PC Shutoff while gaming, will not restart.

Hey guys,

Im new to these forums so I hope Im posting in the right place. Any help would be very very appreciated.

I was playing Rift yesterday and my computer just shutoff out of the blue. a complete shutdown. I hit the power button to turn it back on and nothing... nothing at all.

No fans moving, no beeps 100% nothing. I unplugged it and let it cool down in the event it was overheating and tried again a few hours later to get the same result... nothing.

When I turn the power supply on & off the green led light on the motherboard comes on & off and that is the only activity I get from anything right now.

I took out the video card (Nvidia GTS450) and moved the ram to different slots just in case and still no response when I hit the power button. So I tried it with the bare minimum components and still get no response.

If it helps I have an Asus Motherboard and an AMD Phenom X3 8750 CPU. 4GB Ram. Nvidia GTS450 Vid Card (1 week old). A 550 Watt P/S.

Any help or diagnostic tips would be 100% appreciated.

 

First step after doing what you've described is to test with a new PSU (again with minimal setup) to see if you can get life into the system, I fear though that MB or CPU may be in scilicon heaven.

 

Im actaully eyeballing the MoBo.. I could be completely wrong... Im just thinking if the MB powers up... we'll at least the LED light on it does... but when I hit power there is no response that there would be a disconnect somewhere on the MB not transmitting a signal to anything.

Or would a fried CPU act the same way?

I dont have another P/S laying around so I cant switch it out with anything. Im kind of already accepting the fact Im probably going to end up getting a new P/S mobo and CPu... problem is thatll take me about a month to save the funds for =\... Dont think i've ever gone that long with a cpu...

 

The problem with diagnosing your issue afehler is it's borderline between PSU/MB/CPU (and a very small possibility of RAM). The PSU is (generally) the cheapest to replace so this is where you should start.

You say you don't have another PSU laying around? Do you have another compatible MB/CPU pair hanging around?

Test the RAM if you think appropriate but honestly I still say start with the PSU.

BTW, the initial kickstart (sorry amiga days) could easily be enough to knock out the PSU so no, just because you get an initial go ok light does not mean things are OK.

 

You can buy a relatively cheap PSU tester a LED Tester would cost only about $10.- and this would give you a idea if your PSU is dead or not.
hawk22

 

Unfortunately Hawk those testers are very basic and won't test the PSU under load, the startup/bootstrap is probably the biggest shock a PSU gets and is probably accountable for 50%+ of PSU failures.

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I have a buddy that may have a spare motherboard so Im going to plug in and see if I get any response.

I have a question... what do I need hooked up at the minimum in order to test the P/S. Im assuming the Mobo, Ram, Cpu & Fan yes? And I would hit power and see if I get any fan response and/or beeps?

Lets play the below situation out...

If there is still no response with the new Mobo/Cpu then my culprit would be the P/S yes? Also in the event I DO get a response with the New Mobo my culprit would then be my current Mobo/Cpu right?

Lastly... is there a way to test if either my CPU or Mobo is bad? If I only have to replace the Mobo and not the CPU I would rather not spend the cash if I dont have to... typically I am secretly happy when my cpu dies becasue I "Have to" upgrade lol... but Im a little cash strapped at the moment.

I thank you all in advance. You guys have been a great help so far.

 

PC Shutoff while gaming, will not restart. Part 2

Here's the original thread just for reference

http://www.windowsbbs.com/hardware/98932-pc-shutoff-while-gaming-will-not-restart.html#post561132

Now just an update on this I did go and replace the power supply. And things have improved... however still no boot up.

All the fans turn on... cpu fan, vid card fan, my Harddrive turns on (which didnt happen before).... but no beeps. No boot. No images on my screen.

So that leaves me down to the Mobo or CPU right? Is there a way I can tell if its one or the other without having any spare parts to interchange?

If its just the Mobo, that'll be replaced... if its the CPU I'll just end up buying a whole new Cpu/Mobo combo.

Again, thans in advance for any repsonses.. you guys are awesome, appreciate all the help you can offer.

 

Ah gotcha... sorry about that, thanks!

 

Rather than potentially waste more money I'd just buy a new MB/CPU pair. Chances are you'll get a better system for not much more than buying a CPU on it's own.

CAVEAT: Make sure your current memory and HD/Optical/Graphics Card (if used) are compatible with your new setup or costs will increase quite quickly.

 

I would try a new PSU before spending money on a new motherboard. Lights on the motherboard only indicate the presence of +5VSB voltage. They do not indicate the +12 or the +3.3V are working. Connecting a good motherboard to a bad PSU is asking for a bad motherboard (and anything connected to it) in return.

I agree the plug in testers are not conclusive for reasons mention - no realistic load. But they do tell you if all voltages are present and can show the PSU does power up. But the best test is to try a known good PSU.

 

Already tried Bill, see post #9

 

Sorry. I need more caffeine.