Spenc938 Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 My computer shuts off on it's own. It seems that it does it completely randomly. Earlier today I had it on for 7 hours straight, converting video, yet now, I am lucky to get 20 minutes. I ran memtest for about 6 hours, which pulled up nothing, so I don't think it is the memory. I ran Prime95 CPU torture test, for about 9 hours, and that pulled up nothing. And I have also eliminated the power supply, because it is doing this even with a new power supply. I also know it isn't software related, because I formatted, and reinstalled windows and this still happens. It doesn't do it at any particular time, except for one thing. It has never shut off when I have been running a stress test. I find this very strange, because a stress test is designed to expose problems, not prevent them. After all this checking, I would assume it is a dying motherboard, but I am not sure, which is why I am posting here to ask if anyone else has any ideas. Specs: XFX MB-N590ASH9 Motherboard AMD 3800+ X2 (65W version) 1Gb Corsair XMS2 RAM XFX 7600GT 2x250 GB hard drive Xclio 550W power supply 2 optical drives, floppy, fan controller, cold cathode. Also, a lot of these parts are pretty new, so if anyone can think of something that I might have done during assembly to cause this problem, let me know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nucflash Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) I had a problem liek this before, and it was faults in onboard graphics. The system ran and would shut off randomly. Eventually the system ouly output green to the screen. I got a new motherboard and all was fixed. (old msi motherboard) I had a secondary card for second monitor, but that wasnt the problem) Other problems could be... 1) DId you add new hardware? Maybe it pushed your power supply over the limit. (550w is great, but may not be enough) 2) Memory faults, could cause random resets. (maybe get some free ram check software) 3) Disconnecting hard drive (faulty cord) will cause it to freeze (requireing a reset) its a screen freeze and not a hard reset.. 4) Processor too hot Hit up some power calculators again and make sure you get enough juice. Because being on the border of enough power will cause random resets once that power consumption peaks... Edited July 16, 2007 by Nucflash Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I'm thinking that is an overheating problem. You'll need to open up your case & use compressed air to make sure that all the fans & heatsinks are free of dust. If & once you've done that report back here to tell us how it went. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutuz Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I think its the Motherboard too, Mine is doing the same thing (Random Lockups unless CPU is doing a reasonable amount of work) and I know for a fact that its the chipset (IDE controller problems, etc) see if you can try in another motherboard, and hope like hell it isn't that and its what one of the other guys said Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) It isn't overheating. I am getting core temps of anywhere between 35-45 degrees celsius when this happens, which is well within the operating range of the processor. Also, if I immediately go into the BIOS after it shuts off, the chipset and motherboard temperatures are always below 35 degrees. If I run a power supply wattage calculator, I get 330 total. Plus, isn't it the 12V rail that really makes the difference? And I don't think it would do the same thing with two seperate power supplies if that was the problem. I've already said that I ran memtest for about 6 hours, so I find it unlikely that it would be the memory causing the issue. The motherboard is new, so I can send it back to newegg if I need to, I just want to make sure I have to, before I do. It took me forever to put the thing in, and get the cables all routed, and I really don't want to have to take it out again. Edited July 16, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 16, 2007 Share Posted July 16, 2007 I have 2 gigs of your memory. I was constantly getting bluescreens and random restarts and freezing of the whole system. The strange thing was it passed memory tests for 8 straight hours. I read online that the RAM needs 2.1 volts to function correctly instead of the 1.9 they say it needs. I bumped up the RAM voltage to 2.1 volts, and everything has been running smoothly ever since. I'd say try that first and see what happens. It's a small increase in voltage and won't harm your hardware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 16, 2007 Author Share Posted July 16, 2007 (edited) OK. I have upped the voltage to 2.1. I have some video conversion that I have been trying to get done, usually when I start it, the computer kills within an hour. So, I guess we'll see. Edit: Nope, it didn't work. It does the exact same thing it has been doing. Anyone else think of anything? Edited July 16, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt11504 Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 (edited) clean your computer, maybe dust is causing it to overheat and shutdown. or a bad connection to the power supply Edited July 17, 2007 by matt11504 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 Most of the stuff in it is new, there is practically no dust at all. Plus, I already mentioned it wasn't overheating. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Have you ever considered that it might be the PSU & not the motherboard. Normally when things like this occur & it's not the motherboard, it's normally the PSU. Due to personal experience. It may well be a new PSU, but sometimes they can last years & other times a week, I've seen this happen with PSU's a lot. If you can, try & get the PSU Replaced before the Mobo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 I said in the first post, that the power supply has already been replaced. It did this same thing with both power supplies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Okay sorry, I haven't read the first post since we started troubleshooting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fozzy Fozborne Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 That's a head-scratcher. One thing you could do to help narrow down the problem is disable automatic restarts. 1) click start, right-click my computer, select properties 2) on the system properties window, select the advanced tab 3) click the settings button under "startup and recovery" (the third settings button down) 4) uncheck the box next to "automatically restart" Now instead of just restarting, you should get a blue screen that will give you a code that you can google to see what's wrong. The next time your system restarts, it's important that you take a picture of the blue screen or that you write down the code that looks like this - XxXXXXXXXX (where X is a number and x is shown as an actual x). Also, have you tried using the latest BIOS from your motherboard manufacture with the latest drivers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 (edited) It doesn't restart, it justs shuts off. I will try it though. I have both the latest BIOS and the latest chipset drivers. Edit: I disable auto-restart, and it still just shuts off without warning. No blue screen. Edited July 17, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted July 17, 2007 Share Posted July 17, 2007 Actually, it never went off when running memtest did it?. As it is not a Windows Application. This may be a long shot before you take a faulty part back, but have you tried reinstalling Windows. If you back up & try you've got nothing to lose. May as well try before you take it back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted July 17, 2007 Author Share Posted July 17, 2007 (edited) I have already reinstalled Windows. Sometimes it stays on for 10 minutes, sometimes it stays on for 10 hours. It's really weird. Edit: I ordered the RMA, and will be shipping the motherboard out tomorrow morning. If anyone can think of anything that we have not yet gone over, please let me know as soon as possible. Edited July 18, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 3, 2007 Author Share Posted August 3, 2007 I got the new motherboard yesterday, put it in, and it still does it. If anyone has any ideas, please tell me. This is driving me crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just another thug Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 That's odd that it is still doing it, I would have sworn it would have been the mobo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 3, 2007 Author Share Posted August 3, 2007 Me too. I was thinking that I would take it into another room, and see if the power is unstable in here for some reason. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cold fusion 33 Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 is all soft/hard ware installed correctly? if so then i do not know what to do as i am getting exactly the same problem, its so annoying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 Out of interest is there a certain time when it goes off, I mean you said earlier the time could sometimes be 20 minutes, or sometimes 7 hours, I guess this would depend on the time it was booted up. If it always goes off at a certain time of the day, i'd consider contacting the electricity board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DemonKing Posted August 3, 2007 Share Posted August 3, 2007 could possibly be a virus some viruses are really anoying and shut off your computer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutuz Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 could possibly be a virus some viruses are really anoying and shut off your computer. There are none that I know of that completely cut the power long enough to stop your computer showing stuff. What about the HDD? That might be on the way out, you get crappy ones like that occasionally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 Is it possible to eliminate the hard drive without RMA'ing it? I have two 250GB hard drives, and they are both too full to fit all the data on one. Before I got the second one, that I use for storage, it already had the problem, so I know that isn't it. @Vinnie: I have been meaning to keep track of the time of day, but I always forget to do it. I have already tried it plugged into a different outlet, but I haven't switched the surge protector. I will hopefully do that tomorrow, if I get the chance. @demonking: I have mentioned already that windows has been reinstalled, with no results. That eliminates virus. Plus, as stated by Brutuz, I don't even think a virus could cut the power. One thing that I was thinking about, when I bought the pack of screws (MOBO didn't come with any) it came with these little paper rings to put around the screws. I didn't put these on, because I never have before, but could this be causing it to short out? and before anyone asks, yes I did use standoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vinnie Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 One thing that I was thinking about, when I bought the pack of screws (MOBO didn't come with any) it came with these little paper rings to put around the screws. I didn't put these on, because I never have before, but could this be causing it to short out? and before anyone asks, yes I did use standoffs. I very much doubt it's that. Anyhow keep track on the time & see what happens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 4, 2007 Author Share Posted August 4, 2007 One thing that I was thinking about, when I bought the pack of screws (MOBO didn't come with any) it came with these little paper rings to put around the screws. I didn't put these on, because I never have before, but could this be causing it to short out? and before anyone asks, yes I did use standoffs. I very much doubt it's that. Anyhow keep track on the time & see what happens. I didn't think it was either. I'm just trying to go through everything. I'll keep track of the time, and I'll switch the surge protector. I would do it right now, but it is 2:30 in the morning and I would probably wake everyone up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
K^2 Posted August 4, 2007 Share Posted August 4, 2007 You already eliminated software, PSU, and mobo. This leaves exactly two options: 1) Short in one of the other components and 2) Faulty CPU. It seems that the later is more likely. The overheat protection could be getting at low temperatures, for example. That would be consistent with the random shut off times and lack of shut off during memory tests. Do try to eliminate the short possibility, though. Remove all expansion cards and HDDs. The system can run off a LiveCD with no HDD. Keep only one optical drive, preferably, borrowed from another machine. If you have more than one stick of RAM, run them one at a time. If this still makes the system shut off, it's almost certainly the CPU. Prior to filing a bug against any of my code, please consider this response to common concerns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 6, 2007 Author Share Posted August 6, 2007 (edited) I was looking around in the nTune software today, after I had been doing some very intensive encoding, and I realized that my chipset temperature was in the low 60's. This seems very high to me, and I was wondering if both boards could have chipset issues. It shut off three times when I was looking around, and the last time I checked it was at 65. Is this the problem? Edited August 6, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brutuz Posted August 6, 2007 Share Posted August 6, 2007 Well, try putting a fan on the chipset so its getting blown through, right now my SIS one is at 30c, so I think that might be your problem, especially since nVidia Chipsets are Power Hogs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spenc938 Posted August 6, 2007 Author Share Posted August 6, 2007 (edited) I have two intake fans, and one exhaust fan all running full speed. The two intakes are only about two inches to the side of chipset cooler itself. Does anyone know what the normal operating temperature is for this chipset? I am thinking about contacting Nvidia. Edited August 6, 2007 by Spenc938 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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