I've been dealing with a frustrating issue where my computer randomly shuts down when I'm running applications that require intense graphics processing, like certain games and DaVinci Resolve. This has been happening intermittently over the last six months. When it shuts down, everything goes black, and there's no sound at all. The power button won't turn it back on right away, and I have to completely toggle the PSU switch off, hold the power button until the motherboard lights go out, then switch the PSU back on to restart. There's no indication in the event viewer or any error messages when I boot back up.
I'm using a 750W Seasonic PSU that I've had for about six years, and a 7900 XTX graphics card, which I've had for 2.5 years. My system is connected to a 1000W UPS, and the wattage pulled during these incidents never goes over 425 watts, including other devices. Based on this, I'm starting to think it might be time to replace the PSU, but I'm wondering if there could be other factors at play. Any thoughts or suggestions?
2 Answers
Your issue with shutting down could definitely be due to overheating. Have you checked the temperatures of your CPU and GPU? Sometimes the thermal paste can dry out after a few years, which would lead to heat problems. Just something to consider.
I set up HWInfo to monitor temps and recorded them while attempting a render in DaVinci. When it shut down, the CPU was at 67º and the GPU memory junction was at 64º, so I guess it wasn’t a temp spike.
I had a similar issue, and I went through two new PSUs before realizing it wasn’t actually the power supply. It turned out to be a graphics driver problem. I uninstalled my old drivers and reinstalled them, and everything started working fine again. It’s worth checking your drivers before spending money on a new PSU!
I haven't run DDU since I got the GPU, so it's a good idea to try that first! It’s a free fix and could make all the difference.
Unfortunately, I ran DDU and reinstalled the AMD drivers, but it didn't help. I appreciate the free advice though!
That’s a good point. I haven’t changed the thermal paste since I built it six years ago. I might be good to do that. But I’ve got a large case with lots of fans and a decent CPU cooler, so I'm hoping that’s not the issue.