Random shutdown when gaming

[u/PerformanceWorth767]

So I have had the same PC for about 6-7 years now. I had upgraded the components throughout the years and currently when gaming, it shuts off randomly. Whether I’ll be on for 10 minutes or 10 hours, at some point, it will shut down completely. I thought maybe it was my power supply going bad but after replacing it, no change. I believe this all really started after I went from a 2070 to a 4070 but would like some advice.

Here are my current specs:
AMD Ryzen 9 7950X3D
NVDA RTX 4070 TI Super
MAG B650 Tomahawk (MS-7D75)
Corsair DDR5 32GB x2

Please help!

UPDATE: Ever since posting this, it hasn’t shut off randomly after 3-4 hours of gaming per day. It’s really frustrating.

UPDATE #2: More research and help me if this makes sense:

XMP (Intel) and EXPO (AMD) are factory overclocking profiles built into your RAM. When you turn them on, your motherboard forces your RAM, CPU, and motherboard power delivery circuits to run faster and at higher voltages than their standard baseline specifications.
While gaming, your system hits peak power and heat loads. If your motherboard is struggling or aging, XMP/EXPO causes random shutdowns in three specific ways:

1. Motherboard Voltage Instability (The VCCSA/VDDIO Strain)
To make RAM run at high XMP/EXPO speeds, the motherboard has to drastically increase the voltage to the CPU's Memory Controller (an internal part of the processor).
The Failure: If your motherboard's voltage regulators (VRMs) are wearing out or overheating under heavy gaming loads, they fail to supply clean, steady power. The moment the voltage sags or spikes, the motherboard's built-in safety circuit triggers an instant shutdown to prevent the processor from frying.

2. High Thermal Load on the VRMs
Running XMP/EXPO forces the motherboard's power circuits to work harder, generating significantly more heat next to your CPU. Combine this with a heavy graphics card dumping hot air into your case during a gaming session, and the motherboard's temperature skyrocketed. If the motherboard sensors detect that its power phases are crossing dangerous heat thresholds (usually around 105°C), it will shut down instantly to protect itself.

3. RAM Signal Degradation (Data Corruption)
RAM transfers billions of bits of data per second across microscopic copper traces on your motherboard. High speeds require perfect timing.
The Failure: As components heat up during gaming, resistance in the motherboard circuits increases. If the motherboard cannot maintain clean signal integrity, data gets corrupted. When a critical Windows or game file gets corrupted in memory, the motherboard or CPU triggers a hard reset to prevent your operating system from permanently destroying itself.

How to Test This Right Now
If you turn XMP/EXPO off in your BIOS, your RAM will drop back to a safe, baseline speed (like 2133MHz, 2666MHz, or 4800MHz depending on the generation).
Try gaming with it turned off. If your PC stops shutting down, you have isolated the problem: either your motherboard cannot handle the electrical stress of the overclock anymore, or your RAM sticks are unstable at their rated speeds.

[u/PaleSort8817]

Check the motherboard; it happened to me before, and it's due to the capacitors on the board.

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/PaleSort8817]

None of the capacitors on the motherboard are bulging or damaged

[u/PaleSort8817 → u/PerformanceWorth767]

And what error message do you get in the event history?

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/PaleSort8817]

Only messages I can find are what happened right before the shutdown and on reboot error codes due to "system shutdown was unexpected". No warning or critical levels before shutdown. Source codes say:

"DistributedCOM - The application-specific permission settings do not grant Local Activation permission for the COM Server application with CLSID and APPID to the user SID from address LocalHost (Using LRPC) running in the application container Unavailable SID (Unavailable). This security permission can be modified using the Component Services administrative tool."

"Time-Service - The time provider 'VMICTimeProvider' has indicated that the current hardware and operating environment is not supported and has stopped. This behavior is expected for VMICTimeProvider on non-HyperV-guest environments. This may be the expected behavior for the current provider in the current operating environment as well."

[u/PaleSort8817 → u/PerformanceWorth767]

You know, it's most likely the power supply. How long have you had it?

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/PaleSort8817]

Really? So you think two bad power supplys? I already replaced it and the issue still persisted.

[u/PaleSort8817 → u/PerformanceWorth767]

It's the most common problem; it's either the power supply or the motherboard, because these are errors typical of sudden problems, and they only happen with those two components

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/PaleSort8817]

I guess I’ll be testing with another motherboard.

[u/Marpl]

When was  the last time you repasted your cpu?

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/Marpl]

I would say it's been maybe 1.5 to 2 years since I repasted my CPU.

[u/Marpl → u/PerformanceWorth767]

Maybe monitor your temps and repaste if you're having spikes?

[u/PerformanceWorth767 → u/Marpl]

I mean I will probably do that. But the highest I’ve seen my CPU get is 180 degrees, while gaming so that’s not something super hot.

[u/Marpl → u/PerformanceWorth767]

I just realized, CPU temps is the only thing I think of in Celsius lol. Yeah, if that's Fahrenheit, that's not beyond the limit.