Hi Guys...newbie here, and not techy experienced! My desktop has developed a strange habit of shutting down...but only when I'm gaming. Otherwise it runs like a dream even on heavy programs like Photoshop. My tower shuts down but the power supply is still on at my keyboard. If I unplug my tower from the mains and then plug it right back in it will start up and run happily again no sweat....until I play a game. It's not overclocked or anything advanced. System spec is Pentium 4/3.4 GHz/1 GB RAM/GeCube Radeon X1300/512 MB/CD + DVD RW. I have had to replace the PSU when the original one went bang, but I got the same spec (I think). Many thanks, in advance for any help/advice/guidance
Gaming stops power!
- Thread starter BWArtisan
- Start date
- Reaction score
- 1,558
- Location
- Melbourne, Australia
Whats your PSU wattage? Ive got a feeling it may not be high enough. Gaming often puts much more pressure on things like your video card which can draw alot of power which may be pushing it over the edge while gaming.
Another option is since its shutting down it could be a heat related thing. Again, caused by the stress of gaming. Check the temperatures in BIOS right after it shuts down or run the game windowed and have some temperature monitoring software you can watch.
Another option is since its shutting down it could be a heat related thing. Again, caused by the stress of gaming. Check the temperatures in BIOS right after it shuts down or run the game windowed and have some temperature monitoring software you can watch.
dhrandy
New Member
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Huntersville, NC
I was thinking the same thing.
Rider
New Member
- Reaction score
- 1
- Location
- Tucson, AZ
This could be any number of things. Gaming taxes your system like nothing else, even Photoshop. When you're gaming you're working your CPU, memory, graphics, and sound all the time at the same time and near thier peaks. In my opinion, the 3 most likely culprits are 1. heat, 2. powersupply, 3. video card.
Give your system a good physical cleaning. Blow everything out. Make sure your fans are running. You probably have atleast 2 or 3 fans, a case fan, a powersupply fan, and maybe a fan on the video card.
If that doesn't fix it then, because you're not a techie and probably don't have spare parts laying around, the next step is going to be a shot in the dark between a power supply or a video card. And that's no garuntee (sp.). You might save yourself a few bucks by hiring a techie.
Give your system a good physical cleaning. Blow everything out. Make sure your fans are running. You probably have atleast 2 or 3 fans, a case fan, a powersupply fan, and maybe a fan on the video card.
If that doesn't fix it then, because you're not a techie and probably don't have spare parts laying around, the next step is going to be a shot in the dark between a power supply or a video card. And that's no garuntee (sp.). You might save yourself a few bucks by hiring a techie.
Similar threads
