be as simple as a bad power cord, allowing bleed under high stress between neutral and ground.

You'll have to forgive me, I am not too knowledgeable in this particular area. Only the very basics.

My PC is in "Office/Entry" that is the breaker that began flipping first. It is an arc breaker, and I was told the proper way to "reset" it. When it kept flipping after a proper reset, I assumed it was my computer. I took an industrial grade extension cord and ran it from my PCs power cord to a bedroom (Bedroom1) on the other side of the house. When the breaker for that room flipped due to running a game on my PC, I ran it to a different bedroom (Bedroom 2). That breaker flipped from running a game as well. So this is 3 different circuits all leading to the same breaker box.

Aside from that I do not know what else I can say. I DID replace the power cord with a brand new one that came with my PSU replacement.
 

Alan Alan

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Aug 9, 2022
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You'll have to forgive me, I am not too knowledgeable in this particular area. Only the very basics.

My PC is in "Office/Entry" that is the breaker that began flipping first. It is an arc breaker, and I was told the proper way to "reset" it. When it kept flipping after a proper reset, I assumed it was my computer. I took an industrial grade extension cord and ran it from my PCs power cord to a bedroom (Bedroom1) on the other side of the house. When the breaker for that room flipped due to running a game on my PC, I ran it to a different bedroom (Bedroom 2). That breaker flipped from running a game as well. So this is 3 different circuits all leading to the same breaker box.

Aside from that I do not know what else I can say. I DID replace the power cord with a brand new one that came with my PSU replacement.
That's cool. good. This might be hard to understand but here goes. Now these ARC style of breakers are designed to detect a very fast arc between two wires. Theoretically a single arc of a very short duration will shut down the power. The ARC fuse will try to detect that as fast as it can. Mainly so something doesn't catch fire. In order to do that, the circuit breaker might have active electronics built in to throw that breaker asap. Ok, so think impulse current spikes coming from your computer. This is not the average power from the computer but spike currents that can be very similar to arcing between the wires. Now this is what I think is going on. Your computer must be tripping the breaker with FAST SPIKE currents exactly like an arc between two house wires. If that's the case there are two things you can do. Exchange the fast sensing ARC breaker to a standard average power circuit breaker or insert a filter to slow down the fast spikes from the computers power supply. The cheapest way is pretty much like the link I gave you. That seems to have extensive filtering with those big coils of wire. It's possible those coils will slow down your computers fast spike currents and smooth them out over a longer period of time. By doing so the ARC circuit breaker may not detect a spike. But as I stated earlier, call the manufacturer of the ARC breakers and tell them what is going on. They will need to know the info on the circuit breaker. Maybe take some pics of it. Let me know if you are having trouble with technical aspects or getting a solution from the company. I can talk to them if you get the info on the breaker. Call them first though and at least get the part number of the breaker straight. I can probably get into engineering and tell them about this. Computers generally only draw 3-5 amps from the ac line. This should not blow standard slow blow circuit breakers. Yours are probably super fast acting breakers and your computer may have some leaking in its capacitors which has gotten worse over the past year and finally created enough spike currents to trip the breakers. I had a Z370-a that recently blew a motherboard during hard video gaming. It's 5 years old too. It didn't blow a fuse though but may have blown your breaker.
 
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