Question PC shuts down when playing games.

[rtwilliam]

Hey everyone,

Just installed God of War today. Pretty fun, minus that my computer has been shutting down (black screen, almost like the power cord was just pulled out) when I get anywhere from 5 minutes - 1.5 hours into the game. Other games that aren't as intensive appear to run fine (e.g. Valorant, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Skyrim, etc), but this game has my computer pushed over the edge apparently. Not sure where the issue lies.

Any troubleshooting help would be appreciated. I've got my system specs, some recorded temps/stats when playing God of War at the time of the crash, and some troubleshooting I did myself.

SYSTEM SPECS:

Spoiler: system specs

mobo: A320M-HDV R4.0 (a couple of years old)
cpu: Ryzen 7 5800x (not even a year old)
cpu fan: AMD Wraith SPIRE
gpu: GTX 1080ti FE (about 4 years of use)
psu: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 GT 80+ Gold (a couple of months old)
ram: 16GB dual sticks (a couple of years old)
ssd (C:\): Patriot Memory Burst SSD 120GB SATA III
hdd (D:\): Seagate Barracuda 1TB Internal Hard Drive
ssd 2 [where god of war is installed] (E:\): Samsung Portable SSD T5 SCSI (500GB)
os: Windows 10

RECORDED TEMP RANGES @ CRASHES:

Spoiler: cpu temps

CPU TEMPS: [measured w/ Core Temp]

• FIRST RUN (10-15 minutes of gameplay): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 86C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, and CPU temps never exceeded 75C. Crash occurred at around 70-75C~.
• SECOND RUN (1.5 hours of gameplay): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 88C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, and CPU temps never exceeded 75C~ for the entire duration of gameplay. Crash occurred at the beginning of a checkpoint/potential cinematic (game has a lot of those), CPU temp about 30 seconds prior was 73C.
• THIRD RUN (5 minutes of gameplay, maybe): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 87C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, played for 5 minutes. Got to the previous checkpoint. Crash occurred. CPU temp was in the 70C~ range.
• EDIT: FOURTH RUN (30 minutes): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 91C. Dropped to about 69C-71C range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Played for about 30 minutes, CPU temps were anywhere from 70C-75C. No noticeable spikes. Crash was pretty much out of nowhere like every other time.

Nothing crazy noticeable about my GPU temps. Used MSI Afterburner and saw that my GPU temps were in the 60C-70C range pretty much at all times. No overclocking.

Also a small note: RAM usage never goes over 60% when GoW is running, including all other programs open on the PC.

TROUBLESHOOTING ATTEMPTS:

Spoiler: troubleshooting

• Cleaned all fans & vents.
• Elevated PC off of the floor (carpet). Now sitting on a block of wood to help with ventilation.
• Updated a bunch of outdated drivers: bunch of AMD stuff (e.g. AMD GPIO Controller, AMD PCI, AMD SMBus, AMD PSP 11.0 Device), and my GFX driver. All drivers are up to date minus these.
• Verified the integrity of the game files (Steam).
• Windows 10 is up-to-date.
• Ran mdsched.exe to check for Memory issues. No issues found.

 

[Lappi03]

I have seen similar issues where it turned out to be a power supply issue, maybe something to check?

I am no professional so I cant tell you how it might be causing it (if its even the PSU that is causing it) but just by browsing other posts on this forum I found people with similar if not exactly the same problem where the psu was damaged but still ran some games? As I said, Never happened to me and I'm no Computer pro, but maybe something to consider.
I saw that your current PSU is almost new, but maybe try plugging in your old one if you still have it?

 

[rtwilliam]

I have seen similar issues where it turned out to be a power supply issue, maybe something to check?

I am no professional so I cant tell you how it might be causing it (if its even the PSU that is causing it) but just by browsing other posts on this forum I found people with similar if not exactly the same problem where the psu was damaged but still ran some games? As I said, Never happened to me and I'm no Computer pro, but maybe something to consider.
I saw that your current PSU is almost new, but maybe try plugging in your old one if you still have it?

So I’m pretty certain it isn’t the PSU. A few months back I was having this issue with Elden Ring on my old PSU. Ended up getting this new one installed and the issue was still persisting. The only reason I never made a post here for it was because I ended up doing a deep cleaning of my PC and that seemed to fix the problem.

Cleaning didn’t fix it this time around though.

EDIT: Previous GPU was a 850W Gold 80+.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey everyone,

Just installed God of War today. Pretty fun, minus that my computer has been shutting down (black screen, almost like the power cord was just pulled out) when I get anywhere from 5 minutes - 1.5 hours into the game. Other games that aren't as intensive appear to run fine (e.g. Valorant, Divinity: Original Sin 2, Skyrim, etc), but this game has my computer pushed over the edge apparently. Not sure where the issue lies.

Any troubleshooting help would be appreciated. I've got my system specs, some recorded temps/stats when playing God of War at the time of the crash, and some troubleshooting I did myself.

SYSTEM SPECS:

Spoiler: system specs

mobo: A320M-HDV R4.0 (a couple of years old)
cpu: Ryzen 7 5800x (not even a year old)
cpu fan: AMD Wraith SPIRE
gpu: GTX 1080ti FE (about 4 years of use)
psu: EVGA SuperNOVA 1000 GT 80+ Gold (a couple of months old)
ram: 16GB dual sticks (a couple of years old)
ssd (C:\): Patriot Memory Burst SSD 120GB SATA III
hdd (D:\): Seagate Barracuda 1TB Internal Hard Drive
ssd 2 [where god of war is installed] (E:\): Samsung Portable SSD T5 SCSI (500GB)
os: Windows 10

RECORDED TEMP RANGES @ CRASHES:

Spoiler: cpu temps

CPU TEMPS: [measured w/ Core Temp]

• FIRST RUN (10-15 minutes of gameplay): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 86C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, and CPU temps never exceeded 75C. Crash occurred at around 70-75C~.
• SECOND RUN (1.5 hours of gameplay): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 88C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, and CPU temps never exceeded 75C~ for the entire duration of gameplay. Crash occurred at the beginning of a checkpoint/potential cinematic (game has a lot of those), CPU temp about 30 seconds prior was 73C.
• THIRD RUN (5 minutes of gameplay, maybe): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 87C. Dropped to the 68C~ range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Got ingame, played for 5 minutes. Got to the previous checkpoint. Crash occurred. CPU temp was in the 70C~ range.
• EDIT: FOURTH RUN (30 minutes): On game startup, CPU temp peaked at 91C. Dropped to about 69C-71C range after sitting at the start menu for about 2 minutes. Played for about 30 minutes, CPU temps were anywhere from 70C-75C. No noticeable spikes. Crash was pretty much out of nowhere like every other time.

Nothing crazy noticeable about my GPU temps. Used MSI Afterburner and saw that my GPU temps were in the 60C-70C range pretty much at all times. No overclocking.

Also a small note: RAM usage never goes over 60% when GoW is running, including all other programs open on the PC.

TROUBLESHOOTING ATTEMPTS:

Spoiler: troubleshooting

• Cleaned all fans & vents.
• Elevated PC off of the floor (carpet). Now sitting on a block of wood to help with ventilation.
• Updated a bunch of outdated drivers: bunch of AMD stuff (e.g. AMD GPIO Controller, AMD PCI, AMD SMBus, AMD PSP 11.0 Device), and my GFX driver. All drivers are up to date minus these.
• Verified the integrity of the game files (Steam).
• Windows 10 is up-to-date.
• Ran mdsched.exe to check for Memory issues. No issues found.

Hey there,

Well, it's kinda no surprise there's something going on. The A320 mobo's are simply not designed for the 5800x. They have very basic VRM set ups, and cannot handle the power/current of the CPU. Inevitably your CPU will throttle because the VRM's are too hot. On top of that you are running the Wraith on the 5800x which is bonkers. Again, that cooler is not deisgned for that CPU.

Chances are your system maybe shutting down to protect the CPU. At those high temps in gaming you are right on the cusp of the max temp those CPU's can function at.

1. Get a better cooler.
2. Get a better mobo to actually unleash your CPU and let it do what it was mean to do. Not labour away on that A320 mobo, which limits that CPU in everyway.

Whilst I don't think it's PSU related, it could well very be your mobo is the root cause of this issue.

 

[rtwilliam]

Hey there,

Well, it's kinda no surprise there's something going on. The A320 mobo's are simply not designed for the 5800x. They have very basic VRm set ups, and cannot handle the power/current of the CPU. Inevitably your CPU will throttle because the VRM's are too hot. On top of that you are running the Wraith on the 5800x which is bonkers. Again, that cooler is not deisgned for that CPU.

Chances are your system maybe shutting down to protect the CPU. At those high temps in gaming you are right on the cusp of the max temp those CPU's can function at.

1. Get a better cooler.
2. Get a better mobo to actually unleash your CPU and let it do what it was mean to do. Not labour away on that A320 mobo, which limits that CPU in everyway.

Whilst I don't think it's PSU related, it could well very be your mobo is the root cause of this issue.

Sounds good to me, I’ll take any suggestions for a new mobo and a better cooler if it’ll get my PC running the way it should. This build was originally a pre-built that I ended up making some upgrades on, which is why the build has ended up this way.

EDIT: I guess I should leave a little info on budget expectations. If I could put less than $100-150 into the mobo, I'd be ecstatic. Not reasonably sure what kind of cooler I should be jacking onto the CPU so I'll take any suggestions there and eat the price.

EDIT 2: Also figured it might be important to provide some info about the case. Looks like its described as a "Mini-Tower gaming chassis" from where I bought it on newegg (link to original pre-built). Has 3 120mm front Chassis fans.

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hee's a list of most B550 boards and their prices.: B550 VRM DB sheet (Ver 1.8) - Google Sheets Also, but just as important, it tells you the phases for each mobo. For a slight to moderate OC an 8+2 phaes will get by, and should be sufficient for the 5800x. Ideally one with 12+2 would really ensure the 5800x will achieve it's max clocks.

The 5800x isn't the hottest CPU, but having a decent cooler is adviable. Again, just to ensure it's not throttling. A good 240 AIO or 360, or a decent Noctua big air cooler would be good (NH-D15/s).

Edit: Looking at that case, I don't think you would get a 360 in there. Can't find much on the case though to be sure.

 

[rtwilliam]

Hee's a list of most B550 boards and their prices.: B550 VRM DB sheet (Ver 1.8) - Google Sheets Also, but just as important, it tells you the phases for each mobo. For a slight to moderate OC an 8+2 phaes will get by, and should be sufficient for the 5800x. Ideally one with 12+2 would really ensure the 5800x will achieve it's max clocks.

The 5800x isn't the hottest CPU, but having a decent cooler is adviable. Again, just to ensure it's not throttling. A good 240 AIO or 360, or a decent Noctua big air cooler would be good (NH-D15/s).

Edit: Looking at that case, I don't think you would get a 360 in there. Can't find much on the case though to be sure.

Yeah, 360 AIO definitely isn’t going to fit. Went ahead and ordered a 240 AIO. Looks like there’s plenty of space for mounting at the top of my current case. Thanks for that Sheet by the way, I’ll look into getting a 12+2 board in the next week.

Really my only concern would be size restrictions inside the tower. I took a picture for reference with what I’ve currently got inside.

https://imgur.com/a/cHmCgLE

View: https://imgur.com/a/cHmCgLE

I did want to ask since earlier in the thread you mentioned I was gaming at pretty high temps for my CPU: whenever the crashes happened, Core Temp was reading CPU temps @ like 75C. Is that pretty high? I thought that was a pretty reasonable temp for gaming.