Question Kernel-Power Error 41 (63) happening consistently while playing specific games

[twiggley]

Hey everyone,

I asked this question previously but never got a fix, so I'm back with the same issue along with some updates.

My computer reboots wihtout warning while playing games sometimes. I have been having this issue with a couple games, but consistantly Sea of Thieves, for about 2 years now and am pulling my hair out trying to figure out why its happening. On average i can play Sea of Thieves for about 45-60 minutes before my PC completely reboots. This issue also happens with VR games too but is fairly random, SoTs is by far the most consistent.

Looking into event viewer shows this. From my research, i know that kernel error 41 along with a 0 value in BugCheckCode and the PowerButtonTimeStamp can mean a fault with the PSU or power supplied to it that leads to a short. So unless im incredibly unlucky and the current and previous power supplys i bought were faulty, then im not sure what it is. Talking to some of the techs at my local microcenter have also said that it could be a confliction problem between Sea of Thieves/Xbox Live and something else on my computer, so i went through my processes and got rid of any bloat/unnecessary process to which nothing seemed to be an issue. So i feel safe ruling out that this is a software issue.

Here's what i have done already:

• I've replaced my PSU, GPU, and CPU Cooler from a fan to an AIO, and non of those seems to have solved the issue.
• I've checked to make sure that my PSU fan is actually spinning which it is.
• I've benchmarked my GPU and CPU using Furmark and Prime95 and haven't had any issues.
• I've monitored the temperatures of my system up to when my PC reboots and nothing reaching any levels above normal.
• I've updated the BIOs on my motherboard and have updated all my drivers.
• I've wiped my GPU driver and reinstalled it.
• I've used CCleaner to get rid of any gunk that may be in my files.
• I've done anti-virus checks using windows defender and each one has come up clean.
• I've replaced my RAM with new sticks.
• I bought new, higher end cables for my PSU as well as a new power cable for the back

Here are some potential next steps:

1. I install a 3rd new power supply and pray that solves it.
   1. If i go with a different brand of PSU, does that also mean i need to rewire my setup due to compatibility? the cables i have inside my PC now are less than a day old as of this post.
2. I replace my motherboard, CPU, and RAM and see if that solves it.
   1. These are the only 2 things in my PC that i have not replaced yet.
3. I've heard that AIO coolers can sometimes cause issues, so i could replace that with a fan cooler and see if that does it.
4. I bring it into microcenter and let their technicians figure it out.

This is one of the most frustrating PC issues I've dealt with because nothing seems to work. I dont really care about playing Sea of Theives at this point, its more about the potential problems i could face in the future with this. If anyone has an insight, i would love to hear it.

PC Specs:
OS: Windows 11 Home 64-Bit
CPU: Intel i5-9600K 3.70GHz
GPU: Geforce RTX 2070-Super (MSI)
Mobo: ASUS Prime B360M-A
PSU: Corsair RM750x (Only ever had Corsair PSUs)
RAM: 16GB of Crucial Ballistix
STORAGE: 953GB Inland PCIe NVME-SSD (OS Installed here)
931GB Western Digital WDC WD10EZEX-00BN5A0 HDD
931GB Crucial CT1000MX500SSD1 SSD
1TB Samsung 860 EVO SSD (Game is installed here)

 

[punkncat]

Have you searched forums specific to the game and see if there is a common issue with other players?

I play Division 2 a lot, my favorite game for years now. There is a very common issue with that game where it quits responding, goes to windowed mode and just freezes, or will just crash to desktop with an uh-oh message. It is purely in respect to the game and is well documented within related forums and topics.

I would find it unusual since you are seeing an event code. 41 can be in relation to a bad PSU or power issue, but is also logged for any unexpected shutdown such as if you just reached up and held the power button mid process.

Are you watching VRM temps?

Might be worthwhile to take the system out of case and breadboard it down to the most basic system it can be and try testing from there adding in components and see if any hardware is to blame.

 

[twiggley]

Have you searched forums specific to the game and see if there is a common issue with other players?

I play Division 2 a lot, my favorite game for years now. There is a very common issue with that game where it quits responding, goes to windowed mode and just freezes, or will just crash to desktop with an uh-oh message. It is purely in respect to the game and is well documented within related forums and topics.

I would find it unusual since you are seeing an event code. 41 can be in relation to a bad PSU or power issue, but is also logged for any unexpected shutdown such as if you just reached up and held the power button mid process.

Are you watching VRM temps?

Might be worthwhile to take the system out of case and breadboard it down to the most basic system it can be and try testing from there adding in components and see if any hardware is to blame.

I have, and there are a few forum posts on the Sea of Thieves official site about it but i cant seem to find a solution. There was another post on this site from feburary with a similar problem but it seems like that ones dead now. I've been running CoreTemp and have Task manager open to monitor temps and loads and havent noticed anything spiking. And yeah the eventviewer values are confusing to me too.

I'll try the breadboarding option. It's pretty close to what i've been doing now but i think the case slows it down a bit.