Computer Keeps SHutting Off

[Beriant]

Hello everyone

Computer Specs:
Nvidia 7800 GT 256
AMD Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 5000+ 2.6 Ghz
Gigabyte S-Series Motherboard GA-M61SME-S2
2 GB Ram
160 GB Hard Drive
Windows XP Home SP2


Alright here is my problem, My computer likes to shut off by it self at the most ridiculous times, for example; It will shut off when i start to play a game,it will shut off a few seconds after i boot,it will shut off after i log on,it will shut off while im trying to log on,there seems to be no pattern to it except when i play games it always shuts off. Whenever it shuts off at random times i just turn it back on and it will go or it might shut off it just depends on my luck i guess.The first thing that comes to anyones head is overheating,so i downloaded a program called speedfan and the readings as of right now are

Core(Graph Card):52C
GPU:57C
Core(Processor):18C
Temp1:36C
Temp2:37C
Temp3:30C
HD0:32C

The GPU and Core(Graph Card) both have flame symbols next to them,obviously meaning there running hot.I just installed a VGA cooler which is a big fan that goes under your graph card and is suppose to decrease the temp of your graph card.But nothing has changed,it has still shut off upon gameplay or even after booting up as mentioned before.If it is the graph card overheating,why is my computer still shutting off after installing the VGA cooler and why would it be overheating,its not overclocked but it does have some age on it and if its not that then someone please tell me what it could be,i am very very frustrated at the fact that i cant even use my computer properly and i have run out of ideas on what to do so if anyone has any ideas that would be awsome,and yes i have already cleaned my computer free of dust and taken all the basic steps to avoid/fix overheating but it still is not fixed.

[BipolarBill]

The GPU does not have the power to shut down the PC. Only the motherboard can do that when the CPU is too hot.

Re-do the thermal coupling material on the CPU. Use Arctic Silver or the equivalent and spread it thinly, but thoroughly.

[batmeat]

The fact that it always happens while gaming means it's a heat issue imo. Either your power supply isn't up to the challenge (unlikely) or like Bill said, the coupling of your processor to the heatsink/fan needs to be re-done.

[Beriant]

Alright,i will go out today and get some new thermal paste and try that,if that dosnt work what else could it be? what i dont understand is if it is overheating wouldnt it be consistent? i tried playing with it some more last night and it eventually got to the point where i couldnt even get to the windows log in screen before it shut off,but earlier in the night i could get on the internet and be on it for a good bit before it would shut off.

[BipolarBill]

Trust us.

[Beriant]

Ok so i did trust you and went out and bought the best thermal paste i could find.I cleaned off the old paste and applied the new one and let it set for 5 min and then i turned on the pc,i thought it was going to work and everything was running good,but once again when i start to play a game it just shuts off. I have also placed a floor fan blowing on full blast into my computer case but still it shuts off. I thought maybe it was an error in the operating system or something so i tried to wipe my hard drive and re install xp but i cant even finish the process because the computer shuts off before i can even get half way through the blue screen with the recovery cd. I have absolutely no idea what it could be.I tried switching hard drives and re installing xp on a different hard drive but it gave me some dam error when trying to re install so i had to switch back to the other drive.So MAYBE it could be the HD because it didnt turn off when i had the other drive in but then again it wasnt on for very long either.

[BipolarBill]

That was the cheapest fix. Now you're looking at trying a new power supply, because that is the other culprit besides the motherboard and the next least expensive component.

[Beriant]

alright,well all the parts are pretty new except the power supply and graph card,everything else is good.So next i suppose i will try a diff power supply.Is it possible it is not hardware related?

[Beriant]

another thing i cant understand is,my computer has been running for a good hour now and hasnt shut off,why does it sometimes run under normal conditions for a long time but when i play a game it shuts off or when i was booting up or re installing windows.its just not making any sense to me.

[BipolarBill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Beriant

Is it possible it is not hardware related?

I doubt it. If it was software, it would restart.