Computer randomly restarts?

[3rdEarth]

Hello all

I would like some advice on why my computer has been randomly acting up recently.

The specs on my computer are as follows :

i7 960
x58 Sabertooth
2x 4gb Kingston RAM 1333
Corsair AX850
Seagate 2TB Sata 3 HD
Gigabyte GTX560Ti OC
XSPC RX360 watercooling kit

So my problem is that my computer randomly restarts and from what I can tell these restarts are not connected with anything. They can occur when I do web browsing or when I play games (BF3) or when I simply watch HD films. I had been able to make the resetting stop for about a week by changing out a stick of Patriot 4GB 1333 RAM for another Kingston stick. But the resetting is back now and once it occurs the computer gets stuck in a restarting loop that gets shorter and shorter between restarts. Inorder to fix this I have to hold the power button to make sure that it is completely off before rebooting it again.

The second RAM slot in my motherboard (I filled it in the recommended configuration, right to left on the lighter colored slot) is fried because a few months after I built this computer back in 2010 I accidentally put one of the RAM sticks back to front. Despite this damage the motherboard has been functioning fine ever since and I have been utilizing the third RAM slot for that channel instead.

The temps on my computer are fine from what I can see and I have tried reformatting, defaulting the settings in BIOS, etc. No parts in the computer are overclocked.

CPU idles at about : 32 degrees
GPU idles at about : 33 degrees

Could it be that the heatsink seated on the CPU is tightened too much causing warping and potential problems like restarting?

Not sure how to diagnose this problem. Any suggestions would be appriciated thankyou

 

[InvalidError]

The most common cause of "boot-looping" is under-rated/bad/failing PSU.

 

[3rdEarth]

The most common cause of "boot-looping" is under-rated/bad/failing PSU.

Even random restarting? Should I request a RMA from corsair or do some testing before I head down that route, I don't have another PSU that I can easily test the rig with.

 

[3rdEarth]

Anyone else got an opinion on this?

 

[InvalidError]

If the computer works fine for weeks/months/years, then suddenly starts randomly restarting even while idle/low-load and then starts boot-looping with the restarting/boot-looping becoming increasingly frequent over time, there is a ~90% probability that it is a PSU problem.

Easiest test would be to try a known-good PSU and see if the problem persists.

 

[3rdEarth]

Best answer selected by 3rdEarth.

 

[3rdEarth]

If the computer works fine for weeks/months/years, then suddenly starts randomly restarting even while idle/low-load and then starts boot-looping with the restarting/boot-looping becoming increasingly frequent over time, there is a ~90% probability that it is a PSU problem.

Easiest test would be to try a known-good PSU and see if the problem persists.

Thanks heaps for your support! I will place a RMA with corsair after it happens again