My gaming PC crashes almost every time I launch a game. With Arc Raiders, it shuts down after roughly 30 seconds even on low settings, while Overwatch usually crashes partway through a match. Depending on the game, I either get a blue screen or the entire computer instantly powers off.
The system uses an ASUS TUF Gaming GeForce RTX 5070 Ti, AMD Ryzen 7 7700X, 32GB of DDR5 memory, a Corsair TX850M power supply, an ASUS TUF Gaming B650-PLUS WIFI motherboard, and a Lian Li Hydroshift II LCD-S 360TL AIO cooler. I also have several Windows minidump files available for examining the blue-screen crashes. What should I test first to determine whether the problem is the power supply, graphics card, memory, temperatures, or something else?
2 Answers
The minidumps are useful for the BSOD side of the problem, but they need to be opened in a debugger to identify the failing driver or component. Make sure Windows is configured to create small memory dumps and collect several crashes rather than relying on one file. While troubleshooting, return the BIOS to default settings, temporarily disable EXPO or any CPU/GPU overclock, update the motherboard BIOS and chipset drivers, and run separate memory and graphics stress tests. Monitor CPU and GPU temperatures as well—an overheating system can shut down when gaming, although a clean instant power cut still makes power delivery worth checking.
An instant, complete power-off under a gaming load points more toward a power-delivery problem than a normal software crash. The TX850M has enough rated wattage on paper, but test the system with another known-good PSU if possible. Also check that the GPU power connector is fully seated, use separate PCIe power cables where applicable, and inspect the motherboard and GPU connectors for heat or looseness. A blue screen can have a different cause, so this may not explain every crash by itself.
Would the PSU mainly explain the sudden shutdowns, rather than the blue screens too?