[SOLVED] PC suddenly shuts off after 15 minutes of gameplay - NOT overheating

[Brookcie1000]

My Specs
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Processor
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six-Core Processor
Number of Cores	12
Speed	4.2 GHz
Stepping	2
Family	17
Model	08
CPU ID	178BFBFF00800F82

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Memory
RAM	16 GB

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Video Card
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Chipset	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Manufacturer	Nvidia
Hardware T&L	Yes
Total Memory	14 GB
Dedicated Memory	6.0 GB
Driver Version	31.0.15.2802
Vertex Shader Version	5.1
Pixel Shader Version	5.1
Plug and Play ID	VEN_10DE&DEV_21C4&SUBSYS_87871043&REV_A1
Device	21C4
Vendor ID	10DE

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Operating System
Size	64-bit
Operating System	Windows 10
Version	10.0.19041
Service Pack	0
Locale	0C09

�

BIOS
BIOS	P4.50
Manufacturer	American Megatrends Inc.

The Issue
When I start up games, the game will work fine on max/low settings windowed/fullscreen for about 20 minutes before suddenly the whole system will shut off - screen off, computer off, fans stopped, complete sudden system off.

Solutions Tried
Overheating - Both the GPU and CPU do not go over 70 degrees at any point
PSU - I have replaced the PSU, issue persists
GPU - I have replaced the GPU, issue persists
RAM - Memtest86 ran overnight with 4 passes, RAM looks fine
I have taken out all parts (except CPU) and placed them back into motherboard, issue persists
Windows updated, issue persists
GPU drivers clean install to latest, issue persists
Clear CMOS and replace CMOS battery, issue persists
Cleaned case, no dust, good airflow, issue persists
Used different power point, issue persists
Used different PSU cable, issue persists


I have run out of answers or things to try, does anyone have any advice of what the hell is going on?

 

[z3bby]

Check software, such as if there is any services running causing it to do this. It could take a hell of a long time, but i’d check to see if any service is causing it to do this

 

[Bob.B]

My Specs
�

Processor
Processor	AMD Ryzen 5 2600X Six-Core Processor
Number of Cores	12
Speed	4.2 GHz
Stepping	2
Family	17
Model	08
CPU ID	178BFBFF00800F82

�

Memory
RAM	16 GB

�

Video Card
Video Card	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Chipset	NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 SUPER
Manufacturer	Nvidia
Hardware T&L	Yes
Total Memory	14 GB
Dedicated Memory	6.0 GB
Driver Version	31.0.15.2802
Vertex Shader Version	5.1
Pixel Shader Version	5.1
Plug and Play ID	VEN_10DE&DEV_21C4&SUBSYS_87871043&REV_A1
Device	21C4
Vendor ID	10DE

�

Operating System
Size	64-bit
Operating System	Windows 10
Version	10.0.19041
Service Pack	0
Locale	0C09

�

BIOS
BIOS	P4.50
Manufacturer	American Megatrends Inc.

The Issue
When I start up games, the game will work fine on max/low settings windowed/fullscreen for about 20 minutes before suddenly the whole system will shut off - screen off, computer off, fans stopped, complete sudden system off.

Solutions Tried
Overheating - Both the GPU and CPU do not go over 70 degrees at any point
PSU - I have replaced the PSU, issue persists
GPU - I have replaced the GPU, issue persists
RAM - Memtest86 ran overnight with 4 passes, RAM looks fine
I have taken out all parts (except CPU) and placed them back into motherboard, issue persists
Windows updated, issue persists
GPU drivers clean install to latest, issue persists
Clear CMOS and replace CMOS battery, issue persists
Cleaned case, no dust, good airflow, issue persists
Used different power point, issue persists
Used different PSU cable, issue persists


I have run out of answers or things to try, does anyone have any advice of what the hell is going on?

Take the side panel off the case.
Point a small fan at the innards.
See if it makes a diff.

 

[ohio_buckeye]

Didn’t see the make model of the power supply or the one you changed it to. Might be worth knowing that.

 

[--SID--]

What's the brand and model of the PSU, RAM and motherboard?
What storage. SSD or HDD and capacity?

 

[Brookcie1000]

Take the side panel off the case.
Point a small fan at the innards.
See if it makes a diff.

I will give this a go, but I'm doubtful.

 

[Brookcie1000]

Didn’t see the make model of the power supply or the one you changed it to. Might be worth knowing that.

Replaced a Silverstone 500W with a EVGA GOLD 500W PSU

 

[Brookcie1000]

What's the brand and model of the PSU, RAM and motherboard?
What storage. SSD or HDD and capacity?

PSU: EVGA 500W Gold
Ram: Corsair, x2 8Gb
SSD: Samsung SSD 860 EVO 1TB (OS operates on this)
HDD: WDC HD 1TB (contains images of backups from SSD)
Motherboard: AsRock AB350M Pro4

 

[--SID--]

Update motherboard BIOS to 5.90. Not newer because your cpu (Pinnacle Ridge) is not fully supported in more recent BIOS versions.

What's the exact part number and version number of the RAM?

 

[Brookcie1000]

RAM part number: CMK16GX4M2A2400C16

Version number: 1.20V ver 5.30

 

[Brookcie1000]

Update motherboard BIOS to 5.90. Not newer because your cpu (Pinnacle Ridge) is not fully supported in more recent BIOS versions.

What's the exact part number and version number of the RAM?

I have updated to V5.9 in the BIOS, thanks for the heads up about later version of BIOS not supporting my CPU - that could have been a mess. I am going to try running the games now and see if anything has changed. See above for the RAM info.

 

[Brookcie1000]

Update motherboard BIOS to 5.90. Not newer because your cpu (Pinnacle Ridge) is not fully supported in more recent BIOS versions.

What's the exact part number and version number of the RAM?

Okay, I have updated the BIOS to 5.90 and I am still getting this same issue.

20 minutes of game play and then BOOM, blackout system shuts off.

 

[ptTimeBldr]

Have you always experienced this with this system? If not, did you make any hardware changes before it started happening?

 

[alceryes]

With the components you've replaced/tested, the only components left are motherboard and CPU.
Run Prime95 blended stress test (all AVX off) for at least 30 mins to see if you get a shutdown.

Have you performed a visual inspection of the motherboard? Checked for burn marks, distended capacitors, or anything else that appears off?

 

[Brookcie1000]

Have you always experienced this with this system? If no, did you make any hardware changes before it started happening?

Have you always experienced this with this system? If not, did you make any hardware changes before it started happening?

I recall this started to happen some time last year or the year before, and I just gave up playing games.

I recently thought to myself 'hey, why did I stop playing games' and tried it out, then it all came flooding back this issue and why I never tried to play games again.

So basically this began ages ago, but I have just avoided playing games but now I want to fix this.

 

[SkyNetRising]

20 minutes of game play and then BOOM, blackout system shuts off.

Typically this is because of either thermal shutdown (CPU) or PSU protections kicking in.
Note - PSU can also overheat, if PSU fan died.
I'd suspect high transient power spikes generated by GPU tripping PSU protections.

Try lowering GPU power target with MSI Afterburner. To like 80%.
If that fixes the issue, you need a higher wattage PSU.

 

[Brookcie1000]

Typically this is because of either thermal shutdown (CPU) or PSU protections kicking in.
Note - PSU can also overheat, if PSU fan died.
I'd suspect high transient power spikes generated by GPU tripping PSU protections.

Try lowering GPU power target with MSI Afterburner. To like 80%.
If that fixes the issue, you need a higher wattage PSU.

So you're suggesting two different GPUs are likely to cause the same transient power spikes? It seems strange to me that it would happen for two different GPUs.

I've also replaced the PSU so it's doubtful that it's an overheating PSU, and as I stated CPU is not overheating.

I will try to underclock my GPU power target and see if it does anything.

 

[Brookcie1000]

With the components you've replaced/tested, the only components left are motherboard and CPU.
Run Prime95 blended stress test (all AVX off) for at least 30 mins to see if you get a shutdown.

Have you performed a visual inspection of the motherboard? Checked for burn marks, distended capacitors, or anything else that appears off?

I have run Prime95 for about 60 min and had temps of 75 - 80 C for the duration. There was no wanrings or errors and no sudden shutdown.

That tells me that it's unlikely to be any issue with CPU or capacitor issues near the CPU, however I will look near the GPU to see if any capacitors are covered and overheating.

 

[Brookcie1000]

I have found a POTENTIAL issue which may cause this.

See the PCIE slot ABOVE the battery? That is currently where my GPU is inserted, now also notice the capacitor below it on the left.

I noticed that my GPU covers this capacitor, and potentially could overheat from the GPU running.


So while the GPU temps are fine, they may heat these capacitors to a temp which causes the system to shut down suddenly.

I will google if anyone else has had issues with these capacitors, and I'll TRY to move my GPU down, however it's doubleful as it looks like it will crush the bottom USB pin connectors.

 

[Brookcie1000]

Who has two thumbs and found a solution?

points to chest with thumbs

THIS GUY

Okay, with alceryes push I decided to investigate issues with the motherboard. I knew it wasn't the CPU or anything near the CPU as a stress test found nothing, but a GPU stress test caused a system shut off instantly at the usual 20 minute mark.

This is my motherboard, and as per the reply above the two capacitors are just below the PCIe 3 slot (I am unable to use the other PCIe 3 slot because of the USB pins below). I covered the side of my GPU with a Jatz Crackers box I cut out and stick taped, this created a physical barrier between the TINY gap between the GPU heat sink and the two capacitors.

This barrier appears to have solved the crashing issue, as for why it only started happening this past 12 months, maybe it's just a natural decline in the capacitors ability to run at certian temperatures.

In a nutshell: It turns out it WAS an overheating issue, but it was the transient heat from the GPU heat sink which heated up the two capacitors close by the PCIe 3 slot which the GPU was plugged in. Creating a physical barrier between these two capacitors and the GPU heatsink was enough the protect the capacitors from overheating and causing a system sudden shut off.

 

[ptTimeBldr]

I recall this started to happen some time last year or the year before, and I just gave up playing games.

I recently thought to myself 'hey, why did I stop playing games' and tried it out, then it all came flooding back this issue and why I never tried to play games again.

So basically this began ages ago, but I have just avoided playing games but now I want to fix this.

Right, so this started happening some time ago, but did you make any hardware changes before this problem started?

 

[Brookcie1000]

Right, so this started happening some time ago, but did you make any hardware changes before this problem started?

I believe I've solved the issue, see above. It was degraded capacitors that are now more sensitive to the heat from the GPU.

 

[ptTimeBldr]

I believe I've solved the issue, see above. It was degraded capacitors that are now more sensitive to the heat from the GPU.

Ok, yes - just re-read it. Glad you got it sorted.