Hey folks, I've been facing a frustrating issue with my desktop PC. It keeps shutting down unexpectedly, like someone just cut the power. There are no error messages, no BSODs, and the computer just turns off instantly. I built this rig back in September 2025, and up until now, it's been running smoothly. Here's the setup:
- **CPU**: Ryzen 7 9800X3D
- **GPU**: RTX 3080 Founders Edition
- **Motherboard**: MSI MAG X870 Tomahawk WiFi
- **RAM**: CORSAIR VENGEANCE RGB DDR5 32Go (2x16Go) 6000MHz
- **PSU**: RM850 from 2021
- **Storage**: Multiple SSDs and HDDs including a Samsung 990 Pro and Seagate Barracuda
- **OS**: Windows 11
The shutdowns happen at random times, even when the PC is idle, and they seem quite abrupt. I checked temperatures using HWMonitor and they look normal, with CPU and GPU temps at reasonable levels.
I've run a power stress test with no errors, and I haven't made any recent hardware changes. I've tried turning off EXPO settings, but it still happens.
I'd really like to figure out what's causing this before I start replacing parts, especially the PSU. Any ideas on what might be causing this or tests I should run next? Thanks a lot!
4 Answers
Have you ensured that your PSU is delivering enough power? Sometimes, under load, a power supply can fail without warning. If it's an older unit, it might just be failing despite previous good performance.
I had a similar shutdown issue with my girlfriend's PC. It would just turn off suddenly without any warnings when she was gaming. I managed to recreate the problem using FurMark and it would shut off after a few seconds.
In our case, reseating the GPU and trying with one RAM stick seemed to help. I also cleared the CMOS and it powered on fine after that. So it might be worth reseating your components or running without EXPO enabled to see if that stabilizes things. Just a thought!
Does the shutdown happen only after the PC has been on for a while, or does it happen right after booting? I've noticed some systems behave differently depending on how long they’ve been running.
It used to only happen after it was on for a while, but now it's happening right after boot too.
A potential fix could involve collecting some dump files, especially if you can at least boot into Windows or Safe Mode. Check C:WindowsMinidump for any logs. If you have any, you can zip them up and upload for analysis. Although, since you mentioned there's no BSOD, this might not apply, but worth checking!
Thanks for sharing your experience! I'm really hoping it's a minor issue like that, but I'm getting worried, especially since mine is getting worse.