Question PC random black screen folloed by restart, can't figure out the issue. Please help.

[Bubzz]

Hi, so for around 6 months now i have had a problem with my pc where it randomly black screens followed by a reboot. This used to happen infrequently but recently the issue is becoming more prevalent and i worry for the health of my old HDDs. I'm actually a little worried typing this right now knowing it may crash on me.i have tried to narrow this down for a while, I have uninstalled and reinstalled graphics and audio drivers, updated bios, ran memcheck, ran both automatic and manual stress tests. All my thermals are fine, I believe I have plenty wattage for my build as there is no crash at full load on all components.

Speaking of my build:
GIGABYTE Z390 Gaming X
i9-9900k / aio cooler
GTX 1070 FTW
2x 16Gb GSkillz DDR4
620w Seasonic PSU (around 7 years old)
1tb nvme
3x HDD (one is usb powered external)
Multiple usb devices: Behringer audio interface, IFI DAC, Maschine mikro mk3, bluetooth adapter
2x monitor

The problem seems to persist despite my best efforts.

As i said, under extreme load my pc is fine, runs like a champ, just yesterday i thought it could be either overheating or psu so i multitasked multiple programs at the same time; Adobe Photoshop (200 layers) + Maschine 2 (track playing) + Abelton live (track playing) + MPC-BE (running madvr video renderer on highest settings) + Gundam Evolution + Firefox (100 tabs and multiple videos playing). My PC took it like a champ, CPU reached 100% with max temp of 100c, GPU also reached max %

I've been searching in the bios trying to find some possible solution, I thought my psu was not supplying enough wattage, this doesn't seem to be the case, so then i thought maybe sometimes there is too little load on my psu. So I turned power loading on, did not help.
One thing I am noticing is the problem is much more frequent with my second monitor (actually a tv ; Vizo m50e-1) plugged in. My problem most frequently occurs when i am rendering anime through madvr (usually when swapping to fullscreen mode on second monitor) though it also occurs when madvr isn't loaded. My problem nearly never occurs when playing video games.

I have recently switched to windows 11, however this happened also on windows 10 (less frequent). I am starting to believe there may be a problem with my motherboard, I recall around a year ago hearing a capacitor hissing on my mobo, it used to annoy me. I don't hear the hiss anymore.

Any and all help would be greatly appreciated, thanks for reading <3

 

[Ralston18]

Suspect #1 : 620w Seasonic PSU (around 7 years old)

Contributing cause(s): the power (wattage) requirements of the full build.

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Not with the immediate intent or suggestion to purchase a new PSU. Just apply 2 or 3 of the calculators to determine what wattage PSU should be in use.

And consider that a 7 year old PSU is likely at or beyond its' designed in EOL (End of Life). Likely that the PSU is starting to falter and fail at times of peak power demands.

Also:

"i worry for the health of my old HDDs. " Yes that is a very valid concern for two reasons: the drives themselves and power problems that could cause file corruption and data loss.

Ensure that all important data is backed up at least 2 x to other locations away from the problem pc. Verify that the data is recoverable and readable.

 

[Bubzz]

Suspect #1 : 620w Seasonic PSU (around 7 years old)

Contributing cause(s): the power (wattage) requirements of the full build.

Start here:

https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

Not with the immediate intent or suggestion to purchase a new PSU. Just apply 2 or 3 of the calculators to determine what wattage PSU should be in use.

And consider that a 7 year old PSU is likely at or beyond its' designed in EOL (End of Life). Likely that the PSU is starting to falter and fail at times of peak power demands.

Also:

"i worry for the health of my old HDDs. " Yes that is a very valid concern for two reasons: the drives themselves and power problems that could cause file corruption and data loss.

Ensure that all important data is backed up at least 2 x to other locations away from the problem pc. Verify that the data is recoverable and readable.

Thanks for the reply, I also believe this to be the problem and have ordered a new psu that should be here on sunday.

I have one question for you. Sometimes it boots and runs for hours, other times it can't boot without immediate power cycle. I have unplugged all legacy HDD, running OS on an nvme, should I discontinue using my pc entirely until the psu arrives?

 

[Ralston18]

What makes this situation tricky is that you can fix/replace one thing (e.g., the PSU) only to have something else fail. Not at all uncommon with any sort of devices, cars, machines, and so forth. Cascade effect.

Worst case scenario being some physical damage involving sparks, pops, and smoke.

Motherboard already a bit suspect with possible problems.

Sunday is only a day away and if you have another computer to use then do so.

I would discontinue use or at least limit use of the problem pc to simple apps/browsers if necessary - no rendering/ video editing, gaming etc..

And if you have good backups and a recovery plan in place then important data should already be protected.

Take advantage of "the wait".

Be sure to clean the pc & case and check all connectors, cards, ram, jumpers, and case connections to ensure that they are fully and firmly in place.

Inspect everything and everywhere for signs of damage - those capacitors you mentioned. Use a bright flashlight to help. I also use a magnifying glass

Have the pc all cleaned and prepped (so to speak) so all you need to do is focus on correctly installing the new PSU. Tools and good lighting in place. Clean orderly work area.

Preview and walk through the PSU installation process beforehand. Download the motherboard's and the case's User Guides/Manual.

Plan it out in advance. Make notes, take photos, flag references, current configuration settings.

Remember, if modular, do not mix and match in modular cables from other PSUs.

There may be other ideas and suggestions.

 

[Bubzz]

Hey, thanks for the reply! I ended up running out to bestbuy today and getting a new psu. I installed it ( actuall its funny because i read your tips afterwards and didnt realize i couldn't just plug my previouis modular cables into the new psu). My wiring was a damn mess, so after a couple hours of rerouting i got it booted up and everything is working great, no data loss, no crashes. Problem solved