Computer keeps restarting at random times!

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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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Hello all,

Recently I have been experiencing a few issues with my computer. Every now and again, when I'm playing ANY game, even if it is really light on my components (Faster than Light), my computer restarts. When I open it back up, I'm greeted with no errors at all. In the event log, all that shows is that the shutdown was unexpected.

I unfortunately don't have a PSU I can swap out and use, nor do I have the money to buy one.
I do have a system that runs well, and has for the past 3-4 months of use, and it shouldn't be running over the wattage of my PSU.

Here are the specs that may or may not be important:

i5 4670k - Not overclocked
R9 270X
MSI Z87 G45 - Gaming
XFX 550w PSU 80+ Bronze
Windows 8.1 Professional x64

Is there anything else I can try?
Will a complete re-installation of Windows help?

Thanks guys!

EDIT:

Temperatures are also "good".
CPU runs at 60 degrees centigrade MAXIMUM during heavy loads, and my GPU rarely goes about 55.
 
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"i wouldnt jump to replacing the engine before you replace the spark plugs". chances are, its a driver issue, in my experience anyway, but could be a PSU. you could try rolling the driver back to an older one to see if that is more stable for your system. right now, there is a beta driver for that card. ive been using it without problems, so it may be a conflict within your system.
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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I can't see how it would run fine for 3 months without any issues at all, and then suddenly start having issues?
I was even told to go for that PSU due to its reliability... :p

Is there even a point in re-installing Windows?
 
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It wouldn't hurt to do a clean install of Windows. Do plenty of testing before you start adding further software.

Always good to understand if the issue is software before spending money replacing hardware.

Just to add- test the memory thoroughly.
 
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melonhead

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Sep 21, 2010
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for the longest time, i was plagued with a pc restarting randomly, but was not the PSU. turns out, it was a driver causing it. i used a program called "who crashed" that has the main purpose of reading crash dumps to tell you what caused the crash, but depending on what caused an issue, may show what caused the restart. windows also has the diagnostic tool in itself that may tell you what caused the restart.
 
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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WhoCrashed says that Windows dump files must be enables, however, when I checked, it's set to "automatic memory dump". As far as I know, this should produce a dump file that is readable?
Nevertheless, I've set it to complete... now I wait.

RMA-ing or replacing my PSU is literally the LAST thing I want to do, ANY other option is more feasible than doing that.
 
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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It crashed and restarted again, HOWEVER, this time I was greeted with "AMD driver stopped working and has not recovered". Removing this driver now, and re-installing another, more stable version.

Any ideas on what version would be the best for a 270X as of now?
 
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Is it vital that you install a driver immediately? Personally I'd leave it with the basic Windows driver for some time, to let me see if the crashing continued.
 
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melonhead

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Sep 21, 2010
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"i wouldnt jump to replacing the engine before you replace the spark plugs". chances are, its a driver issue, in my experience anyway, but could be a PSU. you could try rolling the driver back to an older one to see if that is more stable for your system. right now, there is a beta driver for that card. ive been using it without problems, so it may be a conflict within your system.
 
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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I have installed the latest "stable" drivers, and everything is now up and running. When I'm back tomorrow, I'll run some stress tests on the CPU, RAM and GPU.
Nevertheless, the computer has been running for over 2 hours without a restart.

Thanks for all the help so far. I hope to keep you updated.
 
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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Before I even managed to run tests this morning, it crashed and restarted.
I think I'm going to unplug it all and RMA this PSU.

Before I do though, I have a question. When I updated the graphics drivers to 14.9, the MSI splash screen changed and is now too stretched to fit on the screen properly. I can't access the BIOS either as it only shows "Settings" and doesn't go anywhere when I select it. I'm not sure if this is a new problem entirely or if I've screwed up everything?
 
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Make sure your BIOS is current, flash if needed, then rebuild the o/s.

If you had a hardware fault I think it unlikely that you'd have had the 2 hours with no issues (yes, I know that this is possible but tracking down faults is all based on what is most likely).
 
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TheGravyWalrus

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Apr 21, 2014
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My current BIOS version is v1.5, and the most recent update available is v1.9...
Nevertheless, I have no idea how to flash a motherboard. From what it looks like, it's pretty risky... Is there any "easy" way of doing it, or easy explanation on how to do it?

Anyway, so it is more likely that drivers are the main cause since it was on for a while?
It never restarts as soon as I turn it on, it takes at minimum about 5-10 minutes. However, this can range between 10 minutes and 2 hours as I have said.
 
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The manufacturers website will offer the "easy" way of flashing the bios- usually no risk involved, its fairly common.

IMO - unlikely to be drivers. Its not common that drivers suddenly cause a crash after 'x' minutes from my experience. More likely to be overheating or a bad block of memory- hence my suggestion of checking the ram (memtest).

Hope this helps.
 
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