Random Reboots - PSU or Mobo?

[ncook6]

I am trying to figure out why my computer randomly reboots mainly during gaming. I have been using Open Hardware Monitor, just to make sure its not overheating, but it happens so sudden and randomly, it is hard for me to tell. I can tell it is about to reboot because for a split second, the screen freezes and I heard a buzzing sound coming out of the speakers.

I am leaning more towards my mobo because I am also having issues with a sound out port on the back I/O. I have to connect to the front case's headphone jack to get audio to my speakers. I am trying to narrow it down to which component because I can afford one but not multiple devices. Now I know my components are not the newest (built computer about 8 years ago) and I am looking at doing systematic upgrades when I have more funds, but right now it is very frustrating when I try and play a game and it reboots at random intervals

I am mainly looking for some troubleshooting tips on how to narrow down which component is having issues.

Specs:
Mobo - MSI NF750-G55 (MS-7578)
CPU - AMD Phenom II X4 965 Processor
Video - EVGA GeForce GTX 950 FTW Edition (02G-P4-2958-KR)
RAM - G.Skill Ripjaws X Series 16GB DDR3 2133 (Model F3-2133X10D-16GXM)
PSU - Corsair TX Series CMPSU-750TX 750W

 

[Pat Flynn]

A few thing to check:
1.- Does this happen when you touch the case, or try to plug in a USB device? If so, it's a chassis ground issue which is nearly impossible to fix on AMD systems. Certain computer cases have extra grounding on the USB ports which negate this (Inwin for example does this).
2.- Have you tried running Memtest 86 for at least 2 passes to see if your ram is faulty? This is a common cause for lock ups
3.- Try another video card if you have access to one
4.- If you are overclocking, reset your bios to factory defaults and try again
5.- Try another power bar, and/or plug into an outlet in another room (grounding issues?)
6.- Run a scan on your HDD for bad sectors (or do a SMART check to see if there's any sector relocation events)

Also, does the machine always lock up, or does it occasionally BSOD? Try running a program called 'Bluescreenview' (google it). It'll tell you if there's any BSOD's in the Windows Event Viewer. If there are any there, see if they are all the same. If they are, this will help point to a specific hardware fault (more googling involved). If they are all random, I can almost guarantee it's faulty ram or bad sectors on your HDD.

Hope this helps!