My roommate's PC keeps shutting down unexpectedly, and it happened even while we were just playing Helldivers 2. It just powered off without warning and wouldn't turn back on immediately. I'm planning to test the power supply by using a multimeter; I know how to read wiring diagrams from my HVAC job, so I'm going to jump the ground and 24V to see if it thinks it's connected on the ATX. If it turns out the power supply isn't the problem, where should I continue looking?
Just a note, he did get it running again and tried to play Minecraft, but the same shutdown issue occurred. He has a 3060 GPU and an Intel i7 processor, usually hitting around 100 fps in Helldivers 2.
2 Answers
It could very likely be a heat issue. It sounds like once the system cools off, it can power back on, which is a typical sign of thermal shutdown. CPU and GPU can handle some heat, but if he has done any overclocking or if it heats up too fast, it will turn off to avoid damage. Also, don’t rule out the PSU, as it may be unable to handle the load, causing it to trip a breaker that resets after cooling down or being unplugged.
You might want to have him download HWInfo to keep an eye on the temperatures. Overheating could definitely be the culprit here, especially if the PC is shutting off randomly during gaming sessions. If the components get too hot, they can throttle performance or shut down to protect themselves. Just keep an eye on those temps!
That makes sense! I'll suggest that to him. I remember there was a short in the fan controller in the case about a month ago, but since everything still works, I didn't dwell on it too much.
Good point! I'll keep that in mind. I still wonder about that short I mentioned before.