PC shuts down randomly.

[LdSe]

Hello everyone,
Since yesterday, I've been encountering some problems with my PC. It suddenly started with a shut down... I was able to power it up again with no problem. Then, after a half an hour or so, the same problem came up.
After that, the PC just can't stay on for more than 10 minutes. I cleaned everything up, checked temps, changed cooler fans and still is happening.
I'm suspecting the PSU is on its last moments... It's a Power & Cooling Silencer 750w, powering the following:
- Intel i7 920.
- 6gb ram.
- Asus P6T.
- 4xHDD (2x SATA, 2x IDE).
- 1 External HDD.
- GTX275.

Another fact, is that I mostly leave the PC on 24/7... And I have it since mid September 2009.

My question is, do you think this is related to the issue? And the second, is this an acceptable life time for this PSU?

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[beenthere]

It could be many things causing the PC to crash. I'd check all of the cable connections then re-seat the RAM, Vid card and CPU/heatsink. Make sure the cooling fans aren't full of dust and causing components to overheat.

Then I'd run Memtest86+ from a floppy, CD or flash drive to be sure the RAM isn't going bad. You could also check the CPU/Vid card temps under load. If you have a spare PSU that you can try, that would be useful too as PSU failures are tough to diagnose until they completely fail. The PCPC PSUs typically have a 3-7 yr. warranty, depending on model, the last time that I checked.

 

[LdSe]

Yes, I rechecked all the connections, RAM and cleaned every single part.

Tried running MemTest and the PC shut down during the process...
I don't have a spare PSU powerful enough to test... But this seems to indicate that there's a PSU problem, right?

Thanks a lot!

 

[huldu]

I had the same problem a few weeks ago. At first i thought it was the PSU, which was wrong. It turned out to be the CPU and faulty cooling paste. I changed the cooling paste and the computer has been running fine ever since. While the CPU temp was "fine" in my eyes it really jumped up high during moments i couldn't see(windows boot up). Also let it sit in bios for 10 minutes ended up at 75c.

My point is... with computers it can be anything, usually what you least expect.

 

[lucuis]

Random shutdowns with no bluescreen or any sort of warning is almost always PSU or a Heat issue. But taking your word that temps are good, then it's most definitely the PSU. I've dealt with 2 faulty PSU and the symptoms are obvious.

 

[LdSe]

Thanks everyone for your inputs. I did another clean up, now with isoprophyl alcohol and apparently it finally got fixed... Been up for around an hour now.

If it happens again, I now have the certainty that's a faulty PSU.

Once again, thanks to everyone!

 

[LdSe]

Best answer selected by LdSe.