Pc keeps restarting when playing game???

[bramie]

Hi, I have this problem every time when i start a game it keeps restarting.. PLEASE HELP I ALMOST TRYED EVERYTHING.

History :

1 year ago :

When i connected my GFX in my pc it made a strange noise like sharp(if i ran a game). So i was looking for what was making that sound . It was the Gfx Fan.

Anyway, 10 months later (after playing tons of games) It restarted once in a week(while playing a game ofc).1 month later, everyday once..1 month ( now ) it restarts every time when i play a game.

So today i reinstalled windows xp.

So i did a few steps :

Step 1 : Remove dust. So i cleaned every part of my computer with compressed air (dust remover).

After that i tryed to play my game again. BOOM it restarted right away.

So i searched on forums for some tips. I saw something about overheathing.

Step 2 :
So i bought 2 fans and placed 1 in the direction of my GFX . and the other one to my cpu.

The moment of truth ... BOOM it restarted....

I was really sad..

Step 3 : So i brought it to Store.

THEY SAID IT WORKS FINE?!?!?!
so i went to their store and played 30 mins on my own pc. And everything was fine!

I was really really happy. so i went home and connected everything and BOOM restarted...again...

Step 4 :
I went to my control panel ---> system and removed the X from Restarting. It could gave me a blue screen after it restarts. But it gave me nothing.

Step 5 : Checking for virus , Checking my event log
I found loads of thing in my event log about Service control manager wich sended a alert to my Alert service lol...

Btw : I found no virus

Step 6 : Returning to the store .. So i was there but the guy who repairs computers comes an hour later. So i conected their cabels on my pc and started my pc.

So i checked if it still works in this store. But when i started my game BOOM it restarted.
So i went home .

Next day the store called me And told me that its fixed again. THIS TIME I AsKED WHAT THEY DID . They said nothing it worked just like that. I Said how long is it working now. They said 6 hours. WTTTFFFF?????

I brought it home and conected everything . Started the game and it didn't restart. Next day i wanted to play my game. And BOOM restarts!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHH

So my brother told me mamby its your game. So i installed loads of other games and it is still the same problem whit every game.

So i went to a forum and i read something about emerency shutdown temputure in PC health(in BIOS). I went to my BIOS and i didnt found this "Pc health" .

Step 7 : I went to an other forum and read something about fan speed. That you can change it whit an software. I tryed that but still same fan speed .

I also tryed thing whit Speedfan : But every thing is cooled and not overheated.

I think there are 2 things that might solve this problem.

1. Update my bios and find that Pc health thing
2. MY GFX is totally broke...( im afraid that if i buy an new gfx that its still not solved) And im not that rich :P

If you need any of my System information please ask me what things u need to know

PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME.!!!

PS : Sorry for my english . Im not english but dutch :P

[happyrock]

exactly what did you take with you to the shop where it worked just fine...
did they use your monitor or keyboard or mouse...what about power cable to the computer...or monitor cable...its got to be one of your parts that the shop did not use that's causing this problem

[bramie]

There is no differents only the power cable i think.. Im gonna replace that and check if thaty works,.,

[bramie]

ok it doesnt work...

[happyrock]

If I'm understanding you correctly...
you took the following to the shop when it worked for them...
keyboard
mouse
monitor and monitor cable
tower
but not the tower power cable

[WASDted]

you have a power draw problem at home. try pluggin your computer into a different outlet somewhere else in your home (a different room perhaps). if that does not work then take it to a neighbor's house and see if it works there.

[bramie]

okay i will try that now.

[thepastimer]

It may not be a draw problem, just a weak PSU. What is the wattage?

[bramie]

250watt + it restarted in an other room to

[WASDted]

what video card are you using?
what is your CPU?
what game are you running?

[happyrock]

a 250watt psu is really low...is it 80% certified...

[WASDted]

@happyrock - That is really low but it also very much depends on the video card and the rest of the hardware, plus what game. Let's see what @bramie responds to my previous questions...

[happyrock]

if its a cheapo psu like alot of gateway ...dell use... and only works at 70%...that's about 175W...

[thepastimer]

OH. there is your problem right there. 250 watts is no where near enough to run a powerful card like that. If you know someone with a more powerful PSU (you said you didn't have all that much cash to spare) say around 500 watts, it may fix your problem.

[bramie]

Nvideo geforce 8500GT
Intel(R) Pentium(R) Dual CPU E2180 @ 2.00GHz, 2000 Mhz

Star wars Battlefront I

But its not only this game that let my pc restart. Every game let my pc restart

[happyrock]

your current PSU is not gonna work
get a 450W or better yet a 500W PCI Express-compliant system power supply

[WASDted]

@bramie there is no way that power supply can run your new config once the video card kicks into high gear. The GF 8500 GT requires a 350W to run properly. You need to consider that your motherboard, CPU, memory, hard drive and video card all draw wattage and that when you run something like a game the draw spikes because these parts run at max or close to max performance. You need a new power supply my friend, and like the others above I believe your recipe calls for at least a 450W, but I'd recommend up to 550W for the extra head room.

[megzin]

I too have been having this problem for the past 2 years non stop.

No matter what game I play, my PC reboots randomly...sometimes after 3 minutes, sometimes after 1 hour, sometimes after 5 hours. Although I have noticed the higher my graphic settings are, the faster it crashes. Even though my computer SHOULD be able to handle max settings in all my games, I keep everything on lowest settings and still get random reboots.

I have replaced AND upgraded every single part of my computer to try to solve this problem. Even the case is brand new.

Here are my specs:
Intel Core 2 Quad CPU Q6600 @ 2.40GHz
3.00GB of RAM
700+ Watt Power Supply
NVIDIA GeForce 9800 GTX

Games I play that reboot:
World of Warcraft
Team Fortress 2
Counter Strike Source
Borderlands
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Day of Defeat: Source
Aion
Dragon Age: Origins
Titan Quest
Torchlight
Peggle

I've spent $3,000 on parts and 'repairs". Does anyone have a clue?

(sorry if i've hijacked your thread, bramie, i hope maybe someone has the answer for the both of us!)

[WASDted]

@megzin

1) have you re-installed your OS and all updated drivers?
2) have you tried it in another room or another location altogether?

You are right, you have plenty of power for your games. What brand PSU do you have? What brand computer is it? Or did you build it?

[megzin]

Hi WASDted,

1) I always update my drivers. And i have re-installed OS a few times.
2) Not only have a changed rooms, but I've moved twice to different locations since I've had this computer.

After replacing each piece once a month my computer isn't branded anymore.

Probably the only thing I haven't done at this point is upgrade my OS to Windows 7. I'm still using XP.

[bramie]

wait a min.. Make your own thread.This is trolling..

Anyway...Guys im gonna buy an PSU Btw My pc came whit Vista and now i Have XP.

[WASDted]

bramie, good luck mate! let us know how it goes.

[megzin]

Hardly trolling. The thread is called "Pc keeps restarting when playing game???". I believe I'm having the exact same issue.

Back to the topic at hand....my monitor started flashing black for a split second every few hours now. I've unplugged and replugged everything but it still persists. Is this a video card issue? Happens when playing a game only.

[happyrock]

megzin...start your own topic...although your problem sounds similar the fix could be totally different because of the software and hardware differences between the OP system and your system

[WASDted]

megzin... not to mention, how can this thread be marked as "solved" by the originator if there are two seperate issues being discussed. please start another thread and we'll be happy to offer advice.

[jwenting]

if you have enough power and it randomly restarts under load most likely the problem is heat, not lack of power.
Try adding more cooling in the form of extra fans, heatsinks, etc, especially to the CPU and GPU.
Some brands (AMD in particular) are notorious for shipping fans and heatsinks with their products that are far from sufficient for using them at max capacity.