Lately, my computer has been shutting down unexpectedly during gaming sessions. It started off as a rare occurrence, but this week alone, it shut down five times, and I noticed I couldn't turn it back on for a few minutes afterward. I checked the event viewer and saw a Kernel 41 error, which suggests a power loss. I've been told that it might be my power supply unit (PSU). I have an AMD Ryzen 5 5600 CPU and an RX 6600 GPU, both running around 70 degrees Celsius under load. My PSU is a Deepcool 550W, which I've discovered is considered a lower-tier unit. Do you think I really need a new PSU, or could there be another issue? Also, if I do replace it, will I need to do anything like change drivers?
1 Answer
When you say it shuts down, does it blue screen or just completely lose power? If it's losing power without warning—like someone yanked out the plug—I would definitely recommend replacing the PSU. Modern units are designed with safety features: if they can't handle the power demand, they just shut off instead of frying your components. Make sure to upgrade to at least an 80 Plus Bronze rated PSU. Don’t skimp on this part, as a cheap PSU can potentially damage your whole setup.
Yeah, it just turns off instantly, and then doesn't power back on for a while. I only see this issue when I’m gaming, though.