I've been having a tough time with my four-year-old computer. It has problems turning on and keeps crashing with a black screen, especially when I'm playing video games. I'm wondering if the cause could be one of three things: the RAM sticks, the power supply unit (PSU), or the motherboard. I ran the Windows Memory Diagnostic tool, and it indicated that the RAM is fine, but I've noticed some glitches and had moments when just swapping the RAM sticks helped it turn on. Also, I sometimes see small pixelated lines when booting up, which disappear once Windows loads. The GPU temperature stays below 60°C during gaming, and the fans kick in just fine.
I'm also suspecting issues with the PSU. The crashes seem to happen instantly while gaming, and since I can't see the PSU inside the case, I'm worried it might be dusty. I've heard cleaning it could be risky, and sometimes the computer powers on without issue after being turned off and on. Lastly, I'm somewhat concerned about the motherboard but hope it's alright. Since I sometimes manage to game without crashes and other times struggle to get any response from the monitor, I'm feeling overwhelmed. Any tips would be appreciated, especially on how to check if the RAM, PSU, or motherboard is at fault!
1 Answer
First up, make sure all your fans are working and keep an eye on the temperatures. If you’ve recently changed the CPU cooler or anything, consider applying new thermal paste; without it, the CPU or GPU could overheat and cause crashes. I've seen friends have issues just because they didn’t realize how important that is!
What happens if the thermal paste is old? And yeah, I’ll keep an eye on the temps next time.