PC Randomly Turns Off

kyle7790

Reputable
Jan 11, 2016
15
0
4,510
My computer suddenly turns off randomly. It has happened when I was watching a video on youtube, watching a video on VLC or as soon as it finishes booting.

No BSODS, nothing in event viewer when I boot it up again. Just turns off like someone yanked the power cord.

I'm suspecting that it might be the PSU since I also get electric shocks felt on the system case from time to time. I have tried bypassing the surge protector and connecting it directly to the wall outlet but it still happens. Will try to use a different power cord when I get home.

It might be something else (RAM or MB) though because before it did this, the computer would stutter like it was about to freeze up for about 1 sec randomly as well during use.

PC Specs:
I5 3350p with Gammaxx 400
Sapphire R9 380 4gb
Seasonic S12II Bronze 520w
Kingston SSD Now
WD Black 1TB
HyperXFury 4Gb DDR3 x2
Deepcool Dukase for the Case with 3 120mm fans
Running Windows 10

Any feedback, thoughts, input, etc will be highly helpful. Thank you.
 
Solution
520W is perfectly sufficient, and that's just rated wattage, which doesn't really mean anything, but how well a power supply can maintain its specified amperage on all its rails while having clean voltages is important.
It's most likely the power supply. There is really no definite way to figure out if this is the motherboard or PSU, but the PSU is usually the first to cause any kind of unexpected shut down. There is electric charge transferred when I touch my case, but cases are grounded so it should be shunted to the ground outside.
 

kyle7790

Reputable
Jan 11, 2016
15
0
4,510


I may have exaggerated the "electric shocks". So, i don't get shocked all the time. Just when I try to unscrew or screw in the case screws.
Hopefully, I haven't fryed my pc parts yet.

Being a PSU master that you are, any feedback with this particular PSU? I got it brand new but I didn't use the power cord that came with the box since I still had my old one from my previous build. Would you recommend I try using the power cord that came with the box and see if the problem still occurs or shall I bring it back to the shop to be replaced?
 
Higher-wattage power supplies have lower-gauge (AKA thicker) power cords for the increased power, but for a 520W unit like yours the power cord should be fine, but using the one that comes with the box will be best if it is thicker. Getting shocked on a case is normal: both my PC cases shock me, but since PCs are grounded by the power supply it doesn't affect components at all.
 

kyle7790

Reputable
Jan 11, 2016
15
0
4,510


Will a 520w power supply power my entire rig efficiently, cause if i'll have it returned, i'm thinking of getting the 620w version instead if 520 watts doesn't cut it.