I've been having some serious issues with my computer lately. It's about four years old, and it started crashing to a black screen right as I'm playing video games. I'm not sure if the culprit is the RAM, the power supply unit (PSU), or the motherboard.
To start, I ran the "Windows Memory Diagnostic tool" since my computer was acting up and sometimes wouldn't display anything on the screen. The tool said everything was fine, but I'm not convinced because when I swapped the RAM sticks, it actually turned on once. I've also noticed some tiny glitchy pixel lines when booting up, which disappear when Windows loads. My GPU temp is below 60°C, and the fans are running fine when I game.
On to the PSU – I suspect it may be the issue because of the kind of crashes I'm experiencing, as they happen almost immediately when gaming. However, I can't really see if it's dirty since it's in a case, and I read cleaning it can be dangerous. Sometimes, just turning the PSU off and on brings my computer back to life, which is confusing. Plus, there have been a few noisy fan episodes after crashes, which I'm worried about.
As for the motherboard, I hope it's okay, but I don't know how to check it.
Overall, I'm feeling lost! Sometimes I can game all day without issues, but the next day it's like the computer doesn't want to show anything on the screen. Any advice on how to figure out if it's my RAM, PSU, or motherboard? I'm really not experienced with computer stuff, so I appreciate any help!
2 Answers
It sounds like you might be focusing too much on the RAM and PSU, maybe consider that the GPU could be at fault here? It’s easy to assume other parts are the issue but since you mention graphical glitches, that could be a red flag for GPU problems. Just a heads up though, don't mess with the thermal paste unless you know what you're doing; it could do more harm than good if you're not familiar with it!
First, try checking if all your fans are working properly and keep an eye on the temperatures while gaming. You might need to apply new thermal paste on your CPU or GPU, especially if you’ve changed any cooling setups recently. I had a relative who installed a cooler and forgot the thermal paste, and that caused a lot of issues! That's a good first step to rule out overheating.
What are the signs of worn-out thermal paste? I’ll definitely check the temps next time I boot it up.
Lol, I don't have much computer knowledge! I’m just going by what I see. When the screen goes black, I turn off the power and try to restart. It sometimes works, but other times I just get a 'no signal' message. I’ll start checking into the GPU more! Thanks!