Computer shuts off randomly

[Jasio-]

My computer has been randomly losing power lately, at any given time regardless what I'm doing. Nothing specific triggers it. I've cleaned out the system with compressed air, reinstalled windows, cleaned the RAM with an eraser, and checked all of my temperatures (my GPU sits under 50C during gaming).

I'm out of options other than a possible short in my outlet..

Any ideas?

 

[Route44]

Have you tested your power supply? What is your make and model? How many watts does it supply? Have you upgraded any hardware lately?

 

[jgf]

I agree, PS is the first suspect, especially if you've recently replaced the vid card (happened to me a year ago, but it was only that the PS fan was barely running; pulled a fan from an old PS to replace it). Also, unplug and reconnect everything, remove and reseat ram sticks, remove and reseat all cards, and make sure all fans are running.

 

[Jasio-]

Have you tested your power supply? What is your make and model? How many watts does it supply? Have you upgraded any hardware lately?

500 watt PSU
ASUS A8N-SLI motherboard
GeForce 6600 GT gpu
AMD processor
3 gigs ram.

No upgrades in over a year.

How can I test the power supply?

 

[Route44]

What make and model is your PSU? Did this come with the case?

You can test the psu with a multimeter. It isn't hard to do and you can get a very nice digital one for $20 or so.

 

[Jasio-]

What make and model is your PSU? Did this come with the case?

You can test the psu with a multimeter. It isn't hard to do and you can get a very nice digital one for $20 or so.

It's "A Power 500"

When I'm using the multimeter, what am I looking for exactly on the read out?

 

[Route44]

To be honest, the overwhelming majority of power supplies that come with cases or pre-built system are basically junk. There are a few exceptions but we have seen junk power supplies cause quite a bit of issues here.

I will attempt to link you to some helpful articles.

Here is one: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...g+multimeter&ndsp=18&hl=en&sa=N&start=18&um=1

* Note section 5 and the parameter reads.

* Good photos to show the various plugs: http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/cputopiaonline/mp3atx40.jpg

More info: http://images.google.com/imgres?img...g+multimeter&ndsp=18&hl=en&sa=N&start=54&um=1

* And... http://www.devhardware.com/forums/p...a-multimeter-how-to-use-it-to-test-75111.html

* The one I use; very good for $20: http://www.kmart.com/shc/s/p_10151_...id=FROOGLE&sid=KDx20070926x00003a#reviewsWrap