PC shuts down while gaming

Overlordhavoc · 09-09-2008, 08:46 AM

Hi there,

The problem first occured when i was playing Turok and now with Mercenaries 2: I'm in game, everything is fine and then suddenly my whole system just powers down. I have no idea what is causing this, there is no error report to be found afterwards or anything, the only thing i get is that my pc wasn't shut down the right way on reboot... which is true but not very helpful.
The only thing i've really noticed about my comp is that the PSU tends to get really loud, the only thing that has worked against this problem so far is to hit the top of the case very hard :| It's now silent again...

My specs:

PSU: Coolermaster igreen power 500 Watt
MOBO: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3, S775
CPU: Intel E6850, S775, 3.00Ghz
RAM: GEIL Black Dragon, 2x 1 GB 800Mhz 4-4-4-12
Video: Gigabyte 8800GTX, PCI-E, 768MB
HDD: Samsung, Sata, 400GB
OS: Vista 32bit SP1

Any help much appreciated!

coolday · 09-09-2008, 09:10 AM

Looks the psu fan is loose or dirty. Open and clean up if u can. Or try another new PSU with higher wattage

Tumbleweed36 · 09-09-2008, 09:12 AM

I highly suspect that your power supply is not up to the 8800 video card. You should be using a 650 watt power supply for that card. The igreen while not bad is not the highest quality nor the strongest in it's class. Here is a list of high quality power supplies:

Seasonic – Any Model
Corsair – Any Model
PC Power & Cooling – Any Model
Thermaltake – “Toughpower” Series Only
Coolermaster – “Real Power Pro” Series Only
Silverstone – Any Model

See if you can borrow a stronger one and give it a try.

Also, please check your bios for temperatures and voltages and post them here.

Overlordhavoc · 09-09-2008, 09:15 AM

Hmm, would this explain my problem? A component in the PSU heating up and this shutting down the whole system?
I don't think the PSU can't handle my system, it's been working fine for over a year...

And also: my PSU is still under warranty, does Coolermaster have service points where i can have it cleaned? Because if i open it myself the warranty will be void ...

Is there any preferred program to check my BIOS for those things? I'm not really big with the temperature sensors and all :|

Overlordhavoc · 09-09-2008, 09:55 AM

I have downloaded CPU cool and i got this screenshot:

http://i36.tinypic.com/hrey2x.jpg

Doesn't tell me anything about the voltages though and as I said before: i have no idea where those sensors are :S

Tumbleweed36 · 09-09-2008, 12:13 PM

Download and run SensorviewPro and it will list temperatures and voltages for us to look at. The bios readings btw are usually more accurate, but we can at least double check with Sensorview.

Overlordhavoc · 09-09-2008, 12:18 PM

http://i34.tinypic.com/2ajw3h2.jpg

This is my screenshot from SensorviewPro :)

Far0re · 09-09-2008, 12:23 PM

I think i had a problem like this too, my videocart was overclocked by 20%. and it worked well a few months but after that the comp also restarted while playing games.

a mate set the videocart normal again (not overclocked) and i haven't had problems with it anymore.

**koala** · 09-09-2008, 02:31 PM

Your temperatures look ok, but the +12V reading is low. Did you take the SensorsView screenshot at idle with no other programs running or under stress during fullscreen gameplay? What are your PSU voltages in BIOS?

dai · 09-09-2008, 02:51 PM

your psu should be up here
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%2b650w

akedm · 09-12-2008, 03:14 AM

My 2 cents - Don't PSUs also put out less power the older they get in that the percentage of actual power you get becomes lower. I may be off-base but I thought I read that on this site earlier today.

dai · 09-12-2008, 04:38 AM

yes that's correct
the psu power output decreases and the m/b power requirement increases as it gets older

Tumbleweed36 · 09-12-2008, 04:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by akedm

My 2 cents - Don't PSUs also put out less power the older they get in that the percentage of actual power you get becomes lower. I may be off-base but I thought I read that on this site earlier today.

Yes, your statement is entirely true.

Addendum: Darn, dai beat me to it again.

09-09-2008, 08:46 AM	#1 (permalink)
Overlordhavoc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista 32bit, SP1	PC shuts down while gaming Hi there, The problem first occured when i was playing Turok and now with Mercenaries 2: I'm in game, everything is fine and then suddenly my whole system just powers down. I have no idea what is causing this, there is no error report to be found afterwards or anything, the only thing i get is that my pc wasn't shut down the right way on reboot... which is true but not very helpful. The only thing i've really noticed about my comp is that the PSU tends to get really loud, the only thing that has worked against this problem so far is to hit the top of the case very hard :\| It's now silent again... My specs: PSU: Coolermaster igreen power 500 Watt MOBO: Gigabyte GA-P35-DS3, S775 CPU: Intel E6850, S775, 3.00Ghz RAM: GEIL Black Dragon, 2x 1 GB 800Mhz 4-4-4-12 Video: Gigabyte 8800GTX, PCI-E, 768MB HDD: Samsung, Sata, 400GB OS: Vista 32bit SP1 Any help much appreciated!

09-09-2008, 09:10 AM	#2 (permalink)
coolday Registered User Join Date: Jul 2005 Posts: 337 OS: WINDOWS XP PRO	Re: PC shuts down while gaming Looks the psu fan is loose or dirty. Open and clean up if u can. Or try another new PSU with higher wattage __________________ *cday ... "Learn 2 Share N Share 2 Learn"* Please add a thanks if I may ever help you

09-09-2008, 09:12 AM	#3 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,656 OS: XP Professional	Re: PC shuts down while gaming I highly suspect that your power supply is not up to the 8800 video card. You should be using a 650 watt power supply for that card. The igreen while not bad is not the highest quality nor the strongest in it's class. Here is a list of high quality power supplies: Seasonic – Any Model Corsair – Any Model PC Power & Cooling – Any Model Thermaltake – “Toughpower” Series Only Coolermaster – “Real Power Pro” Series Only Silverstone – Any Model See if you can borrow a stronger one and give it a try. Also, please check your bios for temperatures and voltages and post them here. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread. Last edited by Tumbleweed36; 09-09-2008 at 09:14 AM.

09-09-2008, 09:15 AM	#4 (permalink)
Overlordhavoc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista 32bit, SP1	Re: PC shuts down while gaming Hmm, would this explain my problem? A component in the PSU heating up and this shutting down the whole system? I don't think the PSU can't handle my system, it's been working fine for over a year... And also: my PSU is still under warranty, does Coolermaster have service points where i can have it cleaned? Because if i open it myself the warranty will be void ... Is there any preferred program to check my BIOS for those things? I'm not really big with the temperature sensors and all :\| Last edited by Overlordhavoc; 09-09-2008 at 09:33 AM.

09-09-2008, 09:55 AM	#5 (permalink)
Overlordhavoc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista 32bit, SP1	Re: PC shuts down while gaming I have downloaded CPU cool and i got this screenshot: http://i36.tinypic.com/hrey2x.jpg Doesn't tell me anything about the voltages though and as I said before: i have no idea where those sensors are :S

09-09-2008, 12:13 PM	#6 (permalink)
Tumbleweed36 Asst Manager Hardware Join Date: May 2005 Location: USA Posts: 19,656 OS: XP Professional	Re: PC shuts down while gaming Download and run SensorviewPro and it will list temperatures and voltages for us to look at. The bios readings btw are usually more accurate, but we can at least double check with Sensorview. __________________ ---------- I don't receive email notifications of replies to subscribed threads. (Internet provider policy) Therefore, if I don't respond to your post within 24 hours, please send me a reminder PM and include the link to your thread.

09-09-2008, 12:18 PM	#7 (permalink)
Overlordhavoc Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 4 OS: Vista 32bit, SP1	Re: PC shuts down while gaming http://i34.tinypic.com/2ajw3h2.jpg This is my screenshot from SensorviewPro :)

09-09-2008, 12:23 PM	#8 (permalink)
Far0re Registered User Join Date: Sep 2008 Posts: 3 OS: XP	Re: PC shuts down while gaming I think i had a problem like this too, my videocart was overclocked by 20%. and it worked well a few months but after that the comp also restarted while playing games. a mate set the videocart normal again (not overclocked) and i haven't had problems with it anymore.

09-09-2008, 02:31 PM	#9 (permalink)
koala Moderator Hardware Team Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: UK Posts: 12,352 OS: XP/7/Ubuntu My System	Re: PC shuts down while gaming Your temperatures look ok, but the +12V reading is low. Did you take the SensorsView screenshot at idle with no other programs running or under stress during fullscreen gameplay? What are your PSU voltages in BIOS? __________________ New members: Subscribe to your thread (Thread Tools) to receive an instant email notification when you get a reply. TSF Folding@Home Team 85015 - details here

09-09-2008, 02:51 PM	#10 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,609 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: PC shuts down while gaming your psu should be up here http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...corsair%2b650w __________________

09-12-2008, 03:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
akedm Registered User Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Anchorage, Alaska, USA Posts: 336 OS: Win XP Media Center SP2	Re: PC shuts down while gaming My 2 cents - Don't PSUs also put out less power the older they get in that the percentage of actual power you get becomes lower. I may be off-base but I thought I read that on this site earlier today.

09-12-2008, 04:38 AM	#12 (permalink)
dai Manager, Hardware Forums Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: west australia Posts: 56,609 OS: win 7 32x 64x rtm	Re: PC shuts down while gaming yes that's correct the psu power output decreases and the m/b power requirement increases as it gets older __________________