Hi folks,
I've been trying to troubleshoot my brother's computer that keeps shutting off while he's gaming, and I'm running out of ideas. Here are the specs:
- Motherboard: Asus Z87-Pro
- CPU: i7-4770k
- RAM: 4x4GB G.Skill DDR3 1600 Mhz
- GPU: AMD RX590 Sapphire
- PSU: Corsair RM850X (previously had a BeQuiet Pure Power L8, 630W)
The problem is that whenever he launches a game, the PC tends to crash and shut down completely. Sometimes, the screen just goes black but the components keep running, while other times it shuts off entirely.
It seems like not every game triggers the problem. For example, Black Ops 6 runs fine, but Helldivers II often causes the shutdown. I've noticed that these crashes usually happen during intense moments in games, like when a game is loading something hefty or during big explosions.
I ran a power test using OCCT, but the PC shuts off within 20 seconds. My first thought was the PSU, so I swapped it out for a new one and even did a clean install of Windows, but the issues persist.
I'm starting to think it could be a bad RAM stick or maybe the motherboard itself has seen better days. Any suggestions on what I should try next?
1 Answer
This sounds a lot like the issue I had when I replaced a RAM stick. After getting a new one in, the problem went away completely. I’d suggest starting by testing the RAM. Maybe run a memtest to see if a stick is faulty. It might crash the same way as during gaming if there’s a defective stick.
Thanks for the quick feedback! I assume my next step would be to attempt a memtest on the computer. I think it will crash the same way it does with games if there is a defective stick.