PC restarts during games or FurMark test. Is PSU powerful enough?

Verth666 · Feb 10, 2016

Hello everybody!

My custom built PC restarts during games or when I stress GPU with FurMark. I have found many similar topics on the internet, however, I still have some questions. There is no BSD or GPU artifacts. PC just restarts itself randomly. It performs fine when I run, for instance, multiple VMs on it, even when they consume almost 90% of RAM.

My rig is as follows:
- Intel i7 3.5GHz 4770K
- Asus Maximus Hero VI
- Asus GeForce GTX 770
- 32GB of RAM kingston hyperx beast
- 250 GB SSD
- 2 x 2TB HDD
- DVD drive
- PSU Cooler Master G650M
- Zalman tower Z11plus (5 fans)
- Windows 10

Here is what I have done so far:

1) After restart there is only a general error in Event Viewer (Event ID: 41, Task category 63, "The system has rebooted without cleanly shutting down first. This error could be caused if the system stopped responding, crashed, or lost power unexpectedly").

2) Dump files are enabled but WhoCrashed found nothing.

3) I ran Prime95 to test CPU and checked the temperature in CPUID HW Monitor. It hits 100-105 Celsius degrees and PC runs ok. Nevertheless, I cleaned PC inside and replace CPU's thermal paste (just in case) and tested PC with side cover opened.

4) I managed to test GPU temperature while running FurMark and Valley Benchmark. It hits approx 60-76 C and doesn't go higher. Of course PC restarts itself after a while.

5) I completely removed a graphic card and reinstalled the drivers.

6) I take out 16GB of RAM, disconnected DVD, one additional HDD and 2 fans (out of 5). After decreasing the number of devices I could play in GTA V longer. However, PC still restarts during cutscene in Lego The Hobbit game. I used to play the older game - Skyrim - on the very same settings and PC was ok.

My conclusion is that PSU might be not powerful enough for this PC. Unfortunately, I do not have a spare one so I need to make a decision whether I should buy a new one or not. Accordingly to nVidia website (http://www.geforce.com/hardware/desktop-gpus/geforce-gtx-770/specifications ) minimum PSU requirement for GeForce GTX 770 is 600W. My PSU has 650W.

My final question is should I buy a new PSU, if yes which one would be the best for my PC?

Thanks!

PS. Please advise if there is something else I could try or test.

Dark Lord of Tech · Feb 10, 2016

PSU Cooler Master G650M is enough power , but poor quality.

Dark Lord of Tech · Feb 10, 2016

Look for XFX , SEASONIC , EVGA G2 or GS series.

650W is fine if it's a great one.

techgeek · Feb 10, 2016

3) I ran Prime95 to test CPU and checked the temperature in CPUID HW Monitor. It hits 100-105 Celsius degrees and PC runs ok. Nevertheless, I cleaned PC inside and replace CPU's thermal paste (just in case) and tested PC with side cover opened.

Is that correct? Is your CPU really hitting over 100C in Prime 95? If it is, I wouldn't run Prime 95 again. You shouldn't really be going above 80C with a stock cooler. Your CPU would have been throttling (and baking) at this temperature.

Verth666 · Feb 10, 2016

I just disconnected all external drives except SSD with OS and ran FurMark again. After 30 minutes of stress test CPU temperature was around 77C and GPU - 81C. I ran Prime 95 again. CPU temperature is 99-100C (it is not exceeding 100). CPU has a stock cooler. PC didn't restart.

I added one 2T HDD and run FurMark again. GPU hits 80C and after few minutes PC restarts. I got a message in BIOS - "CPU has been overheated, press F1 etc".

Dark Lord of Tech · Feb 10, 2016

99-100C is too high.

techgeek · Feb 10, 2016

Verth666 :

Running Prime 95 with the stock cooler is very scary especially with the i7 4770K (I've got the same CPU). There are a couple factors that make Haswell and Prime 95 run so hot. First off is the FIVR (integrated voltage regulator) on die. Under extreme loads the FIVR can produce a lot of heat. Then newer versions of Prime 95 utilize AVX (1 / 2) which causes Vcore to go up as much as .1V higher than normal, this dramatically raises your CPU temperature.

If I were you, I'd deal with your overheating issues before attempting to diagnose further. The stock cooler isn't very good, but I'd think that you should be able to keep the CPU below 80C running Furmark. So either you have a mounting issue, or thermal paste isn't sufficient, or you have very high ambient temperatures (if you live somewhere warm).

Verth666 · Feb 12, 2016

I bought and installed a new fan, Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO. CPU's Temp went down in Prime 95 to approx. 60C. It has around 36C when idle.

PC still restarts during games... any suggestions?

techgeek · Feb 15, 2016

Much better temp wise. I felt it necessary to address the elephant in the room before trying to sort out the rest of the issues.

It is my belief that your PSU isn't able to handle the 12V requirements of your GPU. Your CPU however doesn't use as much power as your GPU and thus you don't experience the same problem when you run Pirme 95.

If I'm correct, you will probably find that running Prime 95 and Furmark at the same time causes your computer to restart much quicker. If you wish to test, get Prime 95 started first and let it get going for a minute or so and then launch Furmark. I'm betting it'll take much less time.

As for recommendations, any of the supplies SR-71 suggested are good. I personally have a EVGA G2 series supplies. XFX and Seasonic are excellent as well (Seasonic makes some of XFX's supplies). Corsair has a couple good series (AX and HX), stay away from CX, and RM. I've never had much luck with Antec. I wish the old PC Power and Cooling PSU's were still around.

Verth666 · Feb 16, 2016

techgeek :

Much better temp wise. I felt it necessary to address the elephant in the room before trying to sort out the rest of the issues.

It is my belief that your PSU isn't able to handle the 12V requirements of your GPU. Your CPU however doesn't use as much power as your GPU and thus you don't experience the same problem when you run Pirme 95.

If I'm correct, you will probably find that running Prime 95 and Furmark at the same time causes your computer to restart much quicker. If you wish to test, get Prime 95 started first and let it get going for a minute or so and then launch Furmark. I'm betting it'll take much less time.

As for recommendations, any of the supplies SR-71 suggested are good. I personally have a EVGA G2 series supplies. XFX and Seasonic are excellent as well (Seasonic makes some of XFX's supplies). Corsair has a couple good series (AX and HX), stay away from CX, and RM. I've never had much luck with Antec. I wish the old PC Power and Cooling PSU's were still around.

Thanks for the answer techgeek. I will buy a proper PSU soon. Should I go for 650W or more for my rig?

techgeek · Feb 18, 2016

A good 650W should be sufficient for you system. However I am a proponent for purchasing more than needed since you don't know what upgrades you'll be tempted with down the road. If I were in your position, a good 750W supply would be plenty and allow some room for upgrades down the road.

Not that it makes a huge difference to most peoples purchasing decisions, but nearly all supplies get the best efficiency at 50% of their maximum output. So a 750W supply would tend to be more efficient around the 350 - 400 W range. When a PSU is operating at it's most efficient. less power is wasted in regulating the supplies by the passive and active components in the PSU which in turn means that less heat is produced in the PSU as a result. Though you would be hard pressed to tell the difference (if any) in your power bill annually with regards to this, you should experience a noticeable difference in heat output though. Even a few extra watts can increase the heat in a PSU by a few degrees. Heat is the major factor in electrolytic caps degrading over time due to the evaporation of the electrolytic fluid in the cap. I am not aware of any PSU's that use all solid state caps yet. There are a few of capacitors in PSU's that are just too large to exchange with solid state caps.

Verth666 · Aug 25, 2016

techgeek :

Much better temp wise. I felt it necessary to address the elephant in the room before trying to sort out the rest of the issues.

It is my belief that your PSU isn't able to handle the 12V requirements of your GPU. Your CPU however doesn't use as much power as your GPU and thus you don't experience the same problem when you run Pirme 95.

If I'm correct, you will probably find that running Prime 95 and Furmark at the same time causes your computer to restart much quicker. If you wish to test, get Prime 95 started first and let it get going for a minute or so and then launch Furmark. I'm betting it'll take much less time.

As for recommendations, any of the supplies SR-71 suggested are good. I personally have a EVGA G2 series supplies. XFX and Seasonic are excellent as well (Seasonic makes some of XFX's supplies). Corsair has a couple good series (AX and HX), stay away from CX, and RM. I've never had much luck with Antec. I wish the old PC Power and Cooling PSU's were still around.

I bought EVGA SuperNOVA 850W - Platinum and extensively tested my rig. It works like a charm.

techgeek · Aug 25, 2016

That's awesome news. It's always a good win when you get down to the source of the problem first try.

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PC restarts during games or FurMark test. Is PSU powerful enough?

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