PC Dies During Gameplay (Complete Shutdown)

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Exdeus

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Greetings -

I purchased a Dell computer a few years ago and upgraded the graphics card to a Radeon about the time that I purchased it. When I run more graphic intensive games (Skyrim, Eve Online, etc) I can hear the fan motors start to crank pretty heavily. I have removed the side of the case for improved air flow and so that the case doesn't retain heat.

The issue I run into is when I run Skyrim, after a few minutes into the game, the machine is running very aggressively and then out of the blue completely shuts off. It doesn't shut down windows, it is as if someone pulled the power cord out of the back of the computer and it completely shuts off. I have to turn it back on by hitting the power button.

What can the causes of this be? My first assumption was an insufficient power supply. I can run a diagnostic on it and give some more information. I just cannot remember the name of the program that gives the complete breakdown of your systems components.

If it is the power supply, would I be able to transfer the components from the Dell into a new, full tower case that I could put a larger power supply in with increased fans? I want to build my own system in the next few months anyways so I would just replace those items down the road.

Thank you in advance for any advice you may have!
 
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hunter315

hunter315

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Download HWMonitor, have it running when you start playing a game, when you hear things going really aggressively Alt-Tab out and see what your temps are at. The fact that you hear all the fans get real aggressive and then it suddenly shuts down leads me to suspect an overheating issue.
 
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Exdeus

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I will check that program out and run it during the gaming session. Here is my system information.

Computer
Operating System Windows 7 Home Premium Home Edition
OS Service Pack None
Internet Explorer
Computer Name xxxxx
User Name xxxxx
Logon Domain xxxxx

Motherboard
CPU Type Unknown, 2200 MHz
Motherboard Name Unknown
Motherboard Chipset Unknown
System Memory 4096 MB
BIOS Type Unknown

Display
Video Adapter ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft CorporatATI Display Adapter (512 MB)
Video Adapter ATI Radeon HD 4800 Series (Microsoft CorporatATI Display Adapter (512 MB)
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 9200
Video Adapter NVIDIA GeForce 9200
Monitor Generic PnP Monitor [NoDB] (CNT916Z504)

Multimedia
Audio Adapter High Definition Audio Controller [NoDB]
Audio Adapter High Definition Audio Controller [NoDB]

Storage
Disk Drive Generic USB CF Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB MS Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB SD Reader USB Device
Disk Drive Generic USB SM Reader USB Device
Disk Drive ST375063 0AS SCSI Disk Device
Optical Drive TSSTcorp CDDVDW TS-H653Q SCSI CdRom Device

Partitions
C: (NTFS) 703871 MB (445853 MB free)
D: (NTFS) 11531 MB (1529 MB free)

Input
Keyboard HID Keyboard Device
Keyboard Standard PS/2 Keyboard
Mouse HID-compliant mouse
Mouse HID-compliant mouse

Network
Primary IP Address xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Primary MAC Address xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Network Adapter NVIDIA nForce Networking Controller (xxxxxxxxx)
Modem PCIe CX95610 Soft Modem

Peripherals
Printer Fax - HP Officejet Pro 8600 (Network)
Printer Fax
Printer HP Officejet Pro 8600 (Network)
Printer Microsoft XPS Document Writer
Printer Send To OneNote 2010
USB Device Razer Megalodon
USB Device USB Composite Device
USB Device USB Input Device
USB Device USB Mass Storage Device
 
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Exdeus

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Alright, got the temp information.

This is at idle:
Fq4rTWs.jpg


This is once the fans start cranking. It crashed about two-three minutes after this in game.
v1x5ot5.jpg
 
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Exdeus

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I would say it is about half the size of a full tower, about two two feet tall. I've removed the side of the case as well in the hopes of increasing air flow through it.

I should also note while the system does have a noticeable increase in fan volume while running Eve online, it does not crash. I only see this with Skyrim and I believe I have ran into it with other higher end games but don't recall specific titles.
 
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ko888

ko888

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For a system using a single Radeon HD 4850 graphics card AMD specifies a minimum of a 450 Watt or greater system power supply. The power supply should also have a maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of 27 Amps or greater and have at least one 6-pin PCI Express supplementary power connector.

Total Power Supply Wattage is NOT the crucial factor in power supply selection!!! Sufficient Total Combined Continuous Power/Current Available on the +12V Rail(s) is the most critical factor.

What's the brand and model of the system's power supply unit?

Seems like you're running near and sometimes over the maximum limits of the power supply unit.
 
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Exdeus

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It is a Delta Electronics Model DPS-350AB A REV
Input: 100-127v ~/ 10A

Output +12VA / 18A
Max Power +5V / 13A
350W +3.3V / 15A
The combine power on +12Va & +12Vb TOTAL 300W MAX
 
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ko888

ko888

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The maximum combined +12 Volt continuous current rating of that power supply unit is 25 Amps.

That is definitely below the minimum requirement of 27 Amps required for proper operation.

On graphics intensive games like Skyrim the graphics card is drawing more power and is exceeding what the power supply is able to safely provide so it eventually overheats and shuts itself down.

You need to upgrade the power supply unit.
 
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unplanned bacon

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In my limited experience of PC rig building all I can say is your system is too hot man! I thought the top picture was your gaming temps, because they look similar to mine when I game, but they're your idle temps. If your GPU is reaching 108 something isn't right. Fair enough I haven't played Skyrim on my rig, but the highest gaming temp my GPU has reached is 67. Idle case temps about 28 and 31 - 32 for the GPU.

You could possibly try checking for dust in your system, maybe install another fan (although that won't change temps much), but I'm sure one of the more knowledgeable guys on the forum can help. Also check if all your fans are actually working. I reckon your shut downs are due to overheating
 
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hunter315

hunter315

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The 4850 should NOT be hitting 108C, that is what is causing things to cut out. My XFX 4850 never broke 70C and it had a standard reference cooler on it, though when you turned the fan on it up to about 70% it sounded like a jet so that explains the loud fan noise you have right before you cut out, its the GPU trying its hardest.

The rest of those temps seem reasonable so it seems more like an issue of the GPU fan being clogged and not insufficient case airflow, though it does look like you had the CPU loaded up on the first temp screen shot as the temps on it are quite high for idle but right for load. Find out if you can remove the plastic cover from your GPU so you can see the heatsink better to clean it out, or get some compressed air, hold the fan so it can't spin, and blast some of the dust out, your heatsink is likely fairly full.
 
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ko888

ko888

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PowerColor Radeon HD 4850 512 MB, Idle: 73.5°C, Load: 95.5°C, Load + OC: 96.5°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_4850/24.html

MSI R4850 Radeon HD 4850 512 MB, Idle: 77.0°C, Load: 91.0°C, Load + OC: 92.0°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/MSI/HD_4850/24.html

Sapphire HD 4850 Toxic 512 MB, Idle: 54°C, Load: 87°C, Load + OC: 96°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_4850_Toxic/27.html

Powercolor PCS HD 4850 512 MB, Idle: 55°C, Load: 88°C, Load + OC: 93°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Powercolor/HD_4850_PCS/29.html

HIS HD 4850 IceQ4 TurboX 512 MB, Idle: 46°C, Load: 62°C, Load + OC: 64°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/HIS/HD_4850_IceQ4/29.html

Sapphire HD 4850 512 MB 100245L Own PCB Design, Idle: 47°C, Load: 68°C, Load + OC: 70°C
http://www.techpowerup.com/reviews/Sapphire/HD_4850/29.html

AMD's reference design HD 4850s were plagued by high temperature problems and users were worried about their hot cards, even though AMD said that these temperature are perfectly fine for 24/7 operation.

I would expect the temperature problem to get worse as the card ages and as the thermal interface material dries out.
 
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zeph_yr

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The small case can't be doing anything good for it either. Everything in there is too hot.

I think your best choice is to get a better case and power supply.

PCPartPicker part list: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eZQF
Price breakdown by merchant: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eZQF/by_merchant/
Benchmarks: http://pcpartpicker.com/p/2eZQF/benchmarks/

Case: NZXT H230 (Black) ATX Mid Tower Case ($59.99 @ Newegg)
Power Supply: Corsair Builder 430W 80+ Bronze Certified ATX Power Supply ($19.99 @ Microcenter)
Total: $79.98
(Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available.)
(Generated by PCPartPicker 2014-03-13 18:16 EDT-0400)
 
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unplanned bacon

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His idles are hotter than my entire rig under gaming load on max settings (granted I haven't run Skyrim on this yet). Running a GTX 760 and quad core Haswell. Then again I do have three and a half times the amount of fans, but his idles are still too hot.

OP I'd check your airflow, check all your fans are working, check for dust and consider adding more fans (I don't know whether that will ultimately make much difference).
 
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Exdeus

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Well something is off - I've already checked background processes under idle and nothing abnormal. In addition, the only item I have changed from the factory was the addition of the memory card. As I stated, I also have the side of the case completely removed. I think I am just going to build myself a new PC from scratch in a few months or order a custom rig. First and last time I'll purchase a cookie-cutter major manufacturer PC. I suppose you get what you pay for.
 
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David Dewis

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Whilst I agree, you should never buy a prebuilt computer, as they tend to use cheaper components. You shouldn't need to buy a new computer to fix this overheating issue. I would suggest taking the components apart, out of the case and is making sure they are clean using compressed air. Ensure that the case is clean and place all the parts back in the system, ensuring that everything goes back to where it was. With the side off, start up the computer. Do a visual check to make sure all of the fans, including the CPU cooler, GPU fans and case fans are spinning. If all of the fans appear to be working properly, check to see which direction each of the fans are blowing air. Ideally you want an equal pressure airflow, meaning you want the same amount of air coming in as you want coming out. On cheaper prebuilt systems, this tends to mean one fan blowing air in at the front, whilst one fan blows air out at the back. If you have an odd number of fans, my experience shows it is better to have negative airflow, as in more fans extracting air than blowing air inside the case. I would say try all of these steps before jumping into making a new computer purchase.
 
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ko888

ko888

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@Exdeus, what is your room temperature?

Do you see any graphics artifacts when the graphics card's fan ramps up? I would expect something like that to happen with those older generation graphics cards.

The computer shutting itself off is more a symptom of a lack of power.
 
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David Dewis

David Dewis

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At 108c. that is not a lack of power. His temps are off the chart. most computers would shut down at the temps he is showing
 
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ko888

ko888

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The computer doesn't reach a peak of 108°C. The graphics card does.

The motherboard temperature reaches a peak of 58°C and the auxiliary temperature sensor reaches a peak of 60°C.

If the computer case was getting warmer when the graphics card is under load then why is the motherboard sensor temperature, auxiliary sensor temperature, hard disk drive temperature, NVIDIA GeForce 9200 current and peak temperatures relatively identical to the idle temperatures?
 
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David Dewis

David Dewis

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his mobo is at 57c idle. His cpu is at 60c idle. Most budget mobo (which this will be if its a dell) activate heat protection around this temp and cut power to cool the system. I've has this exact same issue with my itx system when i forgot to hook up my fans.
 
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David Dewis

David Dewis

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defnatly the best course of action before buying new components
 
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David Dewis

David Dewis

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definitely the best course of action before buying new components
 
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ko888

ko888

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If that were true then the OP would be experiencing shutdown during idle too or even while browsing the web.

The problem only happens when playing some games.
 
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