The PC is experiencing some mysterious problems.
The PC is experiencing some mysterious problems.
I purchased a new PC in December last year. It performed well for some time, but about two months ago I encountered a problem where the RGB fans would flicker as if the color change button was stuck, and the CPU fan would halt under heavy use. At that point, I upgraded to a B450 Strix gaming motherboard, which let me connect my fans directly instead of through a remote-controlled splitter. After that switch, the setup felt more stable.
However, recently I started experiencing internet drops without warning—my connection would cut out at random times, even during boot or idle. The troubleshooter suggested an issue with the Ethernet card not having a valid IP address. Despite following numerous fixes and reading tutorials, nothing resolved the problem. Occasionally, the CPU fan would stop spinning for a second before restarting, followed by the RGB fans flickering again.
Interestingly, the system remains stable overall—no crashes or blue screens, and I haven’t seen any performance throttling. I initially suspected a power supply issue, but testing under load showed high usage (around 450W) without problems. The power meter confirmed this, yet the issue still occurred. I’ve also noticed the power in my home seems to fluctuate, especially upstairs.
Could there be an electrical problem affecting only certain areas? If so, how might that be causing these specific symptoms? I’m unsure what the root cause is and would greatly appreciate any advice. My streaming setup stays downstairs while the office remains upstairs, so I don’t want to disrupt that.
Fans stopping can be beneficial in many modern setups, reducing speed when temperatures drop. When I’m not gaming, my PC has no fans running. Still, there might be power issues at home—consider using a UPS to stabilize voltage or check for nearby electrical interference like cell towers or antennas. You could test connecting your PC via an extension cord from a lower outlet upstairs to see if the problem lies with the outlet or local EM interference. These unusual cases are notoriously difficult to diagnose.
Yeah, the fans stay on at low speed when it cools down but they shouldn't shut off completely. The CPU fan also briefly stops for about a second before coming back on, then turns off again and on again. This seems to happen more often when the system is busy, like during heavy internet use or while watching a 4K YouTube video. It usually happens when streaming, especially if the nearest cell tower is far because of the forest nearby. Thanks for the tip!