I recently upgraded the core components of a computer I built a few years ago. I replaced the motherboard, memory, and CPU and have been running into issues since
The problem I started running into (after my upgrade) is that after some period of time (a half hour to an hour) the computer will shut down. There are no warning messages or flags, it just abruptly shuts itself off. While it has happened under "normal" use (web browser, a few applications), it is almost guaranteed to happen during gaming.
1) I do not believe it to be a heat issue. I initially had problems with heat but recently re-installed the CPU heat sink using Arctic Silver 5, and have been obsessively monitoring heat since. Similarly, the GPU heat has also been fine. I've run Intel Burn Test and Furmark concurrently and neither CPU nor GPU exceed 70° C.
2) I do not believe it to be a PSU issue. I only know this because in an attempt to resolve this issue I just installed a brand new PSU that should have plenty of headroom for my system (600W, 40A single 12V rail). So the shut-down issue has happened with both power supplies.
3) I do not believe the memory is an issue – as I write this my computer is running Memtest86+. When I left for work it had been running for 9 hours and had completed 4 passes with no errors. I decided to let it go another 9 or 10 hours to get through a full 8 passes just in case, but I would be surprised if it finds any at this point. It's also worth pointing out that I checked in BIOS and the memory is currently running at its rated speed of 1600.
My question is: what's left? The RAM and GPU seem to be properly seated, Windows is up to date. What's left to check?
My specs are as follows, note that nothing is overclocked:
- Windows 7 64 (fresh install for this build)
- Intel i5-2500K
- ASUS P8P67 Motherboard
- G.SKILL Ripjaws X Series 16GB 1600
- ATI Radeon HD 5770 (Juniper XT) 1GB
- Corsair CX600
- 7200 RPM hard drives x 2
- ASUS optical drive
- Rosewill card reader
- Rosewill case
Best Answer
In this case, I would follow some basic troubleshooting guidelines.
Step 1) Determine a reproducible process for testing the issue. You need a set of steps to take that will make the system crash each time you do it. The best process is one where you can walk away and do something else while it is running. the best processes don't require anything more than windows, but that can sometimes be a challenge. You will be doing this process constantly until you determine what it wrong. Before you move on, make sure that you can perform the test on a known working machine. You don't want your test to crash all computers, just the one having problems.
Step 2) Reduce the number of variables down to the smallest set. This is where you start removing hardware until you have a bare bones system. You can start with reducing down to 1 stick of ram, removing extra peripherals, and disconnecting hard drives. This is also a good time to reduce the number of running programs down to the fewest possible.
Step 3) Eliminate the OS/Programs from consideration. Get a known good blank hard drive and reinstall windows onto it. Add the latest manufacture drivers and any software needed to test for your error.
Step 4) Start swapping components with known good ones. This is the most time intensive and difficult step to complete. Find compatible hardware and start changing things out. I'd go in this order:
If you can't figure out what is wrong after doing all of the above, then you may just need to trash the whole system and build a new one from scratch. What you currently have should work together as long everything is configured correctly.
Hope this helps