Computer problem, possibly PSU?

[Colmadero]

Hello,

I've had a problem with my PC sometime now, you see for some reason when I'm playing any graphics demanding game (WoW, Darksiders 2, Assassin's Creed, Heroes of Newerth) my PC would randomly turn off. If I try to turn it on right back on it will turn off by itself in a couple of seconds.
If I wait 20-30 seconds and try again it will turn on again and won't turn off ever again. I'm asking if the PSU could be the problem as recently I linked a picture of my PSU on a forum post and a fellow member told me it was a CHEAP brand and even though it says it can deliver 500 W, it can only deliver a fraction of that.

Another possibility I am not ruling out is that the case is very VERY dusty inside and I don't have a very good air intake/outake due to the fact that it has only 1 fan for the outake. Whenever I play a game I have to put a fan pointing towards my case for it to stay cool.

Your thought on this?

And also, if you could recommend an ATX case with built in fans or if the problem is the PSU, I'd appreciate if you could recommend one for my specs.

---------- Post added 2013-03-20 at 01:23 PM ----------

I am currently rolling on a Intel Dual Core 2 Duo at 3.17 GHz with 6 gigs of RAM DDR2 and with a Nvidia GeForce 9600GT 512 MB, a 2TB HDD and Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bits.
Motherboard Name Asus P5N-D
CPU Sockets/Slots 1 LGA775

http://imgur.com/daKU29L

thats my PSU

[Deleted]

Sounds like a temperature issue to me.

Can you try to monitor temps when gaming? If you can get readings before it shutting down, that might help a bit. (You can use GPU-Z or HWMonitor (I think?) to monitor and log temps.)

A computer will often turn itself off to prevent damage when reaching 'dangerous temperatures'. It would also explain why it won't turn on right after he turned itself off (still high temp) but works good later (temps dropping).

[Colmadero]

Gaming my temps are anywhere from 80-105ish in my GPU and 60-80 in my CPU. Like I said, the case is not very good with air intake outake and if you think temps are the problem, could you recommend a case with built in fans? ATX form factor.

[Morgaith]

Gaming my temps are anywhere from 80-105ish in my GPU and 60-80 in my CPU. Like I said, the case is not very good with air intake outake and if you think temps are the problem, could you recommend a case with built in fans? ATX form factor.

I'm not sure what you should get if you want a cheaper case but if you can spend some money i'd suggest the Haf-X, it's one of the best chassies on the market right now for pretty much everything. (Many large fans, great airflow, easy cable work and it's HUGE)

[Colmadero]

Also, price is a huge factor for me if you can keep that in mind, thanks!

[Deleted]

There's literally hundreds of ATX cases with fans. Adding a fan yourself is really easy as well. Do you know what case you have now?

@ Temps: I would assume we're talking Celsius? I think you have this cpu. It's max listed temperature is 76 degrees Celsius. Even getting to the max is generally a sign that something's wrong.

@ GPU temps: That's... really, really high. To the point where you're almost definitely going to get issues with it. (And to the point where I'm hoping you meant Fahrenheit. )

Have you ever opened up the case, to see what the dust situation is? I'm mostly interested in dust that's blocking the airflow in the CPU cooler and GPU cooler. Basically, if there's a lot of dust behind the fans on it, it won't be able to cool at all.

By the way, even though a good airflow is recommended and at the same time only achieved in a proper case with fans, it might be possible to salvage your current case and get it sorted. Might have to add a fan, but that would depend on what case you have. Any possibility of you posting a picture of the insides of your case?

[Colmadero]

Thing is that my case had a problem with one of its fans and i have one side of it open with only 1 effective fan working (not counting the cpu and gpu fans) and like I said its quite dusty in it. Should I try cleaning or should I just switch cases? My case is pretty much falling apart, haha

[googz]

Another possibility I am not ruling out is that the case is very VERY dusty inside and I don't have a very good air intake/outake due to the fact that it has only 1 fan for the outake. Whenever I play a game I have to put a fan pointing towards my case for it to stay cool.

Regular cleaning is highly recommended. Those temps are very high. I would suggest a complete tear down and possibly even taking your GPU apart and cleaning it. You might also consider reseating your CPU heatsink.

What's your budget on a case?

---------- Post added 2013-03-20 at 09:13 AM ----------

I'm not sure what you should get if you want a cheaper case but if you can spend some money i'd suggest the Haf-X, it's one of the best chassies on the market right now for pretty much everything. (Many large fans, great airflow, easy cable work and it's HUGE)

I'd suggest against the Haf X, especially if you already have dust issues.

[Deleted]

Thing is that my case had a problem with one of its fans and i have one side of it open with only 1 effective fan working (not counting the cpu and gpu fans) and like I said its quite dusty in it. Should I try cleaning or should I just switch cases? My case is pretty much falling apart, haha

The thing is, buying a new case will do fine, but you might be fine for the time being with just cleaning the case. I suggest getting a can of pressured air (not sure what it's called >.>) and blowing out the heatsinks on the CPU and the GPU. Make sure the heatsinks are free of dust, and that the fans can properly blow cool air onto it. Once you do that, try and play a few games and see if the problem persists.

Can always start looking into better cases after we find the issue. It might still not be a temperature issue, although your temps are REALLY high.

Perhaps using a vaccuum cleaner CAREFULLY should suffice if you dont have the can of air. Make sure you unplug the power cords before playing with the insides of the computer, and try to touch the metal case (or anything thats metal) every minute or two to get rid of any static electricity in your body.

By the way, I ran a computer with the side off and fans blowing into it for well over two years. I had -massive- buildup of dust between the fan and the heatsink for my CPU.

[Colmadero]

My budget could be max 40 maybe 50 bucks if I stretch a bit

[googz]

Could you post some pics of what you're dealing with?

[Colmadero]

At the moment I can't as I'm not home. I will tear down the machine an clean it up from scratch. Will take a before and after pic. I STILL want to change cases, haha

[Deleted]

Haha well we can still look into cases, but the choice would largely depend on what you want cooling-wise and aesthetically.

For now, if cleaning it solves your issues, you can perhaps save up a bit if you find a case you want but don't have the funding yet.

Also, if you posted a picture and it clearly shows that all your heatsinks are dustfree, we still need to find the actual problem.

[Colmadero]

Well, which ones do you recommend? Maybe if I save up I can afford a 100 bucks case.

[googz]

NZXT Source 210
Corsair 200R
Corsair 300R
Fractal Design Core 3000

To list a few

[Colmadero]

Do those come with pre-installed fans?

[chazus]

I wouldn't bother buying a new case. I've never seen a situation where poor airflow in a case literally caused problems. I've seen 'not optimal' or 'it could be better', but those temps are not your case being the issue. That's either damaged hardware, fans being clogged from not cleaning, or possibly heatsinks not being firmly attached.

[Colmadero]

As suggested, I tore down my computer and cleaned it thoroughly. I am now experiencing 75 Celsius max temps in my GPU and 74 on my CPU. My gaming experience has been vastly enhanced! Thanks for the tips guys!

[googz]

Those are still fairly high temps. Would still like to see some pics if possible

[Kramet]

Those are still fairly high temps. Would still like to see some pics if possible

Me too.

At 100 *C i would wonder if you even have case fans.