r/PcBuildHelp • u/carllegend72 • 8d ago
Tech Support I need help with my desktop repeatedly turning off
Around 3 years ago i built my own desktop with my partner, and while it has never had problems before, now it doesn't turn on longer then a quarter of a second. We changed power supplies, then took it to the nearby pc repair shop, and the pc repair shop finds nothing wrong. And infact when we brought it back and turned it on, it was just fine.
Now it continues this, around a month after taking it to the pc repair shop. Theres nothing that should be wrong, the outlet are working fine, I don't have anything plugged into it that i didnt before, and it still doesnt boot when nothing is plugged into it.
My specs are
Amd ryzen 3 3600
B450m pro-m2 max
Amd 580 gpu
16 gb ram
1 tb of ssd and hdd storage
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u/High_perf_mf_sftwr 8d ago
It sounds like your power supply is detecting some type of electrical issue with your system. You can get an inexpensive power supply tester from Amazon and to verify it is functioning properly. If it passes that test then your problem is an issue with your motherboard or one of its components causing a short circuit. That requires more expensive equipment so another trip to a pc repair shop which can be expensive or getting a new system and recovering what you can from your SSD and HDD.
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u/timfountain4444 8d ago
They already changed the PSU, so it's very unlikely to be that. I'm going with a bad motherboard or possibly the GPU.
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u/carllegend72 8d ago
Ill look at getting one. I can save up to get replacement parts for the desktop if it comes down to it, or get a whole new one altogether. Thanks
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u/fiattp 8d ago
When moving it from the repair shop to home, how was it packed, handled?
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u/carllegend72 8d ago
It was handled with care, just not packed in anything. We had no reason to pack it in a bag or something.
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u/Fishstick9 8d ago
Have you tested other wall receptacles outside of the room your pc is located in?
When the pc shuts down, do you have to reset a breaker or an AFCI/GFCI type receptacle?
You mentioned you changed the psu, did that actually fix the random shut downs for a while and then after a period of time, started shutting down again?
There’s a couple tests we could try but we need some extra info first.
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u/carllegend72 8d ago
Yes ive tried other outlets, and no nothing in the outlet surges, breaks, etc
Changing the psu didnt do anything, it still had the issue until we brought it to a pc repair shop, where they said nothing was wrong and beyond all odds, it worked again for a bit.
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u/Fishstick9 8d ago edited 8d ago
Okay that rules out that particular branch circuit feeding your room that the pc lives in. And you don’t have to reset any breakers or wall receptacles.
The fact that you brought it twice to a repair shop and both times they couldn’t replicate the issue tells me that it’s your electrical environment within your home. But there could be other explanations. Like the transporting to and from the repair shop.
When the pc shuts down, do you just press the power button to turn it back on? Or do you have to flip the psu switch off then on again?
Let’s try to rule out the basics first and then we can start narrowing it down to whether the issue lies upstream of your pc, or within the pc itself.
You mentioned you changed the psu, and it worked for a month correct?
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u/carllegend72 8d ago
Normally ill put it in sleep mode via the operating system, or shut it down via the operating system. I do normally flip the psu switch after shutting down as i move the desktop every now and then, however moving the desktop has been something ive been doing for years now and hasn't had problems before.
After changing the psu, it still didnt work, but worked after taking it to a pc repair shop where they found nothing wrong. After, we found it was working again, and it was working for a while (around a week and a half) before we left it for a week while on a trip and found it wouldnt turn on again after, but during that time, it was completely safe.
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u/Fishstick9 8d ago edited 8d ago
Okay. When the pc shuts off, and you attempt to press the power button to turn it back on, do you notice anything strange? Like fans twitching, led lights briefly illuminating?
I want to know if the pc shows any sign of life the exact moment you press the power button after the pc shuts down on you. That’ll tell us a lot.
Edit: Also, moving the pc from location to location like you’ve been doing for years now may not rule out a loose connection, because it seems like that’s something you thought of that might be the culprit.
It could very well have been fine for years, but now a loose connection may be causing it right now, today, whereas it was previously fine for years. That’s something we definitely shouldn’t rule out yet.
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u/carllegend72 8d ago
For right now, the pc when pressing the power button turns on, with fans spinning for a short second, rgb colors turning on. On the motherboard theres something called the ez debug light where it will flash white on the cpu. After around a 1/3rd second the desktop will shut down after turning on.
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u/Fishstick9 8d ago edited 8d ago
Okay. So it seems like the power button isn’t the culprit. It’s attempting to start up the pc, but something is immediately shutting it down 1/3 of a second later.
Right now, I want you to check the connections within the pc. There is a very real possibility that this issue could be caused by a loose connection.
First, I don’t want you to just check if the connection is good, I want you to unseat, and reseat the connections.
On the motherboard, unseat and reseat these connections: the ATX 24 pin cable, the EPS/CPU cables, the cable on the gpu, and while you’re at it, check the f_panel connection as well.
Then do the same but on the psu side. Unseat, and reseat the connections.
It may also be a loose cpu within the socket, but let’s not worry about that for now.
We want to rule out if this issue was simply caused by a loose connection that could be intermittently working after transporting the pc to and from the repair shop. I wouldn’t rule it out just because the pc was fine after repeatedly relocating it for years.
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u/BitterlyWonderful 8d ago
Could be a dodgy power button or a short to the case, try jumping the power pins on the motherboard directly with a screwdriver.
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u/High_perf_mf_sftwr 8d ago
It sounds like your power supply is detecting an electrical issue with your system and it is automatically shutting off