What unusual and unpredictable power issues am I facing?
What unusual and unpredictable power issues am I facing?
Hello everyone, I hope you're having a great day.
I'd like to share my build details first:
Processor: Ryzen 5 2600
RAM: Patriot viper elite 2x8 GB at 2666MHz
Motherboard: Gigabyte B450 Aorus Elite
GPU: Gigabyte GTX 1060 6 GB
Power Supply: Corsair RM650x
Right now everything is back to the original specifications (no overclocking). I ran into some issues that I had to revert to default settings.
My problem is difficult to reproduce because it doesn't happen often. Sometimes, once or twice a week, I experience a sudden power loss about five minutes after launching Windows. It's odd since it occurs regardless of what I'm doing—whether I'm playing a game or just browsing on the desktop. This issue can happen either way.
I tried stress testing after turning on my PC, but again, everything worked fine and I didn't face any problems. I performed stress tests using prime95 combined with a GPU-intensive workload, even for about four hours without any issues.
Temperatures are normal: CPU max temperature reached 58°C during the test, while the GPU stayed around 70°C in the lower range.
When the problem does occur, there are two possible situations:
1. A sudden power loss with everything completely dead—no restarting at all. It's like disconnecting the power cable and leaving it that way.
2. A sudden power loss followed by the computer starting on its own after 10-15 seconds. This happens less frequently, though the first type is much more common.
I suspect either the PSU or the motherboard might be faulty, but I'm leaning toward the motherboard. It's hard to understand why the PSU would behave this way when it normally works perfectly under full load.
What do you all think? This situation is really frustrating because it happens so rarely and I can't reproduce it.
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated 😊.
Examine Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, and informational events.
If you notice many different errors that seem to point to the PSU, power issues might be the main concern. These problems can be challenging.
Check Task Manager and Resource Monitor to monitor system performance (use each once only).
Restart the computer, open the relevant window, and observe any changes around the 5-minute point when power loss happens.
Search the Task Scheduler for any applications or utilities launching near that time.
Determine how long the Corsair 650 watt PSU has been in use—has it been heavily used for gaming, video editing, or mining?
It might just be approaching its End of Life and after about 5 minutes some...
Examine Reliability History and Event Viewer for error codes, warnings, and informational events.
If many different errors appear, it might point to the PSU as a likely cause. Power issues can be difficult to diagnose.
Run Task Manager and Resource Monitor to check system performance (use each once only).
Start up, open the relevant window, and observe any changes around the 5-minute point when power loss happens.
Check Task Scheduler for any applications or utilities launching near that time.
How long has the Corsair 650 watt PSU been used? Heavy gaming, video editing, or mining?
It might be close to its End of Life (EOL) and after about 5 minutes some part could overheat and shut down.
Do you have a multimeter and know how to operate it? Or do you have someone with experience?
https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-manually...er-2626158
This isn’t a complete load test since the PSU isn’t fully under stress. Any voltages outside normal ranges raise suspicion.
The tests you performed might have been stress tests for the components being checked.
It doesn’t necessarily mean the PSU is faulty.
I just checked the PSU using a multimeter and everything seems fine.
The readings are:
+12V - displays 12.00V
+5V - shows 5.01V
+3.3V - shows 3.30V
These values are very close, but without any load they don't tell us much.
The PSU is only a year and ten months old... I also have a 7-year warranty, so it shouldn’t be near its end.
You’re right that stress testing isn’t ideal, but it’s the only way I know to see how the computer handles power. What’s interesting is that it powers off even when nothing is happening... I suspect there should be no noticeable load when the system is idle—whether I’m browsing or playing a simple game like Age of Empires.
I’ll follow your suggestions with the task scheduler and event viewer this evening and let you know what I find.
I’ll also attempt a stress test right after turning on my computer... I never did that before. I always waited until it had already powered off once.
EDIT:
Checked both reliability history and the event viewer—there are no errors leading up to the sudden shutdown. The only events are a kernel power-up and an error after restarting, which suggests an unexpected shutdown.
I don’t have many scheduled tasks... most run at log on and just check updates (like Google, GeForce Experience, Adobe Acrobat).
I also just did a quick clean; there was a little dust, but nothing serious. I noticed a small greyish stain on the motherboard near the ATX 24-pin connector. It looked like thermal paste... I used Arctic MX-4 and, according to what I know, that’s not conductive.
I’m currently doing more stress testing after the clean—no shutdowns so far, and I’ve been running for about 40 minutes. This is the first time I started my PC today, so if it keeps running like this, there’s a high chance it won’t shut down anymore. I’ll probably shut it down manually and try other scenarios.
One more point:
Could plugged-in peripherals cause this issue? I have several devices connected—DACs, AMPs, mic, cam, controller. Right now I’m only using the essentials. My guess is there might be too much power draw on the +5V rail... though most of my peripherals were off when the problem started, so it’s unclear.
Just wanted to make a small update on my situation.
After I cleaned everything the problem just simply vanished. 1 week passed since and no sudden power loss.
I've tried to reproduce every scenario that lead to the problem, but... it just runs smoothly now. I'm a bit in shock because there was a minimal amount of dust there, as I usually clean it once every 2-3 months. The only strange thing was that small amount of thermal paste (I'm not entirely sure if it was thermal paste though) near the 24pin ATX connector. I re-applied thermal paste on my CPU more than 6 months ago, so I don't really understand how the problem suddenly appeared after a couple of months. Strange stuff, eh.
Well, I'll mark this as solved in a few days... I just need to be completely sure that everything is working fine indeed.
Thanks for the help
@Ralston18
!
It seems you might have just moved something back into position while cleaning or adjusting it. Or perhaps you gave it a stronger hold. If the issue persists, turn it off, unplug it, and reopen the case. Check that all cards, cables, RAM, and jumpers are securely seated. They can shift slightly over time because of temperature changes.
This situation makes me suspect that one of the capacitors is faulty. Ref this picture <
link> - You have four capacitors near the ATX power connector. If one shorts, it likely explains why the PSU cut power and also confirms your PSU protection works. My thought is the motherboard might be damaged too. Just to note: if you've been using the computer for a week, it could mean the capacitor damage happened from repeated short circuits.
I just inspected the capacitors near the 24pin ATX connector and everything appears normal—no signs of leakage detected.
The orange square marks the stain location; I also scanned the entire board for damaged capacitors, but none were found.
All systems are functioning properly so far. Cleaning didn’t cause any issues.