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I've been having some PC trouble the last few weeks where while running a game, my computer will shut off. I use an Intel i7 and Windows 7 OS. I've cleaned the heat sink and the two case fans but the problem persists. Now, I've long suspected that its an issue with my CPU overheating as I know of nothing else that causes a computer to just shut off (barring maybe some electrical wiring). I've done some testing with my CPU and running Deus Ex: Human Revolution (its the first game I started to have this problem with) and it seems that the CPU case is running at 60C and the cores are averaging around 67-69C. I've tried looking online but I'm getting some varying numbers.

Can anyone tell me if these temperatures are normal?

Modern processors slow themselves down when they start to get too hot. It shouldn't just shut itself off. I'm finding that you're within the safe temperatures for an i7.

What's the wattage and the amount of amps on the 12V rail on your PSU? Judging from your lack of details regarding your hardware config, you probably have no idea what I'm talking about. There's a sticker on the side of your power supply inside your case that has a bunch of specs regarding the power that it circulates.

Also, have you tried re-seating the heatsink, or applying new thermal paste (depending on the age of the heatsink as the thermal pad might have deteriorated)?

I haven't tried applying new paste. The sink is only three years old but then I've never had to apply new paste before so I have no idea how long its supposed to last. I'm probably gonna try it if the problem persists. I've already reset the heat sink.

According to my system the 12v rail is operating on 11.33 volts (EDIT: This is while I'm running DEHR). I'm not sure how to find the amps its using right now I'd have to check the Bios.

Simple math can tell me how many amps are going down that rail if you know how much total wattage the PSU outputs.

EDIT: That's for total amps, not down a rail. Do you know by chance the model of your PSU?

AresX8 wrote:Simple math can tell me how many amps are going down that rail if you know how much total wattage the PSU outputs.

EDIT: That's for total amps, not down a rail. Do you know by chance the model of your PSU?

Nope for the model. I do however believe that its a 650 watt PSU.

I second the possiblity of a PSU issue. Another possible issue could be blown capacitors on the motherboard, though I would hope that a i7 based board would be new enough to only use solid state caps.

Look on the board for something that looks like this:


If they don't have goo on them, and they're not bulging out, you're probably fine. If they look like they do in the above picture, you have a problem.

If you don't see anything like that, I'd move on to the PSU. If the computer has been operating fine for the life of it, and this has only now just started being an issue, then I'm guessing that the PSU isn't underspecced. Do you have a spare power supply you can borrow from anyone? Is there a new one in the budget? A decent midrange one typically runs about $40-50, so it's not exactly a bank-breaker.

In my experience it's very rare for a CPU to cause uncommanded shutdowns of the type you describe. Generally flaky CPU's will cause BSOD's.

I'd try memtest to test your ram and see how that goes, as it's easy and fast. But my money is on your motherboard or PSU having issues.

Also, your temps seem normal, and well within the acceptable range for an I7.

Your temperatures are normal so it can't be CPU related.
Is it only while running games? If so could be graphics card related-they can over-heat too, you know. Or try updating the drivers.

@daedalus I had not considered that possibility but I've made numerous checks of the inside of the machine and I've noticed none of those (though they had a nice layer of dust on them that needed cleaning).

@Ouze In my continuing research to solve the problem I think I've finally figured it out! A friend suggested I download RealTemp (according to him the Bios isn't always correct in its reporting). RealTemp clocked my cpu Cores has hitting 100C during the game So what is happening I guess is that my cores are hitting TJMax and the processor overheats so the computer restarts. At least according to some random internet forms I've visited that can happen. I decided to be a danger devil and touched my heat sink while running a game and the thing wasn't hot... at all. So My guess is the heat sink isn't working like it should and I probably need to replace it. Of course I didn't even know what TJMax was until yesterday XD

@Joey I always update my drivers when something wonky starts happening that's step one in trouble shooting and fortunately I have that down I had considered graphics card temp but as far as I know and overheating graphics card just melts. I initially considered the CPU because Deus Ex as a console port pushes more of the burden of the game onto the processor, which I do know console ports are well known for. I've just never had the problem before. My guess is my heat sink has just burned out.

I've placed an order for a new heat sink (I'm going liquid cooling) and I'm going to see how that works when it arrives in a few days. I've never actually installed one myself before so I suppose its going to be an adventure XD

If you've never installed a heatsink before, starting with a liquid cooled one is an.... ambitious choice.

Let us know how it goes!

Ouze wrote:If you've never installed a heatsink before, starting with a liquid cooled one is an.... ambitious choice.

What can I say I have a hankering for danger

Fortunately this sort of thing is what Youtube is good for (well, this and pirating old movies and tv shows the owners no longer care about)