PC restarts after few minutes in game

Niceman199

Posts: 28   +0
My computer just shuts down and restarts after playing a game for about 10 mins or so. At first I thought it was because of overheating, but I've checked my temps while playing.

CPU was about 60-65C.
GPU was about 65C.

The event viewer says its error 41 kernel power but I'm not sure what causes it.

I've updated all my drivers and my computer still restarted while playing. I'm not sure why this is happening :\

Specs:

Intel i7 2600k
Asus ENGTX560 TI DCII
Coolmaster HAF 932 case
Corsair Enthusiast TX850 V2
asus p8z68-v pro
Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200RPM
G.Skill Ripjaws Series 8GB (2x4GB)
 
I can't be a completely sure about the problem you are facing. But I have had an issue similar to yours. I was playing Counter Strike on a really old computer at my friends house, and the computer would just restart a few minutes into the game. When I gave it to the repair shop, the man said that my graphics card had failed.

Your system specifications seem pretty fine to me, but just give it a look.
 
might actually be a stick of ram that has gone bad i would take all of them out but one and check them one by one to see if the problem persists.
 
I've done Windows memtest to see if memory was the problem but the test said that memory was fine. It could be the graphics card.
 
I've tried playing again and I saw my CPU reach 70C and I've decided to stop. Is it normal for a Intel i7 2600k to go 70C?
 
In a sense it does, but for a brief period of time when only one core is active, so it should not be a problem. Is the heatsink properly seated (if it isn't it can cause rapid increase in temperature) + thermal paste is applied correctly ?

Also have a look at your system's logs, go to ... Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Event Viewer.

Open system log, and look for Red/Yellow tagged events, that may give you some idea what may be causing this issue.
 
Yeah I checked the heatsink and its properly seated. Also the event viewer says its kernal power but that's all it says.
 
Okay, then next logical suspect would be your PSU. If you have multimeter you can check whether it is supplying the required power or not, especially when you put it under considerable load (e.g. playing games). Is it still under warranty ?
 
I know, but many people here (who actually know more about PSUs then me) say that Corsairs are not the best of PSUs.

If your system remain stable in normal usage I think it is a good indicator that PSU may be the root cause.
 
I've turned off turbo boost and played BFBC2 for about 40 mins.

Could it still be the PSU or is it the CPU like overheating or something?
 
That is interesting, which brings us back to heat and stock cooler issue. Would it be feasible for you to replace stock cooler with something more efficient ?
 
Before going that route, I would suggest you to stress test your CPU, by either using Prime95 or OCCT.

Edit:
Keep an eye on the temperature when you do these tests.
 
My computer restarted again while playing BFBC2 but when playing other games such as Killing Floor which are easier to run, I don't restart. Does this mean that its a CPU overheating problem? Or could it still be a PSU problem?
 
Please download OCCT as I suggested in previous post, then thoroughly stress test your graphic card as well. I think it will be prudent to eliminate suspects one by one, and then reach the conclusion now. As at 75C+ the system did not rebooted (I'm assuming this from your previous post).
 
While doing the CPU stress test on OCCT, My computer restarted. I haven't done the GPU stress test yet.

How long should I be doing these tests?
 
I'm inclined to think that the PSU- as Archean noted- could be the culprit. Being a large capacity unit means next to nothing if the thing is faulty. My guess would be that once the system starts requiring a larger input current -from both CPU and graphics- as they approach full load (3D gaming), the PSU is possibly becoming unstable.
Did OCCT manage to log a graph showing relative loads ? It should be in the OCCT folder if it did with a whole batch of voltage charts. It should look something like this (although you're looking for the chart headed "12V" (as opposed to V Core in the chart below)
occt_run.jpg


I would advise either taking the whole box or the PSU to an electrician and having the 12V tested. If it tests OK then the fault could be 1. faulty motherboard power connector (24 pin or 8pin EPS12V) - board socket or PSU plug - I presume you've checked both the 24 pin and 8 pin PSU plugs to make sure that the individual contacts (the little metal clips at the end of the individual wires) are seated correctly in the plugs....or 2. faulty graphics card (unlikely IMO). Faulty RAM can also produce the same effect , but you seemed to have ruled that out.
 
When I did that CPU test, my computer restarted. I've tried again and stopped to see whether the graph looked like yours but my graphs show me my CPU and then my GPU instead of the Vcore.
 
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