I've been having a frustrating issue with my PC lately. It boots up normally and I was able to launch YouTube, but after about 2-3 minutes, it just shuts off completely. Then, when I try to turn it back on, it will power up for only 15-30 seconds before shutting down again, without posting to the display. All the RGB lights light up, and everything seems fine at first glance.
Here are my specs:
- AMD Ryzen 9800X3D
- BIOS 3.20
- NZXT Kraken Elite 360
- ASRock B850 Pro RS WiFi
- G.Skill Trident Z5 RGB 64GB
- MSI 3050 Ti (old, can't recall the exact model)
- Corsair RM1000X PSU
- 2x Samsung 990 Pro SSDs
To troubleshoot, I've cleaned and checked all the wire connections to ensure everything is secure. I also tried booting with each RAM stick individually, cleared the CMOS, and it seemed to work for a bit—booting to the desktop but later failing again. I went into the BIOS, saw that the CPU and RAM were detected, but when I tried to save and exit, it turned off again.
Eventually, I managed to start it up again, but when I tried to open the NZXT CAM software, it shut down again. I'm planning to boot into safe mode next to disable some startup programs. I've not had issues since I built this in April 2025, aside from some BIOS hiccups with the ASRock board and 9800X3Ds. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
2 Answers
This sounds suspiciously like an overheating problem to me. Make sure that your CPU fans are spinning properly. Since you have an AIO cooler (the NZXT Kraken Elite 360), it’s possible that the pump stopped working. If you haven’t already, reapply some thermal paste to ensure there’s good heat transfer. That could help a ton!
First off, have you considered updating your BIOS? Even if you're on version 3.20, moving to the latest version, which is 3.50, could help a lot. It's weird, but sometimes just re-flashing the BIOS can solve strange issues. Also, ASRock boards have a reputation for causing problems with the 9800X3D; just so you know. If your PC can stay booted into BIOS for a longer time without shutting off, then it’s probably not the CPU or motherboard, but it could be the power supply. Still, since you're using a decent quality unit, that's less likely to be the issue.
I haven't updated the BIOS yet, it's still on 3.20. Good to know the newest is 3.50!
All the fans are working as far as I can tell. I set up custom fan speeds to keep them running most of the time.