Random PC Shutdowns.

[Jeremy_71]

Hi all,

Been having this random issue for while now and im at a loss as to what might be causing it.

My PC occasionally shuts down at random, mostly while playing games, some days i can play game with no issues and others it shuts down every 5-10 minutes when I boot up a game.

Here is the latest on my temps and speeds from HWMonitor:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/4kq5oqirk81u8xr/HWMonitor.txt?dl=0

http://imgur.com/a/0zTbu

http://imgur.com/a/lk3TB

I've done a small bit of research on temps and they all seem to be in the right area to operate in, so im passing this info a long to someone who may know more then me about these kinds of issues.

Any help would be appreciated.

Jeremy.

EDIT: Added Imgur links as well as the drop box link.

 

[MeanMachine41]

HWMonitor indicates a massive undervoltage on the 12V rail and the probable cause off shutdown under load. Rail voltages have to be within +/- 5% to be on spec. Swap out the PSU with a known working unit of the same or higher Wattage or have your unit tested under load.

Also core temps are high at 60C if this is at idle, which I think it is as pic shows only MAX 23% core utilization at time of screen shot.

 

[Jeremy_71]

HWMonitor indicates a massive undervoltage on the 12V rail and the probable cause off shutdown under load. Rail voltages have to be within +/- 5% to be on spec. Swap out the PSU with a known working unit of the same or higher Wattage or have your unit tested under load.

Also core temps are high at 60C if this is at idle, which I think it is as pic shows only MAX 23% core utilization at time of screen shot.

The screen was taken about 4 minutes after the shutdown and everything was still warmish from being under load from gaming. CPU temp is currently sitting at around 40-50C whilst not under any load.

Everything is basically cold to the touch now and the PSU is blowing out cool air.

So swap out the PSU and some heatsink compound on the cpu should fix the crashing?

Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[James Mason]

PSU swapping is most likely the fix though.
CPU is definitely a bit hot for idle temps. And with a CPU as old as yours if you've never changed the CPU cooler or replaced the thermal paste it may be worn out.
Also, maybe clean the dust out of your case?

 

[Jeremy_71]

The case is cleaned of dust every 2 weeks, and i've replaced the heatsink compound on multiple occasions, id say its just the sheer age of the CPU.

I have a new mobo, RAM and CPU, I just need the new PSU to be able to run the new hardware, so now this has given me the excuse to spend the money. lol.

Well thanks for all the advice, ill replace the PSU and put in my new hardware and see if I have any more issues.

Thanks for all the replies.

 

[Jeremy_71]

Got some new screens of HWMonitor under load, everything seems boiling in my pc now.

http://imgur.com/a/s85bI

http://imgur.com/a/7VocD

CPU is very hot, GPU I can't even touch it's that hot and same goes for the PSU.

And as soon as I stop gaming, everything is cool to the touch in no time, I assume that's a good sign?

 

[MeanMachine41]

Your cooling system is not doing it's job under load and that is a bad sign Jeremy.
You will have to re-apply your thermal paste and possibly upgrade your cooling system and case fans.
If you keep using your system at those temperatures it will degrade the CPU and that is irreversible damage.
The CPU would be throttling down as indicated in your core MIN to 1177Mhz and performance would be really bad.
Don't keep using the system in this condition.
It's time to list all your current system specs and recommendations will be made to fix it.
Include the Case, MB ,current cooler, RAM Part No, GPU and PSU.

 

[Jeremy_71]

Your cooling system is not doing it's job under load and that is a bad sign Jeremy.
You will have to re-apply your thermal paste and possibly upgrade your cooling system and case fans.
If you keep using your system at those temperatures it will degrade the CPU and that is irreversible damage.
The CPU would be throttling down as indicated in your core MIN to 1177Mhz and performance would be really bad.
Don't keep using the system in this condition.
It's time to list all your current system specs and recommendations will be made to fix it.
Include the Case, MB ,current cooler, RAM Part No, GPU and PSU.

Case is just a random one I bought from the local computer store, it has 2 system fans. Motherboard is a Gigabyte GA-H55M-S2H, I have 16gb of Kingston DDR3 RAM 1333mhz, GPU is an Nvidia GeForce GTX 960 and finally the PSU is a really old 550watt 80 plus Bronze Thermaltake. Cooling consists of x2 system fans attached to the inside of the case, the CPU heatsink fan, the fan on the GPU.

As a side note, the upgrades I currently have ill list below:

-Intel core i7-2600k 3.4ghz CPU
-A Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 Motherboard
-8gb of Veritech 1333mhz DDR3 RAM

I have ceased all gaming, only browsing and my kids are watching dvd's on it. If that isn't safe either let me know. Everything seems cool now and im keeping a very close eye on the temps through HWMonitor.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Let me do a little more research and ill come back tomorrow as its late here.
Just keep a close eye on your temps.

 

[MeanMachine41]

It is as I said, You will have to replace the cooler and replace your Thermal paste.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a reasonable performing cooler for your MB and CPU and only costs around 30$.
Try to research the Tower case you have and see if its possible to add more inlet or extraction fans.
Photos of the unit may help to identify it or to get an idea of what you can do.
I would also consider the PSU. If its really old, inefficient or failing, this in itself can cause overheating and possibly damage other hardware.
Get yourself a tube of AS5 or MX4 for your thermal paste. They both have excellent thermal conductivity.
If your not sure how to do any of this then just ask.

 

[Jeremy_71]

It is as I said, You will have to replace the cooler and replace your Thermal paste.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a reasonable performing cooler for your MB and CPU and only costs around 30$.
Try to research the Tower case you have and see if its possible to add more inlet or extraction fans.
Photos of the unit may help to identify it or to get an idea of what you can do.
I would also consider the PSU. If its really old, inefficient or failing, this in itself can cause overheating and possibly damage other hardware.
Get yourself a tube of AS5 or MX4 for your thermal paste. They both have excellent thermal conductivity.
If your not sure how to do any of this then just ask.

Thanks for all your replies, I shall purchase one of those coolers asap, I have a tube of paste ready to go, just waiting on a new PSU to arrive. I also purchased a new case and fans, as the old one had no more room.

 

[Jeremy_71]

It is as I said, You will have to replace the cooler and replace your Thermal paste.
The Cooler Master Hyper 212 Plus is a reasonable performing cooler for your MB and CPU and only costs around 30$.
Try to research the Tower case you have and see if its possible to add more inlet or extraction fans.
Photos of the unit may help to identify it or to get an idea of what you can do.
I would also consider the PSU. If its really old, inefficient or failing, this in itself can cause overheating and possibly damage other hardware.
Get yourself a tube of AS5 or MX4 for your thermal paste. They both have excellent thermal conductivity.
If your not sure how to do any of this then just ask.

Ok so, ive done as you suggested and im not sure where to go from here. Ill post some screens from HWMonitor and see if anything has improved. I put in a whole new Mobo, CPU, PSU, New paste and cleaned what little dust their was off all the hardware.

I am slightly worried about a small but continuous beep when my pc starts up, it boots normally after said beep but it still worries me.

New specs are:

-Intel Core i7 2600k @ 3.4ghz
-8gb of RAM (Will add more later)
-Nvidia GTX 960
-x2 500gb HDD's
-Gigabyte GA-Z68XP-UD3 (rev. 1.0) motherboard.

I've installed most of my drivers, should I also install these drivers for said Mobo? Ive installed audio and my GPU, never had experiences with mobo drivers so im unaware if their needed.

http://www.gigabyte.com.au/products/product-page.aspx?pid=3892#dl

Also here are the updated pics from HWMonitor, id love to know if the load temps are fine, im a bit worried about 70 degrees C GPU temps though, if someone could clarify if their fine id be grateful.

http://imgur.com/a/fL83E

http://imgur.com/a/PDFWb

http://imgur.com/a/PNCxr

http://imgur.com/a/OlMVM

Lastly, when I bent down to listen for noises coming from anywhere inside the case, I heard a small thumping noise coming from one of the two HDD's, their both pretty close together, could it possibly be I need to move them further apart or is there another cause? Both are running and I can access files from both drives as normal.

Cheers,

Jeremy

EDIT: Added load temps for the CPU and GPU

 

[MeanMachine41]

I see no issues with temperature from CPU and the GPU is fine at 70C under load.
Your beep at startup is an indication that the system is passing Post and handing over to your OS. So no worries there. If it annoys you then disconnect it. Not needed once the system is stable.

I'm not sure really what you mean by a small bump around your HDD drives. I don't think you have any worries as its probably the platter movement inside the drive. I can't be 100% tho.

I take it your system is not shutting down randomly as before or since you did your upgrades.?

If you add more RAM, buy a kit the size and frequency you want. Don't try to mix kits as you may have issues. Keep the ones you have as spares.

 

[Jeremy_71]

I see no issues with temperature from CPU and the GPU is fine at 70C under load.
Your beep at startup is an indication that the system is passing Post and handing over to your OS. So no worries there. If it annoys you then disconnect it. Not needed once the system is stable.

I'm not sure really what you mean by a small bump around your HDD drives. I don't think you have any worries as its probably the platter movement inside the drive. I can't be 100% tho.

I take it your system is not shutting down randomly as before or since you did your upgrades.?

If you add more RAM, buy a kit the size and frequency you want. Don't try to mix kits as you may have issues. Keep the ones you have as spares.

Ok on the beep, I thought it was a bit longer then the usual one im used too, its fine I won't need to disconnect it

Thanks for the advice on the loads, ill test it flat out gaming and see if it shuts down and illl get back to you on that front.

As for the HDD, im not sure how to explain it, it's just a thudding noise, not entirely sure, it's probably nothing but ill keep an eye on it.

I was going to try the old RAM from my other board, its the same frequency, but on your advice I think ill just buy a whole new kit, it can fit upto 32gigs.

Also on the question of mobo drivers, are they essential? Im not even sure if windows auto downloads a preset driver or one from Gigabyte is needed.

Again thanks for your help Mean Machine, I appreciate your swift responses and ill get back to you tomorrow with an update on whether it still crashes, so far under 0 load, by 0 load I mean just browsing and watching youtube, no crashes though.

 

[Jeremy_71]

Well since i've upgraded everything all is well, 0 random shutdowns and and temps seem fine. Thanks Mean Machine for all the help, if I ever need more help I know where to come.

Cheers,

Jeremy.

 

[MeanMachine41]

Your Welcome Jeremy and so glad you have it sorted.
As for MB driver, if that's what your mean, the one of concern is your Chipset driver. They would have that at the MB Manufacturers site. You can also go into your Device Manager in Windows to check for all your driver updates.