computer shuts off at random times

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chellebubblz

chellebubblz

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Jun 1, 2012
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This hasn't been going on long but it is super irritating. My computer will just randomly shut off. It is usually if I'm playing a game (Tera or Smite) but can also happen while streaming to Chrome cast or playing games on Facebook. My system is a few years old but I have replaced parts as needed. Last year I put in a new moBo and cpu that I bought together as a bundle. I added some extra ram in around the same time. Upgraded the video card. Only thing I haven't replaced is the power supply because I haven't needed to and it's the one part that intimidates me to do on my own. While I do realize it's likely the power supply being so old, is it possibly bad ram? I have 8gb installed but it's says only 3.97 available. I have windows 8 and yes I do have 64bit installed.

I know it's probably reaching hoping that it's bad ram but it's easiest to replace. I don't want to waste money if it's not that tho.
 
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MarkW
Option 1 will be cheaper because you are only replacing 2 items, rather than buying a whole new computer.

There are indications (rumors), that AMD is going to shake things up pretty good in a couple of weeks by getting very aggressive with pricing vs performance. This is a good thing for us, as it looks like that is going to lower prices on just about everything. But, we need to wait until the end of the month to see how the rumors pan out. If you can, I think I would try to get a refund (or a credit) for the 7700, and try to use that money, and maybe a little bit more to get a new card. The newer the card, the better DX12 in Windows 10 should perform for you.

And finally, on the power supply... Yes, I try to replace them no later...
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MarkW

MarkW

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Dec 7, 2009
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Right click the task bar, select Task Manager, and then select the Performance tab at the top, then click on memory. In the large panel that opens up to the right, Tell me what all 6 numbers are (please include the headers so I know which numbers belong to which headers).
 
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K

Keyframe

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May 16, 2015
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Try blowing the dust out of the case and its parts. Clean the dust filters and remove the fans. After removing the fans, grab a piece of smooth cloth and try cleaning the wings. Try it out, many systems shut down by themselves to prevent overheating.
 
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chellebubblz

chellebubblz

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Jun 1, 2012
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In use 2.5GB
Available 1.5 GB
Committed 3.7/6.1 GB
Cached 1.5 GB
Paged Pool 421MB
Non paged Pool 129MB

Also says speed 667mhz, 4/4 slots used, DIMM form factor and 4.0GB hardware reserved

And feel like I need to add that as long as I don't keep any browsers open, esp Chrome which is unfortunately my favorite) I can play games without issues. And when I"m just browsing it's okay as long as too many tabs aren't open. Which is why I'm leaning toward a memory issue?

 
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MarkW

MarkW

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Dec 7, 2009
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So your memory runs at 1333 speed, and all 4 slots have memory in them. I'm not sure why your system has 4GB of hardware reserved memory though. I just looked at my own system, and I only have 72MB hardware reserved, which is a tiny fraction of your 4GB.

List out the brand and model numbers of the items in your system. Be sure to list the power supply info as well.

I cant figure out how or why browsers affect your system. Except when a browser is loading a page or downloading something for you, it should be essentially doing nothing. It will occupy some memory during that time though. So that might be pointing us to a possible memory problem. But I'm not sure that is the cause of your shutdowns yet.

How old is the power supply?
 
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chellebubblz

chellebubblz

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Jun 1, 2012
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I took out my older 2 memory sticks and now all the numbers are basically the same but reserved says 29.5MB instead of 4GB. That is very confusing to me. It just went through one of it's "fits" and didn't want to power on. It would begin to start up but then switch off. I changed the memory (that's when I took the other 2 out) and then it turned on right away.

My motherboard is Gigabit, I bought it a year ago along with my 6core AMB, they were bundled together. My power supply is the original that came with it. It's an Antec 650watt brand, I would say it's 4-5 years old so I know it's likely time to replace but I'm not confident about doing that at all even though I've done everything else on my own. And I'm running an older video card while my 7770OC is being RMA. I am going to clean the insides real good tomorrow. Other than that I"m not sure. If it's the power supply I will most likely just replace the whole machine...
 
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MarkW

MarkW

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Dec 7, 2009
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Power Supplies are not spooky. Just do a couple of things before you start working on them.

1) Turn off the rocker switch on the power supply. Some may not have this.
2) Unplug the power supply from the wall.
3) Now press the power button you use to turn the computer on, and hold it down for 5 seconds. Do this 4 times.
4) At this point, all stored power in your system should be gone. Remove the 24 pin cable from the motherboard, the 4 pin or 8 pin power connector. You may need to remove all the other power cables as well to get it out. Just make notes of where each kind of cable went, and what kind of connector it used, so that you know where to put the new cables when you go to put it in.
5) On the back of the case (or sometimes on the bottom of it), there are 4 screws that need to be removed before you can pull the power supply out of your case.

Once you have done that, the power supply is out, and you can replace it by doing everything in reverse. Just make sure the cables get inserted with the notches in the cable going into the notches on the connectors. Most will only go in one way anyway, by design.

Its not hard. Just pick a good power supply to replace it with. If you have questions about how good or bad a power supply is, here is a link to the list we use here.

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-2547993/psu-tier-list.html

Search first by the brand name, and then look for what might match portions of the model number. Once you find a match, scroll up until you find what tier that hard drive is listed in. You generally would like a tier 1 or 2 power supply. Some areas of the world have trouble keeping even a tier 3 power supply around, so at worst, if its the best choice they have in your part of the world, pick a tier 3. I would never want to buy anything at tier 4 or lower.
 
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chellebubblz

chellebubblz

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Jun 1, 2012
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I have a little money to sink into this and considering 2 options:

1-Buy a new case and power supply, throw some more RAM in and upgrade the GPU.
2-Throw out 600-700 on an entry level pre-made system with an i5 or i7. The only problem is most of those come with crappy video cards.

I"m thinking option 1 may be cheaper, even if it is more work. I don't need a super fancy system. I don't game like I use to. I will occassionally play Smite or Tera, but it's mostly used for FB and streaming to Chromecast and I don't see that changing in the future. Right now I have:

AMD 6300 (six core) with a Gigabit MB
4GB Ram (I would upgrade to 8)
I have an older GTX 275 I think it is in right now, I have a 7700 OC that I need to get RMA'd.
And then of course you know the power supply info.

It seems to be running better after a good thorough cleaning. But after 5 years I think I"m ready for a new case if I keep it and that's something I"m not sure I want to tackle lol
 
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MarkW

MarkW

Judicious
Dec 7, 2009
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32,960
Option 1 will be cheaper because you are only replacing 2 items, rather than buying a whole new computer.

There are indications (rumors), that AMD is going to shake things up pretty good in a couple of weeks by getting very aggressive with pricing vs performance. This is a good thing for us, as it looks like that is going to lower prices on just about everything. But, we need to wait until the end of the month to see how the rumors pan out. If you can, I think I would try to get a refund (or a credit) for the 7700, and try to use that money, and maybe a little bit more to get a new card. The newer the card, the better DX12 in Windows 10 should perform for you.

And finally, on the power supply... Yes, I try to replace them no later than the 5 year point. I would rather replace them on my schedule, than theirs.

On the memory front, I would definitely like to see you upgrade to 8GB. You might even feel comfortable keeping Chrome open all the time, which is a good thing.

 
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