Computer stops working, silence everywhere but fans spinning and lights flickering.
Computer stops working, silence everywhere but fans spinning and lights flickering.
In the past few weeks my pc has been acting up. When I power it on and jump into a game, after a short while it freezes completely. Nothing responds except the lights and fans running at a normal speed. I’d have to turn it off and back on. Sometimes it would boot up again but the monitors, keyboard, or mouse wouldn’t work. Other times it would start normally for hours or just crash after a few seconds. The second crash could appear as a loading screen or nothing at all. My girlfriend started asking about my extension cords because I’d plugged all my cables into one. I thought maybe too many cords were the issue, so I switched to using only one extension cord connected directly to the wall. After that, the problem seemed resolved for two days. Today it happened again. This time the game crashed right after launching, even though temperatures were comfortable. I was worried since the last crash and had been using Open Hardware often. The fans kept spinning and the RGB lights stayed on. No strange events in Event Viewer. I ran SFC/Scannow, used mdsched, and performed two full system resets. I’m guessing there’s a hardware problem now. I really need help because this is frustrating and slow.
What are your current temperatures? CPU and GPU readings when idle versus under load? High temps can lead to these kinds of problems. A defective graphics card or power supply might also be involved. I'll measure the temps and share the results here. If the issue isn't resolved by removing the GPU from your system and using just your integrated graphics, it may point to a power supply problem. You'd need to test another PSU in a different setup to confirm.
Your current GPU temperatures are within normal ranges, but your CPU is running hotter than usual. Upgrading your power supply might help, though it’s best to check the GPU first. Since you’re concerned about damage, ensure the new PSU is compatible and stable before testing. The warranty covers issues related to the GPU, so if the problem is GPU-related, it should be addressed. Also, consider whether RAM could be the cause—though your current setup seems solid.
If your GPU is bad it usually wouldn't damage the power supply, so if you have a new one I'd say you're fine to just test it. It is possible it could be ram related though most of the time faulty ram will cause a bluescreen or an instant system crash/shutdown. You can run Windows memory diagnostic or memtest if you want to test the ram or if you have a compatible kit in a different system you can swap it out.
I'm not the biggest tech enthusiast, sorry. No fancy tools are lying around. My system came from 2017 in August, so it's quite old. I plan to check my power supply tomorrow. Let me know if you have any ideas!
It was my Power supply unit. It has been functioning smoothly for about 4 to 5 days since installing the new PSU. After powering off, it provides power for 3 to 4 seconds. This behavior suggests I last saw it six months ago before it began malfunctioning. Everything seems to be operating correctly with the updated PSU.