Computer shutting down during gameplay (possible overheat?)

[Sashanski]

Hello all,

Recently my computer started shutting down during gameplay. It isn't the most demanding game (DotA 2), but it happens only when I play it. Less demanding games and everyday Windows use works normally. After 5-10 minutes, computer will turn on itself and go into Windows with no problems. Since it happens during gameplay, I suspected my graphic card. Here are the steps I took already:

- cleaned computer from dust thoroughly
- replaced thermal paste on my GPU
- opened the sides of my case to allow more airflow
- updated graphic card drivers

None of these seemed to help, and I installed CPUID Hardware Monitor to check on temperatures. Here are the temperatures, just before the shutdown

CPU: 56 C
GPU: 61 C
Motherboard: 44 C

These don't seem bad, most of the stuff I have can handle 90+ C temperatures, so I'm really baffled by this.

These are the components I have::

CPU: Intel Core i7 3770K
CPU Cooler: Cooler Master Vortex Plus
MoBo: ASUSTeK P8Z77-V DELUXE
GPU: ASUS GeForce GTX 780
RAM: 16GB (4x4GB)
Power supply: Cooler Master Silent Pro Gold 1000W
Case: Cooler Master Trooper (plenty of cooling inside)
OS: Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 3


If anyone can offer any advice on the matter, I would be eternally grateful. Let me know if I can offer some more information on my system. Thank you in advance!

--------------- EDIT --------------

PROBLEM SOLVED! I didn't realize that the fan inside my PSU was dead and that PSU was overheating, hope this helps someone.

 

[MongGrel]

Temps look well below normal, have never played the game.

Sounds game software related to me.

 

[UsandThem]

Or possibly the PSU is on its way out.

How long have you had it? I noticed it is discontinued by Cooler Master.

If you want to rule it being a game bug, you can run this demo to stress your components (and put a load on your PSU), and see if your system still crashes.

https://unigine.com/products/benchmarks/valley/

 

[MongGrel]

Or possibly the PSU is on its way out.

How long have you had it? I noticed it is discontinued by Cooler Master.

Good point.

 

[Sashanski]

Not really sure, maybe 3 or 4 years....I wanna say end of 2012.

 

[Sashanski]

Checked the logs from HW Monitor and the voltages seem stable and fine during heavy load or normal operation, for what it's worth.

 

[UsandThem]

Checked the logs from HW Monitor and the voltages seem stable and fine during heavy load or normal operation, for what it's worth.

Try running the Valley demo, or download Intel Extreme Utility and see if it causes crashes as well. You can download Memtest86+ and use it to rule out RAM issues. You can also remove your video card and use your integrated graphics to see if the video card is the issue.

Generally when games suddenly start crashing, it is because:

-Game bug or driver issue.
-PSU starting to go out
-Video card issue

 

[denis280]

Try running the Valley demo, or download Intel Extreme Utility and see if it causes crashes as well. You can download Memtest86+ and use it to rule out RAM issues. You can also remove your video card and use your integrated graphics to see if the video card is the issue.

Generally when games suddenly start crashing, it is because:

-Game bug or driver issue.
-PSU starting to go out
-Video card issue

+1 on this,and one more thing i will ask,the PSU did you clean it to

 

[Sashanski]

Quick update: I've ran Intel Extreme stress test for 2 hours on both processor and memory with no errors.
Also did Memtest86+ with no errors.

@denis280 I used a compressor for cleaning my computer, but I haven't opened the power supply completely. Used the compressor through the grill of the casing, maybe I should try opening it

 

[frozentundra123456]

I had similar symptoms of shutting down due to a fan not working on the psu. But since you can stress test in with other software and get no shutdowns, that would seem to rule out that problem. Maybe a gpu problem or the game has become corrupted somehow? Maybe back up any save data and uninstall and then reinstall the game itself?

 

[Ketchup]

It sounds like you may have narrowed it down to video card overheating. Run something like the latest Futuremark test and see if it crashes. Make sure your video card fan is spinning, and at a good speed. It is possible that HWMonitor is not giving you accorate numbers for that card.

 

[PianoMan]

OP - were there ANY changes to your PC between normal operation and when you started getting problems? A video card (or any other electronic component, for that matter) doesn't necessarily need to overheat to go bad. I had a PNY GTX 770 give up the ghost recently without any changes to the PC, and no overheating anywhere. It just died (RIP ).

Many good suggestions, and several I followed to narrow down the problem to the vid card. Have you played a more demanding game? Can you swap out the vid card with a known good NV card?

 

[JoanWilliams]

it seems there is something missing in your PC and that games doesn't load or causes PC to shut down might be too heavy for your system to load the game

 

[Sashanski]

Well, after weeks of reinstalling, testing and cleaning it came down to a dead fan within the PSU (thanks to frozentundra123456 for making me check), so it seems that the power supply was overheating after some time of gaming. Thank you all so much for your advice and your time. I will edit original post to state the solution to the problem.