SL shutting down pc

[Anatine]

I wondered if anybody else has experienced this problem?

 

In the last two weeks I have been having the pc suddenly shut down, as if a power outtage, no warning just instant shutdown.

This only happens when on SL, and whilst at first was random, now I cant stay on SL for more than a few minutes before it happens. Ive had a friend check my pc and the fans were fine and he gave it a clean, but still the problem is there, I just cannot play SL now.  I can play music videos, tv programmes etc, no problems. I have the psu being replaced this weekend, and have fingers crossed this is the source of the problem, if it isnt, Ive no idea . 

Id love to hear of any solutions from anyone who had this happen too.

[Dogboat Taurog]

that can happen with excess heat and your graphics card.

weather got hotter lately?

you might need another fan aimed at your graphics card.

worth a try and cheap enough.

i had this last summer.

sl can be quite graphically intensive , lots of processing going on = heat.

 

[Void Singer]

two things

I hope that while you are replacing that PSU that you are upgrading it... could be to much power being drawn by an overheating graphics card.

which leads me to the second thing... I'd check that card first.... SL has a huge graphics draw, and if the card is shorting or faulting under load, then it's more likely to be the source of the problem than the PSU. you can probably test this by downloading and using a benchmarking application that normally tests the max performance of your video card. but you should be aware that these applications work by stressing the video card, so at best it'll cause the same problem you are seeing, and at worst it'll fry the faulty card completely.... assuming the card is the problem.

ETA:
make sure you clean out the PC and fans, and make sure those are all working properly before you run any such test... and make sure they are all actually working... burned out fans are like PC cancer... they kill from the inside and not in a pretty way

[Dogboat Taurog]

as your card gets hotter the resistance gets higher and needs more current to run your pc

so your psu fails and you reboot.

get an extra fan, you may save your graphics card if you are quick.

[LolitaFrance Anthony]

What Anatine described happened to my old computer, and eventually it started happening when I would be doing nothing else but reading an online news article. My husband bought me a new system.

[Shelby Silverspar]

exactly what everyone else said - graphics card -- when you check yours, be sure to check underneath it -- I had one a few years back that had a fan on the bottom that I didn't see because I didn't pull the card out, I just opened the box and looked at it. A few days later when I actually pulled it out, I realized the fan I didn't know was there was clogged with so much dust it couldn't move. Cleaned it up, and all was well, no more shutdowns.

[Anatine]

Thanks for all the suggestions, I shall definitely get the graphics card looked at.

[Vladi Hazelnut]

ya heat will cause you computer to shut down. As well as not having enough power to run everything. If its not an over heating problem possibly getting a bigger power supply might help.

It could also be a software problem. Something might be conflicting with the sl program and crashing your computer.

The power supply problem is pretty common though. People go out and buy a newer card or other hardware that requires a beefier power supply and are still running it on a stock one which just can't keep up. And power supplies work a lot like car audio amplifiers. You can't always take the ratings to heart. A stock or cheap power supply might say it s 350 or 400 watts, but that is peak power right before it shuts down. The same with cheap audio amplifiers. They might say they put out 1,000 watts of power, but that is with all the channels added together at peak output. And after market power supply will normally put out what it is rated for at a constant state. As will a better audio amplifier. Its rated as RMS power instead of peak power. A better amp will supply say 100 watts of power per channel rms. Which is how a better power supply will work. The peak power output will actually be much higher.

Upgrading your cpu will also draw more power, as will adding more components like drives or mulitple usb hardware that requires the computer to power that device. Like USB driven speakers and what not. You take a stock 350 watt power supply and upgrade the cpu, or over clock it, add a larger video card, larger monitor (which requires a higher resolution) and then add some usb powered devices or multiple drives and extra fans and suddenly your power supply can't meet the demands and becomes unstable.

There are various software programs you can get for free that will monitor your heat if you think that is problem. Not sure if there is a way to montitor the actual power draw though. But if you isntalled a better graphics recently and now your computer is crashing I would guess its the power supply.

Could simply be your power supply is going bad too.

These are not the only things that will cause it though. There are a number of things that can cause a computer to crash both software and hardware related, even bad drivers can do it. I think bad memory can do it as well, so doing a memory test might not hurt either.

If it were me the first thing I would do is test your system under a load by using a program designed to stress your system like prime 95, furmark or heavy load. If it doesn't seem to be over heating or shutting down do to power issues you could try re installing windows and see if that fixes it.