My newly assembled computer frequently powers off and restarts itself.
My newly assembled computer frequently powers off and restarts itself.
Hey there, everyone. I hope this message isn't confusing. I need to go out for a 21st-party event now, so I won’t have time to proofread.
I’ve been dealing with some issues with my custom build I just finished. This usually occurs when I’m not using my PC—like when I’m sitting at my desk, barely doing anything except maybe streaming a few torrents. Suddenly it’ll just power down without warning and restart, as if someone flipped the switch on and off again at the wall.
I think it might be connected to overclocking. My machine has an i5 6600k, and I tried pushing it to 4.4ghz. Thanks to the Cooler Master Hyper 212x cooling solution, it stays cool—well under 30°C even during idle. So heat shouldn’t be the issue.
I’ve kept running Prime95 for hours without any errors, and my temperatures stay below 90°C when I run small FFTs (which also hover around 55-70°C while gaming in BF1). IntelBurnTest came back normal, and OCCT didn’t crash or report problems. Still, it happens occasionally—definitely something isn’t right.
Earlier, I ran OCCT for just 8 minutes and stopped it. In its graphs, I noticed strange spikes: the CPU usage would drop to zero and then jump back up abruptly, like a sudden dip in the chart. That didn’t seem normal.
Currently, I’m doing a Blend stress test on Prime95, with temperatures around 60-70°C. It’s strange that it doesn’t happen during stress tests but does randomly. Maybe the power supply unit is the culprit? Any help would be really appreciated.
Another clue came from my GTX 1070, which is also overclocked (+200 on core, +500 on memory).
Here’s my setup:
- Windows 10
- i5 6600k OC @ 4.4ghz
- GTX 1070 Gigabyte OC Mini ITX
- Asus Z170m-Plus motherboard
- Antec 600w PSU VP600P (tier 3, possibly the source)
- 8GB DDR4 2400MHz RAM
- 320GB HDD 7200rpm
- 500GB HDD 7200rpm
- 500GB HDD 5400rpm
(These drives are still in good shape after nearly a decade, and I haven’t seen any signs of failure.)
Overclocking settings are configured via the UEFI Bios Utility: [link]
Thanks for your support!
The overclocking failure seems related to a BIOS or CMOS battery problem.
I’d consider updating to the newest BIOS, or if you’ve already done that, try an older one.
Do you have a backup PSU available for testing? Or would you like me to suggest someone to borrow?
The fact that the PC shuts down unexpectedly points toward a power supply issue.
Yep I've got my old Thermaltake Litepower 600w lying around, I'll throw that in there when I get back and see how that goes. Will check bios updates. Thanks
The same issue occurred with mine too. I isolated my computer on a different circuit from the rest of the living room. It's unclear if this resolved the problem, but my GPU had a power cord with a splitter that wasn't reaching anywhere. I also used it in my fourth PCIe slot. No more issues since then.