My PC has been randomly shutting down whenever I play games. It started about a day ago, and now it turns off after about 3 or 4 minutes of gaming. I've tried a bunch of troubleshooting steps, like changing the outlet, turning off the XMP profile, updating drivers, and even switching the power cord. I'm starting to think this might be a PSU issue because my CPU and GPU are not overheating, typically staying between 55-65 degrees, and everything works fine outside of gaming. My setup includes an i3 12100F processor, a Radeon 6600 XFX graphics card, 48 GB of RAM (two 8 GB and two 16 GB sticks), a Bronze EVGA 500 BQ PSU (500 watts), a B660M Pro RS motherboard, and I'm running Windows 11. Any ideas on what might be causing this?
5 Answers
It sounds like the issue might be with your RAM configuration. Consider only using the 32 GB of RAM to see if that stabilizes things. Mixing different RAM kits can cause problems, especially with XMP profiles. A consistent shutdown like this points to a power-related issue rather than random crashes from RAM.
I've seen this issue before, and often it comes down to the GPU pulling too much power from the PSU during intensive tasks. You might want to use GPU-Z to monitor the GPU's power usage in real time and see if it aligns with the shutdowns.
Try stress testing your setup with FurMark and Prime95 running together. Given that your temperatures look fine, I suspect the PSU is struggling under load based on your description of the problem.
Don't forget to check your CPU temperatures too! If it's overheating, try reapplying thermal paste to the heatsink. It could be contributing to the shutdown.
First, try using a PSU calculator to ensure your power supply can handle your system's needs. Also, check the cable connections to ensure everything is secure. I had a similar issue where the SSD was causing reboots, so consider cleaning your PC and possibly reinstalling Windows.
Just keep in mind that with RAM, issues typically show up as freezing or crashes rather than consistent power-offs. It might be worth checking the PSU too.