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PC Shuts Off When Starting Programs (Resolved).


Best Answer Steffan87 , 14 October 2016 - 01:49 PM

Sorry for the late closure! Thank you so much to Geekstogo.com I consider myself IT capable and generally do not need help but you guys really got me out of a jam on this one!  It turns out no... Go to the full post »


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#1
Steffan87

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Hello everyone,

 I built my computer about 2 years ago and It has worked perfectly without any problems accept for the occasional trojan or malware here and there.

GIGABYTE x64 Motherboard
Windows 10 x64
12GB Ballistix RAM
Processor: AMD FX 6400-Six Core
GFX:  AMD Radeon R9 200
I forget the brand of power supply but it is 500W

I live in NH, we get power outages a lot because of falling trees etc. There has been 2 in the last month where my computer was on and it is connected to a regular 6 way no surge protection.

After the power came on I went onto my computer EVERYTHING STARTS UP and I can browse the web and do all that stuff with no problem. I started playing Xcom 2 and this is where the problem began. After 30-40 minutes of playing my computer shut down with no warning or error messages. I tried about 4-5 more times and still the same problem 30-40 min. Thinking it could be temp related I put a window fan directly on my exposed computer. It did help somewhat. 

Suddenly yesterday I turned on the computer, everything seems fine browsing etc. Then I noticed when I started Xcom 2 it would NOT get to its home screen before shutting off and hasn't since, I have tried different games such as Diablo 3 and Star Wars Battlefront but to no avail, the computer Shuts down before I can get to any home screen of the program. 

Thinking and hoping it was a software problem I freshly installed a new copy of windows 10 but to no avail. No game will reach the home screen. Now I'm a bit worried that its an expensive piece of hardware such as my processor, gfx card (Hoping it is just the power supply).  

I put my GFX card Into a new slot and also removed the heat sink to my processor which was very dust ridden, I cleaned out the heatsink and left the computer overnight to see if it might magically fix itself. 

The VERY odd thing about these shutdowns is the computer doesn't FULLY shut down. The front panel still shows power as ON with a blue LED light and my Network USB card stays on as well whereas the rest of the computer stops dead in its tracks fans and all. I literally have to press the back I/O switch to make the computer realize it is shutdown so I can boot it up again. 

Are there any sort of Diagnostics I can run on my system? I ran dxdiag and its saying my GFX/Sound has no problems. Please help lol

 


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#2
phillpower2

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:welcome:    Steffan87,

 

GFX:  AMD Radeon R9 200

 

 


 
I forget the brand of power supply but it is 500W

 

 

 

I put my GFX card Into a new slot and also removed the heat sink to my processor which was very dust ridden, I cleaned out the heatsink and left the computer overnight to see if it might magically fix itself. 

 

 

It is important that you tell us the exact brand and model name or number of both components, it is obvious that you know what you are doing inside of the case so obtaining the information should be easy for you.

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#3
Steffan87

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Sorry about that

Power Supply: Thermaltake TR2 500W ATX 12v 2.3
 

GFX: AMD Radeon R9 280 Gaming 3G

PCI EXPRESS 2.0 Slot

It's weird everything else is working flawlessly but when the computer kicks into high gear it seems to just stop in it's tracks like a fail safe or something. I just removed each component and put it back into place to make sure wires are connected fully and all drivers are up to date. It's rare I run into Hardware problems so I can't seem to diagnose it.
 


Edited by Steffan87, 16 September 2016 - 12:57 PM.

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#4
Steffan87

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UPDATE:

I just installed Age of Empires 2 ( a game from 2001 or so very low CPU/GFX usage) it works perfectly..... Newer games such as XCOM2 and WOW must be a bit more labor intensive for the computer. Anyone have any ideas?


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#5
phillpower2

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No worries, just like to make sure we have all of the required info  :thumbsup:

 

If the card here is the same as yours and likewise the PSU here is also what you have then it is less likely (but not impossible) that a weak PSU is the cause, the PSU puts out the required 38 amps but unfortunately it does not put out a full 500W all of the time, MSI has most likely overstated the PSU requirements and the max power output of 456W may be sufficient, we should check your temps and voltage outputs, please take them after doing some gaming

 

Update acknowledged, suggestion still the same, your hardware is way over what is needed to play any of those games but can I ask what speed your RAM is.

 

Tip

Please avoid adding multiple posts while waiting for us to reply to your last post, edit your last post to include anything that you wish to add, this will ensure nothing gets overlooked which can sometimes happen if a thread has more than one page. 

 

Please take expanded screenshots and only use the method below to attach them.

Download Speedfan and install it.  Once it's installed, run the program and post here the information it shows.  The information I want you to post is the stuff that is circled in the example picture I have attached.

If you are running on a vista machine, please go to where you installed the program and run the program as administrator.

 

speedfan.png

 (this is a screenshot from a vista machine)

 

Download then run HWMonitor and post a screenshot so that we have a comparison to the Speedfan results, details from here

 

To capture and post a screenshot;

 

Click on the ALT key + PRT SCR key..its on the top row..right hand side..now click on start...all programs...accessories...paint....left click in the white area ...press CTRL + V...click on file...click on save...save it to your desktop...name it something related to the screen your capturing... BE SURE TO SAVE IT AS A .JPG ...otherwise it may be to big to upload... Click on the More Reply Options tab then after typing in any response you have... click on Choose File...desktop...find the screenshot..select it and click on Attach This File...on the lower left...after it says upload successful...click on add reply like you normally would.

 

Screenshot instructions are provided to assist those that may read this topic but are not yet aware of the “how to”.


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#6
Steffan87

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Thank you so much for your thorough advice. Age of Empires 2 (2001) is the only "Intense" program I can run, I am going to play a 30-40 minute round of it and I will edit this post directly after with the results of the provided, information. I just realized there is a slight whine coming from the PSU. Also yes those are my Exact pieces of Hardware. Keep in mind there was a power surge 2 days ago when it began happening. 

Also, I am running Windows 10, I hated vista & 8. 

UPDATE NEW:
I was in the middle of a game of Age of Empires 2 I paused it for about 4 minutes after the game was running smoothly for about 15 min it then did the automatic shutdown. This is a very old and not a very intense program GFX wise but it still shut down mid game or so. Here are the readings from when I restarted the computer, I did it as quickly as possible.

Attached Thumbnails

  • GeekstogoSmcneil.jpg
  • Untitled.jpg

Edited by Steffan87, 16 September 2016 - 09:06 PM.

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#7
phillpower2

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Things of note in your screenshots and what is suggested below;

 

1: Temps and voltages mainly look ok with only a high DRAM voltage being shown in Speedfan, the reading could be anomalous.

 

2: There is no fan speed reported for the PSU so we cannot tell if the cooling fan is doing its job (the PSU uses an internal thermal sensor to control its fan speed so has no external cable that connects to a header on the MB where fan speeds would normally be detected).

 

3: You have high CPU usage for a computer that is not under any load.

 

Please restart your computer and check the temperatures/voltages in the BIOS, no screenshot is required just make a note of the temperatures and the +3.3V, +5V and the +12V and post them with your next reply.

 

NB: BIOS voltage readings.

The readings are not conclusive in the BIOS as the computer is under the least amount of load, if they are higher or lower than what they should be though it does suggest a PSU problem.

 

Will come back to the high CPU usage if still present after resolving this.

 

I just realized there is a slight whine coming from the PSU.

 

 

Are you certain that the whine is from the PSU and not the GPU, you may be able to determine this better by using a 2 or 3 foot length of aquarium air hose like a stethoscope to isolate the noise, if not available try using a straw, have a listen at the back of the case but be careful not to insert either into the insides of the PSU or case.

 

From my reply #5

 

can I ask what speed your RAM is.

 

 

Can you answer this for us + also tell us the exact model name or number (including any rev number) for the Gigabyte MB.

 

Is the PSU still under warranty.

 

You are welcome btw  :)


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#8
Steffan87

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Hey guys, 

I am not the best with MOBO BIOS but I think I got the correct information. I did take some shots with my phone, 

About 5 minutes ago I wrote this same post without anything else running in the background but as soon as I clicked "More posting options" my computer cut out as soon as I clicked it, Last night I simply pressed esc key while I was doing something online and it shutdown the second I pressed it. I think its deteriorating. 

1. I am positive the whine is coming from the PSU, I disconnected my GPU and ran the comp put my ear towards the PSU and it was obvious. 

2. RAM  -  Crucial Ballistix Sport 1600Mhz  9-9-9-24  1.5V

3. MOBO  -  GIGABYTE GA-970A-DS3P

4. Warranty - No I do not have a warranty for my PSU but that piece of hardware is the least of my financial problems. I'm just hoping its not the GPU or CPU.

 

Attached Thumbnails

  • IMG_1549.JPG
  • IMG_1552.JPG
  • IMG_1553.JPG

Edited by Steffan87, 17 September 2016 - 11:08 AM.

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#9
phillpower2

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Hello Steffan87,

 

Thanks for the pics, MB and RAM information  :thumbsup:

 

Everything looks good in the BIOS but can I suggest that you enable the CPU temp and fan fail warnings for the amount of fans that you have.

 

As you are 100% certain that you are hearing coil whine from the PSU I would suggest that you replace it asap, let us know in which country you reside and we will look for suitable PSUs there.

 

Can you see if you are able to run Speccy;

 

Download then run Speccy (free) and post the resultant url for us, details here,  this will provide us with information about your computer hardware + any software that you have installed that may explain the present issue/s. 


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#10
phillpower2

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Not heard back from you Steffan87, do you still require assistance or is the issue now resolved, an update would be appreciated.


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#11
Steffan87

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✓  Best Answer

Sorry for the late closure! Thank you so much to Geekstogo.com I consider myself IT capable and generally do not need help but you guys really got me out of a jam on this one!  It turns out not having the surge protection when the power transformer blew on my street did fry or limit the integrity of my power supply. I have since bought a new Corsair CX750M and my machine works like a charm. Thank the MOBO GPU CPU gods. Problem Solved.


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#12
phillpower2

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Glad you got it sorted and thank you for the follow up Steffan87  :thumbsup:


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