Question: Computer Shuts Down Unpredictably on Its Own
Question: Computer Shuts Down Unpredictably on Its Own
Hello everyone 👋
Two weeks ago my computer began shutting down unexpectedly. Once it powers off, the power LEDs on my GPU remain lit, but it won’t start when I press the power button. To get it running again, I have to reconnect the power cable. This problem returned after about a week.
I haven’t managed to pinpoint the cause because it happens randomly. It doesn’t seem related to temperature or drivers/system updates, which I always keep updated. Dust isn’t likely either, since I clean my PC regularly and recently dusted it. This issue seems to occur while I’m browsing the internet or gaming, not during high power usage.
A friend suggested trying to plug in the RAM sticks while the PC is off. It appears this resolves the problem temporarily—though if I don’t do that, the shutdown keeps happening repeatedly (see screenshot below).
I purchased a Kingston 32GB HyperX Fury DDR4 3200MHz in 2021. I’ve never removed or damaged the RAM and always use an antistatic strap when handling parts.
Another possible cause could be the power supply unit (PSU), as I bought it in 2017 (Corsair RM750x). I’m not sure if it’s faulty, but I’ve managed to play games without issues for a week. It’s hard to tell if it’s the PSU or something else. All other components are from 2020 or newer.
On 21/04/2024 there was a record of how often it shuts down without removing RAM. That was the first time this issue appeared, and I don’t mind those from 2023.
Next time it happens, I’ll enable logging in HWiNFO and wait for another shutdown. Hopefully that will provide more details, though I’m not sure if it saves anything when the PC just powers off.
The only certain method to confirm it is the PSU is to swap it with a verified working unit.
This HWiNFO log appears to terminate when the PC powers off. It might reveal information about what triggers the shutdown. I monitored War Thunder for most of the logging period. OneDrive link entry is present.
Another log ends with the shutdown. I was playing while it stopped.
OneDrive Link
The case includes the following items:
MSI B450 GAMING PRO CARBON AC
CORSAIR RM750X 80 Plus Gold
AMD Ryzen 5 5600X
ASUS ROG STRIX RTX 2070 SUPER GAMING OC
KINGSTON HYPERX FURY DDR4 32GB 3200Mhz (2x 16GB)
SAMSUNG 970 EVO PLUS SSD 250GB (Windows)
KINGSTON 120GB SSD (Extra)
SAMSUNG 860 QVO 1TB SSD (Games)
SEAGATE GUARDIAN BARRACUDA 2.5" 2TB HDD (Files)
SEAGATE BARRACUDA 3.5" 2TB HDD (almost broken, bad noises, too lazy to take it out)
To note, no overclocking has been performed.
The symptoms you mentioned are common for a PSU issue. It doesn't always happen during heavy use like gaming, but it often does. The system may shut down and restart. Starting the diagnosis by considering a donor PSU is a solid approach. If you don’t have one or can’t borrow it, take it to a nearby repair shop to test it—this could cost around 20£. Meanwhile, check which BIOS you’re running; an update might resolve the problem. Run memtest86+ on your RAM. Any errors other than '0' indicate faulty RAM.
I was just considering the BIOS. It seems like it might not be the newest version... But what could happen if it stops during the BIOS update?