PC just switched itself off? Should I be worried? EDIT Done it 3 times!

catlou

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

I'm going to put my money on the PSU - OP go buy a decent watt PSU to support the power required by any upgrades.

With regards to the HDD, do you have a S.M.A.R.T enabled in the BIOS? - Is there a test you can run in the BIOS to eliminate the HDD out of the equation.

Temperatures are fine.

I'm confused - past my knowledge now! what is smart & bios?

I wasn't aware that you needed to buy a new PSU to go with a RAM upgrade?

catlou

It's been on OK for a few hours? (Touch wood....!! :rotfl:)

Mista_C

If you can rule out all the other suggestions then check the thermal compound between the CPU and heatsink. I've seen scenarios where the compound has dried out enough to lose some heat conductivity but maintain enough to allow what appears to sufficient cooling. Then you try to do a couple of things at once and it trips.

I had a machine in a couple of weeks ago with similar behaviour. The thermal compound had literally turned to a chalky dust but was packed in tight enough to provide enough heat conductivity to boot and sit on the desktop for a considerable amount of time but attempt to run an app and off it would go.

aliEnRIK

catlou wrote: »

I'm confused - past my knowledge now! what is smart & bios?

I wasn't aware that you needed to buy a new PSU to go with a RAM upgrade?

PSUs can go at any time. But if it was already running on its limit (Which means it would have gone knackered soon anyways) adding anything at all that draws more power will mean it goes knackered sooner

My bets also on the PSU needing replacing. But its all for nothing if the real reason is the RAMs faulty, or sat on dust or whatever

Mista_C

catlou wrote: »

I'm confused - past my knowledge now! what is smart & bios?

I wasn't aware that you needed to buy a new PSU to go with a RAM upgrade?

aliEnRIK wrote: »

PSUs can go at any time. But if it was already running on its limit (Which means it would have gone knackered soon anyways) adding anything at all that draws more power will mean it goes knackered sooner

My bets also on the PSU needing replacing. But its all for nothing if the real reason is the RAMs faulty, or sat on dust or whatever

To add to what aliEnRIK posted... Imagine the PSU as the heart of the PC. It can only take so much pull on it before it starts to get weaker. Also, like the human heart it will get weaker over time, capacitors start to swell and it just can't pump the kind of power it once did.

catlou

Thanks aliEnRIK & Mista_C

Just noticed something very odd not PC related but I have an old hi-fi (in another room) that when the power had been off it comes back on in demo mode with writing and different colours flashing on the LCD display - which was happening now? Although everything else in the house is still right and on normal time like digital alarm clock, cooker clock etc? So I'm now wondering if it was a weird power thing? Although it did happen 3 times?

Is there anyway of checking how the PSU is running whether it's near limit?

I have my PC plugged in on a Surge Protection extension lead, I think will leave everything as it is for now and just keep my eye on it - in case it was not PC related after all?

pendulum

sho_me_da_money wrote: »

RAM? Are you flipping kidding me?

I didn't make that suggestion BUT its a perfectly valid one because:
1) machines can freeze up or reboot with bad RAM (my personal machine was often doing both when it had a bad RAM stick)
2) the OP upgraded the RAM recently, which makes it the first thing to check

Checking RAM is free and extremely easy
Your suggestion of the hard drive causing a system to shut down is far less likely than RAM imo.

Toxteth_OGrady

catlou wrote: »

Thanks.

Just downloaded Speccy it shows the temperature at 39 C and says that less than 50 C is ok?

Is that the CPU temp and is it under load or idle?

If it's idle, depending on the cpu, cooling method and room ambient temp, it could be on the high side.

Sat here typing I had firefox open with a few different windows, and microsoft works document and Thunderbird

.

Your system is under load with those apps running. What temp do you get under those conditions?

It certainly sounds like a heat or memory or power issue but based on symptoms in #1 I'd guess it's cpu thermal protection kicking in.

catlou

Thanks Toxteth_ogrady

I have just tried it and with Firefox / Thunderbird and Works Word Processor running the temps are 36 C CPU & 37 C Hard Drive.

Don't know where the degree symbol is!

Toxteth_OGrady

OK, looks fine.

[PEDANTIC] The unit is the Celcius (C) and has no degree sign unlike the previously used degree Centigrade which did have the prefix to the C [/PEDANTIC]