My gaming PC suddenly powers off after running a game for a while. I already replaced the power supply with a new 750W Bronze unit and used the new cables, but the shutdowns continue. The system has an Intel i7-8700, a GTX 1080, 24GB of RAM, and an AIO cooler. CPU temperature stays around 60°C during use, and I don't see anything useful in Event Viewer. What should I check next?
4 Answers
A CPU temperature around 60°C makes overheating the processor unlikely, but check the AIO pump speed and verify that the cooler’s protective plastic was removed during installation. Also monitor the GPU temperature, hotspot temperature, and fan behavior while gaming, since the graphics card could still be overheating.
A sudden loss of power with no useful Event Viewer entry often points to hardware protection rather than a normal software crash. Check the motherboard’s power connections, reseat the RAM and GPU, inspect for loose cables, and test the system with a stress test for the CPU and GPU separately. If only the combined load causes shutdowns, the PSU, GPU, motherboard, or power delivery is more likely than the CPU temperature.
Even with a 750W supply, the GPU or PSU could be triggering protection under load. Make sure the graphics card power connectors are fully seated and, if the PSU is modular, connected with only the cables that came with that PSU. Try logging GPU temperatures and power draw while gaming, and test with another known-good power supply if possible.
Check the motherboard BIOS for hardware-monitoring information and confirm the AIO pump is detected and running at the expected speed. You can also disable any CPU or GPU overclock, including automatic motherboard boost settings, to see whether the system becomes stable at stock settings.
The new PSU cables are installed, and the CPU stays near 60°C. I’ll check the GPU temperatures and power behavior next.