Motherboard vs. CPU issues

[gourmetchef]

I have recently been having problems with my computer randomly powering off. I have it narrowed down to the motherboard or the CPU (I'm fairly certain). Is there any way to tell which component has the issue without purchasing new and testing the new components?

 

[ahnilated]

Powering off could also be a PSU issue.

 

[rwayne]

I agree with the previous poster.

What hardware have you swapped out?

Powering off sounds much more like a PSU issue. That is kinda of a dangerous thing because the PSU could be overburdened which can cause unstable electric currents in your system.

What is the wattage and do you have an enthusiast grade video card hooked up to the pc?

 

[gourmetchef]

I agree with the previous poster.

What hardware have you swapped out?

Powering off sounds much more like a PSU issue. That is kinda of a dangerous thing because the PSU could be overburdened which can cause unstable electric currents in your system.

What is the wattage and do you have an enthusiast grade video card hooked up to the pc?

I took it to the computer center at my college campus, and they said they swapped out the GPU (mine is a GeForce gtx 550ti) and RAM, as well as tested the PSU (There is a chance they could have missed something). However, my PSU has more than enough power (750W, but my system could probably run on 500W safely). The computer was running fine for over a year before this issue started, without any new components added. I swapped out the SSD with Windows for an HDD with linux and it ran fine, so I purchased a new SSD, but the issues started again as soon as I put Windows on the new drive. Also, I ran a diagnostics tests for heat issues, but nothing was even close to being hot enough to cause system failure. I'm at a loss for what to even try next, short of guessing what is wrong and buying new components.

 

[Tradesman1]

When you put Windows on the HD, did you update all the mobo drivers from your mobo website? What mobo, CPU and DRAM (Model #)

 

[gourmetchef]

When you put Windows on the HD, did you update all the mobo drivers from your mobo website? What mobo, CPU and DRAM (Model #)

All of the drivers and firmware have been updated.
Mobo is a BIOSTAR TA990FXE AM3+ AMD 990FX + SB950 SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.0 ATX AMD Motherboard with UEFI BIOS
CPU is AMD FX-4100 Zambezi 3.6GHz (3.8GHz Turbo) Socket AM3+ 95W Quad-Core Desktop Processor FD4100WMGUSBX
RAM is G.SKILL Sniper Series 16GB (4 x 4GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1600 (PC3 12800) Low Voltage Desktop Memory Model F3-12800CL9Q-16GBSR1

The computer runs well for about 30 min to an hour before powering off completely. If I turn it back on right away, it will only stay on for less than 5 min. I don't think it is a heating issue though because I had a diagnostics program running when it shut down, and nothing looked remotely high. Does Linux x32 (which was on an HDD) use less electrical or processing power than Windows x64 (on an SSD) that would lead to it being able to run perfectly, while the other crashes every time I use it?

 

[Tradesman1]

COuld be a lot of things, though if Linux runs fine on a HD, then possible your SSD or weak PSU - can you borrow a better PSU to test with

 

[gourmetchef]

COuld be a lot of things, though if Linux runs fine on a HD, then possible your SSD or weak PSU - can you borrow a better PSU to test with

I could see if I could find one to borrow. It isn't the SSD though, I've tried two different ones with the exact same result. My PSU has plenty of power though. It must have gone bad to create these problems.

 

[Tradesman1]

Might have, could be something else, I'd try the PSU first

 

[ahnilated]

Have you checked your power settings? If it wasn't actively being used it could have went into hibernation.