Question Computer stops unexpectedly with a clicking noise when under intense CPU use, but fails to restart.
Question Computer stops unexpectedly with a clicking noise when under intense CPU use, but fails to restart.
Over the past couple of days, my PC has begun shutting down unpredictably with a clicking sound, similar to what I hear when starting up. Unlike typical crashes, it doesn’t immediately reboot. When I try to power it back on, nothing happens and the machine won’t turn on until I disconnect it from power and then reconnect it properly. This issue occurred three times while trying to open CSGO/Valorant, with Google Chrome running in the background at each time—once with Chrome alone, twice during a recent reboot. The last two shutdowns displayed a white/grey screen with a black line across horizontally.
The CPU audio lights remain lit every time it powers off randomly. I’m not sure if this points to the motherboard, power supply unit, CPU, or GPU. My suspicion leans toward the motherboard or PSU, since I feel like the shutdown happens when there’s a sudden surge of power needed for the CPU during loading, which causes fans to speed up before it stops.
Is there any way to determine the cause? Or should I consider returning it for repair? Thanks in advance!
The problem is most likely the PSU as I've had a similar experience with mine. Could you share your PC specs?
Components listed include: power supply fan, case fans, hard drive, and possibly others.
AMD Ryzen 9 5900X, ASUS ROG Strix X570-I, Corsair Vengeance LPX (2 x 8 GB) DDR4-4000 CL16 Memory, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Founders Edition, Corsair SF750 W 80+ Platinum SFX Power Supply, 2 x Phanteks T30 and 1 x NF-A12x15 PWM chromax.black.swap, 1 x Samsung 970 Pro 1TB, 1 x Samsung 980 Pro 2TB, 1 x Samsung 870 Evo 4TB. The 'click' sound resembles the noise generated when booting up the PC using a screwdriver to connect the motherboard pins.