I recently upgraded my setup by replacing my i5-10600k with a Ryzen 7 9700x, along with a new motherboard and high-speed 6000MT/s RAM. However, since this upgrade, my PC frequently shuts down when under heavy load, such as during games with ray tracing (even surprisingly in Minecraft!). My system does fine with Unreal Engine 5, though. After each shutdown, it won't turn on for about 15 minutes, suggesting it might be a thermal issue with my power supply. I've noticed that the PSU, a Seasonic 750W Focus PX, gets really hot and its fan is facing upwards. I also have my CPU under a water cooler, pushing about 150 watts during stress tests, and I'm running Windows 11 with power settings stretched to the max. Considering the combination of these factors, do I really need to upgrade to an 850 or 1000W PSU?
4 Answers
It sounds like your PSU might be tripping due to power spikes now that your 9700X can let your GPU run at full speed. Have you noticed if the issue continues even with the GPU power limit set to -30%? But yeah, an upgrade to an 850W ATX 3.0 or 3.1 PSU might solve the problem.
You might want to double-check that everything is wired correctly. A loose ATX harness can cause odd issues. Also, using HWinfo to monitor your voltages during heavy loads can give you a clearer picture of what's happening.
750W should technically be enough, but it also depends on the way your PSU is set up. You mentioned it's mounted with the fan upwards? Many cases suggest the fan face down to utilize cooler air from underneath. You might want to check your CPU cooler mount as well; it could be a thermal issue that's causing those shutdowns.
I ran Cinebench multiple times to test the CPU stability, so I hope that’s not the problem!
I'm in a similar boat with a Hellhound 9070XT and a 750W PSU. I've managed to work around the problem by switching to performance mode and lowering my graphics settings. I just ordered a 1000W PSU, so I’ll let you know if that fixes my issues.
Please do! I hope it solves your problem.
I haven't tried the -30% yet. Looks like I'm going to have to invest in a new PSU.