Question PC rebooting under load ?

[JuanOlgomiec]

Hey, in the last weeks i´ve been having a problem that couldn´t solve at the moment. My PC reboots in some load cases. Please excuse me for my english, i´m not native.

I don´t play a big games catalog, but has happened to me for example in Fallout 4: vsync on reboots sometimes after hours or minutes and sometimes doesn't, vsync off gives the problem always after 2-10 minutes. Fortnite can restart my PC after one or two matches or can not reboot it in some days. OCCT gets a weird thing, i can´t run 3D test with error detection, it stops after 3 secs without even putting load in GPU, when i disable error detection and play the test my PC reboots in the same second i touch the start button, power test does same, i can't even know if its putting load in my system or not because its instantly. Reboots are like when power goes out for a sec, it turns off totally without any software indication or crash, all leds and fans stop working and about 3 seconds later PC starts running again. AIDA64 gives me mixed results, it can reboot my PC in less than 15 minutes or just don´t do it (never get results like a reboot in 30 minutes or like that).

There are some demanding games in which i didn´t get the error, even with GPU at 99%, they are Forza Motorsport 7 and RE3 Remake, didn´t play those more than half hour but didn´t either get problems so i consider them clean. Undervolt seems to help, i don´t get any reboots in Fallout 4 with 50 mV undervolt, didn´t test Fortnite too much but seems to work too. As troubleshooting, i´ve made all the software things that you can find when you search for Kernel Power 41 (referring to system changes like disabling auto restart and changing power options, didn´t made huge things like reinstalling OS), i´ve also returned to default BIOS options, tried with other wall sockets and PSU cables, and reconnected PC internal cables. Ran just a pass of memtest but i don't think memory is the problem (mainly because of undervolt solution), also changed its slot and cleaned it a bit. Reseated GPU and reinstalled its drivers, also trying rollback. It is not overheating, my CPU runs cooler than 60°C and GPU less than 75°, also it happens short after entering game.

my specs:
CPU: Intel Core i5 9400
GPU: ASUS DUAL RX 5500 XT 4 GB Evo
MOBO: Gigabyte H310M M.2 2.0 (4 pin)
RAM: Mushkin MES4U266KF8G 2667 MHz CL19
OS Drive: WD Green 240 GB SATA SSD
Storage drive: Seagate Barracuda 1 TB SATA HDD 3.5" 7200 RPM
OS: Windows 10 Pro 20H2 and last recommended updates
CPU cooler: Intel stock fan
PSU: Thermaltake Smart 600W 80 Plus (white) SPD-0600P

System is about 6 months old, except for GPU and PSU which are 5 months old, it's all in warranty period (but bought in different places so i don´t wanna have to RMA more than one piece).

My main suspicion is the PSU, some users in reddit told me this should be the problem, even more with my low quality unit, also i´ve read some threads about the same problem (mainly searching for the OCCT instant restart) and also suggest PSU problem, i would like to get more ideas about what this could be and reccomendations. I'm afraid of this being other thing out of PSU, like mainboard failure (or not giving enough power trough its PCIe lane cuz it's a very poor model) or even stupid things that ill never find like a SATA cable or like that. I appreciate any comment and promise to update as soon as I can.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Yes, those other posters are on the right track, as are you.

Random restarts like that (but typically at load) indicate an issue with the PSU. Your PSU isn't the best, and it's possible it's just not up to running your 6 core CPU and midrange GPU, with their super fast frequency switches.

Take a look at some decent Gold rated 550w PSU's. Even a quality 500w will do fine for your system.
Something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $114.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:51 EDT-0400

This would last you 7-10 years and would transfer nicely to a new system if you ever decide to upgrade components.

If you were on a budget, you could look at something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: EVGA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ EVGA)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:53 EDT-0400

Which is a great price for this PSU.

Both PSU's come with long warranties, are fully modular, and as mentioned, can move from one build to another. The PSU is the heart of your system. Investing in a quality unit for the right reasons will save you on headaches.

 

[jrglol]

Hey there,

Yes, those other posters are on the right track, as are you.

Random restarts like that (but typically at load) indicate an issue with the PSU. Your PSU isn't the best, and it's possible it's just not up to running your 6 core CPU and midrange GPU, with their super fast frequency switches.

Take a look at some decent Gold rated 550w PSU's. Even a quality 500w will do fine for your system.
Something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $114.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:51 EDT-0400

This would last you 7-10 years and would transfer nicely to a new system if you ever decide to upgrade components.

If you were on a budget, you could look at something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: EVGA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ EVGA)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:53 EDT-0400

Which is a great price for this PSU.

Both PSU's come with long warranties, are fully modular, and as mentioned, can move from one build to another. The PSU is the heart of your system. Investing in a quality unit for the right reasons will save you on headaches.

i have a thermaltake smart m 650w semi-modular 80+ bronze, and i have no issues with it. (just sayin')

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

i have a thermaltake smart m 650w semi-modular 80+ bronze, and i have no issues with it. (just sayin')

Bully for you! Glad that's working out for you.

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

Hey there,

Yes, those other posters are on the right track, as are you.

Random restarts like that (but typically at load) indicate an issue with the PSU. Your PSU isn't the best, and it's possible it's just not up to running your 6 core CPU and midrange GPU, with their super fast frequency switches.

Take a look at some decent Gold rated 550w PSU's. Even a quality 500w will do fine for your system.
Something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: Corsair RMx (2018) 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($114.99 @ Amazon)
Total: $114.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:51 EDT-0400

This would last you 7-10 years and would transfer nicely to a new system if you ever decide to upgrade components.

If you were on a budget, you could look at something like this:

PCPartPicker Part List

Power Supply: EVGA G3 550 W 80+ Gold Certified Fully Modular ATX Power Supply ($79.99 @ EVGA)
Total: $79.99
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2021-05-22 10:53 EDT-0400

Which is a great price for this PSU.

Both PSU's come with long warranties, are fully modular, and as mentioned, can move from one build to another. The PSU is the heart of your system. Investing in a quality unit for the right reasons will save you on headaches.

Thanks for your answer! Ok then! Sadly i don't have money for a better quality one so I'll physically take my PSU to warranty in the place I bought it, the thing is that my government imposed 9 days of hard quarantine so I'll have to wait until june . If problem gets solved with that, i'll anyways try to change my PSU in the next years for some Tier C at least.

Btw don't you think it could be something like a bad/failing chipset energy administration node or port?

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

i have a thermaltake smart m 650w semi-modular 80+ bronze, and i have no issues with it. (just sayin')

Yes, some people say this power supplies can be a lottery... Anyways you have a better model, Smart M 80+ Bronze are located in a higher quality level than mine, you can also see it in the fact they're a semi-modular unit.

Lucks for you!

 

[jrglol]

Yes, some people say this power supplies can be a lottery... Anyways you have a better model, Smart M 80+ Bronze are located in a higher quality level than mine, you can also see it in the fact they're a semi-modular unit.

Lucks for you!

really, like winning a lotto? thats probably why theyre not super common.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Thanks for your answer! Ok then! Sadly i don't have money for a better quality one so I'll physically take my PSU to warranty in the place I bought it, the thing is that my government imposed 9 days of hard quarantine so I'll have to wait until june . If problem gets solved with that, i'll anyways try to change my PSU in the next years for some Tier C at least.

Btw don't you think it could be something like a bad/failing chipset energy administration node or port?

Let us know how you get on with the replacement.

I personally don't think it's anything other than the PSU. As mentioned, what you are experiencing points directly at your PSU.

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

Hey, undervolt really seems to help, and also that + using the first GPU power connector (there are two 6+2 pin in series, so i mean the one being closer to PSU) reduces and maybe make problem disappear.

So i have another doubt, can it be something like PC consumption being more than the PSU limits instead of last one failing? Like having a lot of electric resistance (ohms) that increase the electric requirement to the point it exceeds the maximum PSU wattage and boom? Maybe because of a broken thing in mobo, dust in it or in the PSU (yes there is), GPU failing and demanding more power or idk what else... I think I'm exaggerating and this isn't possible, or maybe I'm not even explaining myself well, but just want to discard more things.

Yes, I'm still going to change my PSU but my government keeps extending the restrictions so i won't be able to go to physical RMA in the next days.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Yes, undervolting and using may help short term. But that doesn't solve the problem. Only extends it a little.

What's most likely happening is that when your CPU switches between low load, and high load, it's that fast requirement for power from the PSU, that triggers the PSU over protections. This ensures the PSU doesn't fry itself. Or worse, fry your PC components.

Cleaning out your PC case with compressed air is something you should do regularly enough. It will reduce wear in fans, and possibly reduce in case temps, and will generally keep your PC running better.

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

A small update here. Today I installed Need for Speed: Heat game. Performance there wasn't exactly as expected, my CPU is 100% almost all the time, anyways, I'll leave that for a future. Thing is, i was trying different graphic settings, GPU was going from like 80 to 99%, i got tired and decided to open the pause menu again, this time for leaving game. In that moment, my PC got the reboot. Also I'm remembering I suffered this in Fortnite too, when i was going trough loadscreen for leaving a match, and when in Euro Truck Simulator 2 finished a shipping and game automatically opened "post-shipping" menu for giving me the rewards.

Could this be anything related to the PSU (or mobo maybe) load protections triggering a shutdown due to a load decrease or change? This is giving me more thoughts to it.

And in other side, i downloaded Furmark, it pulls more than 110W of my card even with the undervolt, no restarts occured (tested one time in 720p and other in 1080p, both took almost same power); games pull around 90W to 105W with it, so i can think about the reboots happening when all the system is in power peak and GPU being okay. Also, forgot to add to original post that Heaven Benchmark also didn't crash my PC.

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

Ok guys, i don't know if someone is following this thread but whatever, today I carried my GPU and PSU to the place where I bought them via online, it was a 50 km travel to my country capital city. They told me I had to leave those pieces there so they could test them, and it can take up to a week for diagnosis and up to a month for get me a replacement if they find it's faulty, such a <Mod Edit>. So i did it and I'll need to wait for around a week to know if one of those pieces is indeed faulty (i really hope it is). I'll update next week with the info. I'll have to struggle with the Intel UHD graphics and an Argentine-mark generic PSU which I hope it doesn't blow my PC

 

[JuanOlgomiec]

Ok guys. The place where I took my components too told me my PSU and GPU were fine. Apparently they done same tests as i did without problems. Should there be anything that they aren't detecting and i should still try to change my PSU? Or it should be something else? Like software... firmware...

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

Sorry, I've only seen this post now. Well, unless they used the exact same parts as you have, it's posisble they've missed it.

I'd suggest just biting the bullet, and getting a new PSU.