My enhanced setup continues shutting down upon startup
My enhanced setup continues shutting down upon startup
A few days back I upgraded my system, changing three components: the processor, motherboard, and RAM. For a while it worked well, but after updating the BIOS it began to cause issues. The machine would shut down after some time, sometimes just a few minutes, and occasionally for an hour or two. I also performed stress tests, suspecting a power supply problem, but during those tests the system functioned normally until it suddenly turned off. When it did, the CPU and GPU fans continued to run, though there was no display signal, and the CPU debug light remained active.
I attempted lowering the voltage, thinking it might resolve power optimization issues in the BIOS, but that didn’t fix the issue.
WHAT I BELIEVE IS THE PROBLEM
If the CPU is the cause, the system likely won’t boot at all. The power supply seems fine, as stress testing showed normal operation. I suspect the motherboard is the root cause. Please share your thoughts.
System specs:
CPU – Ryzen 5 3600
Cooler – Deepcool GammaX GT
Motherboard – MSI B450 A Pro
RAM – GSKILL Ripjaws 3200MHz
GPU – GTX 1060 6GB
Storage – 128GB SATA SSD, 1TB HDD
Power Supply – Master MWE 450
Did you reinstall Windows using the new components? Which BIOS version is currently installed? Have you reset the BIOS after updating to investigate potential issues? Try running userbenchmark.com and share the link of your results, for example: https://www.userbenchmark.com/UserRun/28977730. Reset the BIOS via jumper clrCMOS or JBAT or something similar (you may need to adjust boot priority afterward). Verify Windows integrity. Open Command Prompt as administrator and execute DISM /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth. https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-open-an-...pt-2618088. Refer to the answers section on Microsoft support for more details. Clean boot process explained in Microsoft Support. Check memory using memtest.org with a bootable USB flash drive. Run RAM at 2133MHz to see if it behaves similarly. Examine the hard drive for errors using its manufacturer’s tool and consider updating firmware if available.
I noticed a few errors after updating the BIOS; I didn’t clear the CMOS even though I attempted to do it later. The drive I was using wasn’t a fresh installation—it was just swapped. So after your reply, I took these steps:
1. Used the jumper pins to clear the CMOS and restored default settings after the auto-restart; no BIOS changes were made yet (Bios version 7B86vA8, recommended for Ryzen 5 3600).
2. Performed a fresh Windows installation via USB (Windows 11), though the PC crashed once during setup but completed successfully on the second try without crashes or shutdowns.
3. Installed chipset, GPU, and audio drivers.
So far it’s been over an hour and the system is functioning well. If anything goes wrong, I’ll run the tests you suggested and keep you updated. Thank you for your prompt assistance; it has been very helpful so far.
So far my setup worked well after installing Windows, but today I powered on the PC for more testing and it restarted several times—just a few minutes each time. It didn’t run long enough to complete memory tests because it would shut down repeatedly. I replaced my memory with a Hyper X 2133MHz single stick (my GSKill RAM was also at that speed, two sticks), but it crashed again, so I’m not sure the problem is with the RAM.
I also tried a clean boot, which caused a crash once. After a few restarts, the system started working normally for a while. I decided to check for Windows integrity issues as suggested by TITAN. The log file is available at windir\Logs\CBS\CBS.log for online fixes, or in the offline repair log provided with the /OFFLOGFILE flag.
The list of logs is quite long and I’m not sure what it means. Let me know if anyone needs the full log details.
UPDATE: After all this, my system crashed once more—does that mean the motherboard is faulty?
It might be PSU or HDD/SSD too. Verify the hard drive using its manufacturer's tool and, if possible, update the firmware. User benchmarks indicate your BIOS is outdated—have you installed the newest BIOS from here?
https://www.msi.com/Motherboard/B450-A-PRO/support
Monitor CPU temperatures.