Hey everyone! I've been dealing with a bizarre issue where my PC turns off completely when I try to play games. There's no BSOD or restart—just a total power cut, almost like unplugging it. Oddly enough, the RAM lights stay on. I initially thought it might be overheating, but I've checked the temps and ran stress tests with OCCT and Furmark, and everything seems fine. My dad also uses this PC for video rendering in Premiere and After Effects without any issues. However, whenever I try to play games like Helldivers 2 or Fortnite, my PC crashes immediately.
I've tried a lot of solutions: lowering graphics settings, adjusting the power plan, resetting the CMOS, limiting power usage via MSI Afterburner, and even reinstalling Windows and drivers, but nothing has worked. I've heard that it could be a PSU issue, but I have no way to test that since I've seen others who replaced their PSUs without resolving the problem. Does anyone have suggestions on how to troubleshoot this further before I take it to a tech? Here's my setup:
- Ryzen 7 5800XT
- RTX 3080 10GB Asus Tuf Gaming
- MSI X570-A PRO Motherboard
- 32GB DDR4 RAM Corsair Vengeance Pro (2x16 at 3200MHz, dual channel)
- Aerocool Cylon 4F cooler
- Six Aerocool fans
- Seasonic Focus GX 850W Gold PSU
3 Answers
Have you checked how many individual power cables you’re using for your GPU? The RTX 3080 can be sensitive to power spikes, though a quality 850W PSU should handle it. It might be worth trying to use separate cables for each pin instead of a single cable connecting both 8 pins. That could help with the stability of your power supply to the card.
Could you share any pictures of your setup? This kind of shutdown typically relates to power or thermal issues. Check if your PSU has good airflow; it should not be sitting on a carpet or positioned in a way that blocks airflow. You’ve got good parts, so it’s likely a configuration issue to troubleshoot.
I’ve got some pics but I’m not sure how to share them. I think the airflow is decent; it’s on a wooden desk. It’s strange since this just started happening recently!
Did you recently change any components in your rig? You mentioned this started last summer—did you change anything right before the shutdowns began?
It started during Helldivers 2 last summer when I was using a Ryzen 5 3600. I thought it was overheating at first and ignored it since other games worked fine. Fast forward to May, the shutdowns hit during Fortnite after I swapped the CPU, but temps seemed fine. Now, I can't even load a game without crashing.
Yeah, I’m only using one cable for both. I’ll switch it out and see if that makes a difference!