# Shutdown During Gaming, PSU overheating? [RESOLVED]



## bjo0rn

Computer shuts down while I'm gaming (as though I've pulled the power cord). My first guess was CPU/GPU overheating, but temperatures seam OK (max 60/80°C). This and the fact that I can't turn it back on unless I switch off the PSU has lead me to suspect the PSU is overheating. I also noticed that the PSU fan isn't spinning at all. Some online sources suggest this is normal for some PSUs though, since the fan only run when needed.

So what do you think? Is it the PSU, or something else?

Sorry for brief description. I'll add More info tomorrow. I'm writing this from my phone.

EDIT:

*MoBo* Asus M4A77
*CPU* AMD Phenom II X2 555 Processor 3.20 GHz
*GPU* XFX ATI Radeon HD 5850 [image]
*RAM* 2x Kingston 2GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (so 4GB in total)
*PSU* AXP-630P12P (630W)
*HDD* SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB), ST3320820AS (320GB)
*Others* 120mm Case Fan, Optiarc DVD RW AD-5170A, Case Front Card Reader

*OS* Win7 64-bit
*RESOLVED!
IT WAS THE PSU!*


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## BradleyW

Check following temps:
CPU
GPU
GPU VRM's
GPU Memory IC's
GPU PCB
Motherboard system temperature
Motherboard VRM's
Motherboard south bridge controller

Ensure you have all latest chipset, motherboard controller, GPU, audio, USB drivers installed and set BIOS to stock values.


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## shilka

Welcome to OCN

It would be much easier to help if you would list your parts


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## mitchr46

i believe your PC could also shut down if your PSU isnt enough to handle the components your have inside. If you dont have enough power going to your components it wont stay on and when your gaming you use alot of watts compared to idle and you said that when your gaming thats the only time it shuts down. i dont personally think its overheating but i cant say so for sure because i dont know much about this specific scenario.


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## Warsam71

There can be many factors that could cause these symptoms: PSU, Memory, type of software you're running, increasing CPU and/or GPU temps...faulty components.

My gaming rig, specifically my GPU (I have a HD-7990) goes into overdrive when playing Battlefield 4 - it's a demanding game - so I've actually installed an additional 120mm fan to play it safe. Anyways check out this video I just found for you, I hope you'll find it helpful:


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## bjo0rn

First of all, when I came home today I opened up the casing and cleaned CPU fan and heat-sink and what I believe is heat-sink for CPU-VRM's.
I tried to do the same for GPU but gave up after I realized opening the plastic shell required separation of heat-sinks from chips, and I don't have any thermal paste at home. I also opened up the PSU and cleaned out the dust.

After this effort I played the usual game for two hours. I left the casing open to be able to monitor PSU fan activity and recorded temps using HWMonitor. The PSU fan did in fact start spinning after a while. Here are the temperatures following the gaming session:

It's a little hard to make out what reading is associated with what component. Feel free to suggest alternative free recording software, preferably with logging capability so I can capture the full temperature history leading up to the crash. The 128°C temp on the motherboard is obviously false reading, since it always displays the same, even after cold start.
*MoBo* Asus M4A77
*CPU* AMD Phenom II X2 555 Processor 3.20 GHz
*GPU* XFX ATI Radeon HD 5850 [image]
*RAM* 2x Kingston 2GB DDR2-800 DDR2 SDRAM (so 4GB in total)
*PSU* AXP-630P12P (630W) [edit]
*HDD* SAMSUNG HD103UJ (1TB), ST3320820AS (320GB)
*Others* 120mm Case Fan, Optiarc DVD RW AD-5170A, Case Front Card Reader
*OS* Win7 64-bit

There is a small possibility that today's cleaning did the trick, but the problem has been somewhat unpredictable in nature. Sometimes I have played for several evenings without problem, and sometimes it happens twice during the same evening. The game I'm currently playing is Kerbal Space Program, which I don't think is all that graphics intensive, and it even happens during building stage which shouldn't be demanding at all.


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## bjo0rn

Quote:


> Ensure you have all latest chipset, motherboard controller, GPU, audio, USB drivers installed and set BIOS to stock values.


I'll do this tomorrow. Need to get some sleep.


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## bjo0rn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Warsam71*
> 
> There can be many factors that could cause these symptoms: PSU, Memory, type of software you're running, increasing CPU and/or GPU temps...faulty components.
> 
> My gaming rig, specifically my GPU (I have a HD-7990) goes into overdrive when playing Battlefield 4 - it's a demanding game - so I've actually installed an additional 120mm fan to play it safe. Anyways check out this video I just found for you, I hope you'll find it helpful:


Thanks for the response. I followed the instructions in the video and determined my power usage to 340W.
My PSU is an AXP-630P12P (630W), so lack of power should not be the problem unless it's broken.
Also, what temperatures are we talking about when you say your GPU went into "overdrive"?
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *BradleyW*
> Ensure you have all latest chipset, motherboard controller, GPU, audio, USB drivers installed and set BIOS to stock values.


I worked my way through the device manager tree using "Search automatically for updated driver software" and everything was reportedly up to date. Is this a reliable method?

I haven't really messed with any BIOS settings besides booting devices.


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## shilka

You should not keep that PSU


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## bjo0rn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shilka*
> 
> You should not keep that PSU


Do you mind elaborating on why? I'm not going to buy a new PSU unless I'm fairly sure it is the source of the problem.


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## shilka

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bjo0rn*
> 
> Do you mind elaborating on why? I'm not going to buy a new PSU unless I'm fairly sure it is the source of the problem.


Its a no name unit and its only rated for 40c i dont have to look more into it to tell you its not very good

Probably Golden Tiger or another OEM like that made it but since there is zero info on OEM i am going to call it a no name junker

No you should not keep it my experience tells me its no name thats not very good and thats the nice way of saying no name junker

Pretty sure it cant do 630 watts

Even if its not the problem you should not keep it

Could end up frying your whole PC


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## Xinoxide

I will back this guy up. Plus has 5 flames and is our resident psu guru.

I also could not find any info on this unit either, but judging by the small handful of reviews from the same company, I would throw it in the garbage. selling it or giving it to someone else is like handing them a live grenade to put in their computer.

Edit:

I just found the manufacture IS XION. The unit is a certification-less Super-flower which is usually promising in one way or another.


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## daguardian

The fact that you could not power on the pc after the shutdown points towards the PSU being the problem.

The cleaning effort may have helped slow down the problem occurring again, but I would not wait to find out.

@shilka's advice should be taken seriously, he knows his stuff


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## Jedson3614

Temps look good, I would back up the replacing that PSU. If your PC is shutting off its due to a temperature problem on a part most likely, and that being this low end rated PSU. It cant handle the load that gets put on it from your other components especially when gaming. This PSU may be okay for normal usage but not high loads on it.


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## shilka

OCP/OTP/OVP may be kicking in which is good at least in proves that it works and not just goes kaboom bye bye PSU/PC

Still you should not keep it if it does that

Even if its an old Super Flower its still broken if its shuts off due to OCP/OTP/OVP kicking in


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## bjo0rn

I did some research on the PSU myself. This is what the exact label looks like. I agree that information about it is scarce, however I stumbled upon a comparative review from a renowned Swedish website (SweClockers) that included its 500W little brother. From the pictures of the circuit I can't tell the difference from mine, so it should be somewhat representative despite the lower wattage. The review was generally positive, and it was praised for having exceptional ripple values (whatever that is).

However there seem to be a consensus here that the quality of my PSU is questionable, and that even if it's not guilty of causing the exact symptoms I've described, I'm better off with a new one. I accept this, but I don't find it convincing enough to discontinue the investigation. I'm still open for alternative explanations.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *daguardian*
> 
> The fact that you could not power on the pc after the shutdown points towards the PSU being the problem.


That was my first thought too, however I believe the motherboard should be capable of producing the same result, and I find it more likely that the motherboard contains such security mechanism than the PSU. So in the end the problem may also be caused by anything connected to the motherboard.


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## Warsam71

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bjo0rn*
> 
> Thanks for the response. I followed the instructions in the video and determined my power usage to 340W.
> My PSU is an AXP-630P12P (630W), so lack of power should not be the problem unless it's broken.
> Also, what temperatures are we talking about when you say your GPU went into "overdrive"?
> I worked my way through the device manager tree using "Search automatically for updated driver software" and everything was reportedly up to date. Is this a reliable method?
> 
> I haven't really messed with any BIOS settings besides booting devices.


I'm glad the video helped you out.

I used the word "overdrive" to simply describe that Battlefield 4 pushes my rig (i.e. my GPU fans speeds up), BF is a demanding game. Sorry for the confusion.

Personally, I don't recommend changing your BIOS settings as it seems to me the issue is probably with your PSU (I agree with the rest of the guys here)


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## bjo0rn

Alright I just had another shutdown last night, and I've come to terms with the fact that I should replace my PSU.

My build requires at least 340W according to an online calculator. My chassi is pretty much standard size for a tower chassi. I don't really need modular connectors.

After a brief search online the XFX Core Edition P1-550S-XXB9 (550W) seam to stand out as a quality PSU at a reasonable price. Are there any alternatives within the same price range that are superior quality-wise?


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## shilka

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *bjo0rn*
> 
> Alright I just had another shutdown last night, and I've come to terms with the fact that I should replace my PSU.
> 
> My build requires at least 340W according to an online calculator. My chassi is pretty much standard size for a tower chassi. I don't really need modular connectors.
> 
> After a brief search online the XFX Core Edition P1-550S-XXB9 (550W) seam to stand out as a quality PSU at a reasonable price. Are there any alternatives within the same price range that are superior quality-wise?


Its a rebranded Seasonic S12II so unless you can find an S12II or M12II that are cheaper then no you wont find much that are better in that price range


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## Warsam71

I think the unit you've found is a good one; you'll get 3 to 5 year warranty, and in my opinion I think XFX is a pretty good brand with great customer service and support (I had an XFX video card a few years ago, had to call their support center and had no problems getting the support I was looking for). So, my 2 cents: go for it.

That being said, I believe the best person here is to provide you a solid recommendation is Shilka - I'd follow his suggestion


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## bjo0rn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *shilka*
> 
> Its a rebranded Seasonic S12II so unless you can find an S12II or M12II that are cheaper then no you wont find much that are better in that price range


Quote:


> Originally Posted by *Warsam71*
> 
> I think the unit you've found is a good one; you'll get 3 to 5 year warranty, and in my opinion I think XFX is a pretty good brand with great customer service and support (I had an XFX video card a few years ago, had to call their support center and had no problems getting the support I was looking for). So, my 2 cents: go for it.
> 
> That being said, I believe the best person here is to provide you a solid recommendation is Shilka - I'd follow his suggestion


Thanks for the input guys!

I just installed an XFX Core Edition P1-550S-XXB9 and played KSP for 3 consecutive hours.
So far so good, but I don't dare conclude it solved my shut-down problems until I've used it for at least a week.

One question:
I can orient the PSU such that I take in air either from beneath or from within the case.
The prior would probably make better cooling for the PSU, however the latter would generally improve air flow through the case.
Any opinions on what is preferable?


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## azurath

i had this almost exact same problem, i have similar specs as you as well, but i had a 650watt psu. its deff the psu, how old is it? as psu's get older they lose that maximum watt draw, and the games will eat it up, if it drops below the required ammount, it will shutoff as if the cord was ripped out. i upgraded to a 1kwatt and never had a problem since


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## bjo0rn

Quote:


> Originally Posted by *azurath*
> 
> i had this almost exact same problem, i have similar specs as you as well, but i had a 650watt psu. its deff the psu, how old is it? as psu's get older they lose that maximum watt draw, and the games will eat it up, if it drops below the required ammount, it will shutoff as if the cord was ripped out. i upgraded to a 1kwatt and never had a problem since


My 630W PSU was about 4 years old. The 550W I bought now has 5 year warrenty so I think I will be fine. 1kW seam like overkill, but I'm glad it worked out for you. It may have been the quality and not the wattage that did the trick in your case.


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## ZealotKi11er

You want the fan facing down for the PSU. You dont want the PSU to suck in hot system air.


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## azurath

yeah, the 550 will probably be ok for a few years. i went with 1000watt just for saftey's sake, and it was near the same price as another 600watt at the time.


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## bjo0rn

No shut-downs so far, so I dare say *the problem is solved*. YAY!
Thanks guys for all the help and input! The level of help I got here on overclock definitely exceeded my expectations.
Quote:


> Originally Posted by *ZealotKi11er*
> 
> You want the fan facing down for the PSU. You dont want the PSU to suck in hot system air.


Thanks for the response! Fortunately I ended up installing it with intake facing down.


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