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    The PC (Personal Computer) is a highly configurable and upgradable gaming platform that, among home systems, sports the widest variety of control methods, largest library of games, and cutting edge graphics and sound capabilities.

    PC was constantly turning on and shutting off?

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    deactivated-601df795ee52f

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    So last night, I left my computer on to download something off Steam and when I woke up, it started to shut itself off, reboot, turn off, reboot, and so on. I got up and hit the power button myself and it felt unresponsive, like the presses weren't affecting anything and it kept doing it for about 30 seconds in all. At first I thought my power was going out, but I checked all the digital clocks and none are flashing, so that's probably not it. After I booted up the computer, naturally, I got the "Windows did not shut down properly" screen so I started it up "normally" and here we are. Everything is running fine, no shutdowns or anything. I'm going to try some tests to see if putting the computer under stress causes it or changes anything in a bit.

    Just wondering if anyone knows what would cause this? It seems like a pretty common error, the whole shut off and trying to power on by itself thing... I looked it up and some people say it could be the ram, and some say PSU. I've had no problems with either parts since I've gotten them, but I suppose it's possible. Is there any way to test the PSU to rule it out?

    BTW if it matters, I checked temps and everything is normal. Motherboard is a bit hotter than I'd like but still seems fine. I did some harddrive tests and they all passed, so it's probably not that?

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Again, everything seems completely fine right now, which is kind of bothering me because I'm sure if it happened once it will happen again. :l

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    DrFat32

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    I would say PSU. Every time I have PC issues its the power. Probably cheapest and easiest to replace.

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    Burt

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    #3  Edited By Burt

    You could try the paperclip test for your PSU, however I've never tried it so can't really speak to its effectiveness. ( It also seems a little dodgy to me but I've not researched the method much.)

    EDIT: PSU testers are a thing apparently.

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    I_Stay_Puft

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    might want to do an expection of your system with the case off. I'd probably point to first the psu and see how it is running such as the fan inside the thing. Also check your case and heatsink fans, if something is preventing them to spin your bios has some settings on there that will shutoff your pc if it reaches certain temps.

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    chu52

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    I had a similiar issue myself. Have you gotten any new parts recently? First time I saw this kind of thing it was a powered USB hub that when plugged into power acted weirdly. Second time was a friend's new PC build, the power cable to the Bluray drive was making it unable to boot in a PSU looking way. Just some thoughts! good luck duder

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    Tennmuerti

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    #6  Edited By Tennmuerti

    It could also be as simple as a short happening at the power button, some dust, some moisture, a loose contact you name it.

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    DT9k

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    Based on personal experience, I'd wager there is a short in the case originating at the power button. Take as much stuff as you can off the case and look for any exposed or frayed wires. If you don't find anything it's probably the PSU going.

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    deactivated-601df795ee52f

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    Just an update: No more shutdowns have happened since I created this thread and my computer has been pretty much on since then. I ran Prime95 for a bit and got no warnings or anything, so everything looks good there. Ran the Valley benchmark and again, no issues. So putting the computer under significant stress didn't turn it off.

    I took some of your advise and opened up the case and checked the wires. Everything looked good, no exposed or frayed wires or anything of that nature. I cleaned out as much dust as I realistically could, so that shouldn't cause any issues. (It was pretty dusty, but I don't know if it was enough to cause the issue)

    As of right now I've got everything back together and it's running great, but I'll keep my eye out. Should I maybe invest in a higher grade PSU? The one I have now is a pretty so-so one from EVGA, though I'd think it would live for longer than 10 months, especially since my system barely uses any power at all. (Maxwell/Haswell FTW!) If so, any ones under $100? (Not really something I wanted to spend money on, since I wanted to get a new SSD and headset... oh well)

    Appreciate all the advise guys!

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    Optix12

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    Did the problem go away after you opened up your PC to check everything but it was still occuring before opening up the PC? If thats the case its most likely a loose wire. I had this problem before a couple years ago and it pissed me off as I basically bought a whole new computer to find out my power button it self was playing up. I just needed to repair that (or buy a new case)

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    Junkboy

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    @turtlebird95: You could always go the way of RMA if the psu has any warranty on it left. And yeah if it starts back up after the shut down it's usually power button related since in most cases when PSUs go bad they won't do restart cycles but usually full shut downs and one restart before throwing in the towel.

    If your mobo has a power button on it honestly I would say just unhook the case header and use that instead to turn it on and off.

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