PC Restarting without BSOD or any warning signs?

Captain_Bigzy

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Mar 5, 2015
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Hello all I'm new here and in need of some help figure out my PC problem.... As said in the title my PC is restarting without any BSOD or warnings, so before we start let me try to make a list below of my specs and what I've checked/done before hand so you folk's know where I'm at with this issue.

Firstly Specs:

CPU: AMD FX 6100 (6 Core Unlocked)
MB: ASUS M5A97 PRO
RAM: 2 x 4GB Corsair Vengeance sticks 1600mhz
PSU: Cooler Master GX Bronze 650w
HDD: 250GB SATA (Primary) & 1TB SATA (Slave)
Cooling: Cooler Master Water Cooling (Model not known right now but can aquire if required)
GPU: ASUS Radeon HD 7770 2GB

Description of fault:

So this all started during a game of CS:GO where my PC rebooted instantly with no BSOD or warning, at first I wasn't sure what had happened and the PC loaded back to desktop as normal, it then done this another 2 times during the same match which was of course frustrating. The problem seems to happen more during game-play but has also happened when loading up a game or even after I play a game and then close the game off. The problem has also happened while just trying to open smaller applications such as AMD Catalyst Control Center.


What I've tried so far:

1, Checked that Auto Restarts is disabled so any BSOD screens would show.
2, Checked CPU Temps which seem very stable at 30 degrees c at Idle and around 40 - 50 degrees during game-play depending on game of course.
3, Checked Motherboard Temps which seem stable at 31 degrees c.
4 Checked GPU Temprature's and Seem stable at 30 degrees c Idle and 40 - 45 degrees c during gameplay.
5, New cooling paste was done on heat sink around 8 weeks ago with a full cleaning out of case dust and grime.
6, Tried different GPU from my sons PC which is a Radeon XFX R7700 Series.
7, Checked Bios settings were at default as this is how I normally run my PC.
8, Virus Scan done on system to ensure no viruses were causing the problem.
9. Re-installed Windows 7 to check there was no driver/software issues.
10, Checked all connections inside case were clean and of course connected properly.
11, Memory test with no errors.
12, I have also checked Voltages see details below

Idle voltages from ASUS AI suite

Vcore: 0.876
+3.3V: 3.288
+5V: 4.950
+12V: 11.068 (this one seems to fluctuate anywhere from over 12 - under 11).
+VDDA: 2.508

CPU Fan Speed: 1403rpm
PWR_FAN: 2083

My thoughts currently:

So basically I have done a fair bit of checking at least to whats available for me to do on my own, I have noticed a lot of other topics regarding this across Toms Hardware and the WWW and a lot of them seem to suggest the PSU could be the issue while some say otherwise... The most annoying thing is not knowing the cause as I don't have the funds to just start replacing 1 thing at a time hoping for the best. I'd rather find what piece of hardware is causing the issue and just replace that.

On a side note I built my nephew a PC with exact same specs about 1 year after building my own so I do have the opportunity to strip my pc down and test each component on his and maybe find the problem that way but in the mean time I wanted to get some advice from here.

ALSO: This morning when I turned PC on the Red CPU LED light on MB was solid red and would not post, I tried a few times but failed then all of a sunned i pushed on the MB slightly and the pc instantly started to boot up as normal, not sure if this is related to the above as I have had the case open checking connections ect.... Could it be that there is a bad earth between case and MB causing the random restarting also?

Thanks for reading and any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks Captain Bigzy
 
Solution
I would vote the psu. The 3.3v and 5v rails are a little low and that's a lot of fluctuation on the 12v rail. If it dips too low it may just flat shutdown out of self preservation rather than undervolting and causing damage to the components (either a mobo feature or psu feature). A good quality psu should be producing at least the rated currents and very low fluctuation/ripple. If you can, take your psu to a trusted local repair shop and have them properly test it under load to verify. I understand not wanting to replace parts at random but just from what you've mentioned so far, you need a decent power supply since it's one of the core components of your system.
I would vote the psu. The 3.3v and 5v rails are a little low and that's a lot of fluctuation on the 12v rail. If it dips too low it may just flat shutdown out of self preservation rather than undervolting and causing damage to the components (either a mobo feature or psu feature). A good quality psu should be producing at least the rated currents and very low fluctuation/ripple. If you can, take your psu to a trusted local repair shop and have them properly test it under load to verify. I understand not wanting to replace parts at random but just from what you've mentioned so far, you need a decent power supply since it's one of the core components of your system.
 
Solution

Captain_Bigzy

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Mar 5, 2015
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Thanks for replying so quick, not sure if you "ALSO" section of my post but regarding this morning when i had the red LED light constantly on and after just lightly pushing on the MB everything just activated and booted the system as normal so if the reason for that was due to a short or bad earth could the short/bad earth cause voltage issues or fluctuations in the voltages thus causing the pc to reboot at certain times? If not related then I guess I'll consider the PSU getting a little old (3 years) and may be losing the will to live... If it could be related then it could be a case of stripping the pc down and ensuring the MB and other components are sitting properly and of course earth.

Since the pc booted this morning it has not restarted randomly as yet so hard to tell if it might have been a bad connection between MB and case or if Ive just not stressed the PSU enough to cause the low voltage problem.

Checking voltages right now show the following:

Vcore: fluctuating between 0.876 - 1.013
+3.3V steady 3.288
+5V Steady 4.950
+12V 12.149 with little fluctuation
+VDDA steady 2.508

These are while PC is idle with just steam and google chrome open, so do you still think voltage issue?

Thanks again for your help!
 

Captain_Bigzy

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Full day of running PC and was fine all day until now where it just done the random restart again, took ti too my nephews house to do some testing and it ran fine, played CSGO ect with no issues then got it home plugged all back in and bam not even 1 full match of csgo...

One thing I have noticed during today is while it was stable the rear fan for water cooling seemed to stay steady speed but after getting it home it was fluctuating the fan speed a lot, going from idle on desktop to opening something simple like chrome or steam you hear the fan changing speeds, could this confirm the PSU not supplying correct voltages?

I just checked voltages yet again and they look unstable again compared to my above reply to synphul heres a voltage update.

Vcore: 0.864
+3.3V: 3.288
+5V: 4.928
+12V: 11.325 (after the random restart I instantly opened AI suite to check and was fluctuating under 11)
+VDDA: 2.508


Any suggestions would be great regarding if this confirms PSU is the issue.


Thanks.
 
It could be something loose, it's odd that it worked fine at a different location then showed the same symptoms once you got it home. Maybe moving the pc back and forth shifted something that isn't tightened down? It's really difficult to tell without proper testing. If the psu could be tested with actual testing equipment under load with a known good stable power source, it would better help determine if the psu is faulty. Moving the case around shows it might not be the psu if it worked fine after transporting the tower and using a different power source but introduces more factors into the equation.

Beyond the psu being 'bad', it could be that something physically shifted exposing a poor contact or ground issue either with a cable, the psu itself internally, motherboard to backplate mounting. There's also the difference in power source between two different locations. It could be a difference between the home's wiring at your residence vs your nephews, or it may not be a whole home issue but just a problem with that particular outlet itself you're using at your place. Is it plugged straight into the wall or is there a power strip involved? How did you plug it in at your nephews, straight to the wall or through a power strip? Also, if a power strip was used at both places, did you bring yours with you or did you use a different strip at your nephews?

Sorry for adding more questions, not trying to add more confusion but each variable can have an impact. I've seen individual outlets be at fault while the rest of the residence's power is fine. I've seen poor power strips or failing power strips cause weird issues - the power supply in the pc can only make use of the power it's given so if there's a problem with power delivery ahead of the psu, that may be the issue. Maybe try a different outlet in the house even if temporary just to eliminate the plug you're using as the problem. If using a power strip, try to remove it from the setup and just plug in the monitor and tower (you may have to leave out other peripherals like speakers and things if they too are plugged in and causing you to need the power strip for additional outlets).
 

Captain_Bigzy

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Well since returning home that night and within 30 minutes of it beong turned on it restarted, I let it reboot as normal and didn't bother gaming but instead watched some Youtube vids for an hour or so with no issues at all.

I then tried the following day to disconnect the Reset button connectors from the MB as this had also come up as possible cause for PC restarting randomly but PC still restarting so not the reset button.

As for power and power strips I admit I run a shit load of power in a small area due to this being the Gaming room of the house so 2 PC's with 3 monitors and all peripherals ect... However since the PC failed again today I decided I would borrow my sons PC for the night and ran it with all the cables I use for my pc including same location, power lead and power strip and it has been perfectly fine. At my Nephews I honestly think I just got lucky but hard to say for sure, while there it was plugged into a 4 way power strip and could not hear any fluctuations in fan speed for the water cooling but after getting it home I heard the fan speeding up with no real reason although the speed variations are small but noticeable.

So yea quite mind boggling but there has to be an explanation somewhere.

My next step I may "risk" is testing my sons PSU in my case however his is only a Corsair CX430 so cant test my rig with that PSU on full load but then again it doesn't seem to take much for it to randomly restart seeing as its happening during CSGO...

If I do take the risk tomorrow I will post back within 24hrs of testing regarding my findings. Just really want to get to the bottom of it so I can go replace what needs replacing rather than just me guessing :D

Thanks again for your help and advice regarding this issue!

Captain Bigzy


EDIT: One thing at my nephews house I did check seeing as we both have identical systems was the voltages on his compared to mine and his were all staying slightly above what they are supposed to be which does make me sway towards the PSU being on its way out.
 

Captain_Bigzy

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Right so tonight I switched PSU from my sons PC to my PC and all has been perfect since, I can hear a big difference in the Rear fan which is from my water cooling as it is running at the proper speed and very consistent, no random restarts and Ive been playing CSGO all night to make sure lol

Just want to say a huge thanks to Toms Hardware for existing and especially to you Synphul for all your help and advice regarding troubleshooting this problem and hope someone else out there can benefit from this now solved post!

Planning to get my new PSU ordered in next day or to and going for a tier 1 EVGA SuperNova G2 750w seeing as they are meant to be really good quality and well 10 year warranty is appealing too :D

Thanks again Captain Bigzy!

 

beekermartin

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Just to add my $.02. Have you checked the voltage at the outlet you have the pc plugged into at home? Pickup a Kill A Watt meter. If your voltage is fluctuating drastically then that can cause all kinds of issues and damage a power supply. I highly recommend getting a battery back up with automatic voltage regulation. Stable consistent power goes a long way especially with computers.