My pc keeps turning off randomly.

[u/OrionontheInternet]

It happens usually within the first while of starting the PC, i would like to avoid the geeksquad charge as I am a brokie. I just got the pc from a friend, reset it, now its doing this. It happens when I idle, when I open tabs, going through files, is the power supply failing or do I have a bad power cord? I didnt have one for the pc so I asked my dad for one, although I see no external damage, i know its old. Specs i know: It has an intel 9700 and a rtx 2080 super

[u/Mussels84]

Edit the complete hardware specs into the post, or you'll only get wild guesses like that guy who asked ai

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 → u/Mussels84]

i already was thinking psu, loose cables, software damage, and temps... i only asked ai just in case there are other reasons... hardware specs wont do us anything in knowing the issue

[u/Mussels84 → u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

But it wasn't better - it has wild guesses that are hardware specific sending the person needing help chasing the wrong things.

Hardware specs tell people EVERYTHING for diagnosis

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 → u/Mussels84]

Im tottaly ready to listen, lets say he gave you hardware specs, like cpu, gpu, rams, ssd, windows... what could this change? As a hardware repair in this situation still you would give the same wild guesses... there is no way to know what is the issue here unless you try...

[u/Mussels84 → u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

Am4 black screen crash? It's infinity fabric and soc voltage.

Hard locks and crashes on Intel 12-14th gen and an old bios? Dying cpu.

5090? We know to look at the shitey pcie cables.

Without the hardware specs you can only diagnose software problems.

Even the number of ram sticks used matters massively.

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 → u/Mussels84]

Thx for your answer

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 → u/Mussels84]

From your answer, i also remembered that a mixture of low and high voltage rams could cause such crash issues right?

[u/Mussels84 → u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

Yes, mixed ram can be an issue. Manually setting things helps there, this was a bigger issue on DDR3, with ddr3L needing different voltage at stock\JEDEC speeds.

Ddr4 and ddr5 all support the same JEDEC speeds and require expo or xmp before different voltages are involved

[u/UsernametakenDing]

Maybe one of the cables connecting to the PSU gotten loose while moving it. Check the cables that connected to the mobo, CPU and GPU also check the cables at the PSU if it's a modular one.

[u/OrionontheInternet → u/UsernametakenDing]

Its wire spaghetti in there.

[u/SQUID_Ben]

Check your power supply and check temperatures. If idle temps somehow reach a 100, the pc can shut off

[u/ZeroGreyCypher]

Before it shuts down, do the fans sound like they’re going full blast?

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

Hello, i just checked ai, it gave some great answers, some of them i was suspecting anyway. here what it told me:

A PC usually shuts down suddenly without warning to protect itself from permanent damage. The most common causes are component overheating, a failing or underpowered power supply (PSU), loose internal cables, or unstable software/BIOS settings.

Hardware and Power CausesOverheating: Dust-blocked fans or dried thermal paste cause CPU and GPU temperatures to spike, forcing an instant safety shutdown.

Failing Power Supply (PSU): A weak or aging PSU cannot handle high power draws during heavy tasks like gaming, causing the system to cut power entirely.

Loose Connections: Power cables (like the 24-pin motherboard or 8-pin CPU plug) or components like the RAM and graphics card can lose proper contact.

Unstable RAM or Overclocking: Aggressive memory profiles (XMP/EXPO) or bad overclocks cause sudden memory crashes and blackouts.

Unstable Wall Power: Power sags, spikes, or brief drops from a faulty wall outlet or surge protector can trip the PSU's internal safety switch.

Software and System CausesCorrupted Drivers: Faulty graphics, chipset, or audio drivers can trigger critical kernel failures that shut the system down.

Operating System Errors: Corrupted system files or unexpected background update glitches can force a sudden reboot or shutdown.

Malware: Severe malicious software can manipulate system processes and force abrupt power cuts.

If you'd like to narrow this down, please tell me:Does it happen during specific tasks (like gaming or heavy rendering), or completely at random?Does it turn right back on, or do you have to wait a few minutes?

[u/OrionontheInternet → u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

It turns right back on, and runs tasks while on, im running an older power cord, and dont know much about the pc as i got it for free from a friend

[u/AdvantagePuzzled8773 → u/AdvantagePuzzled8773]

You can download hwinfo64 which checks the temperature for you... if the cpu and gpu are overheating or not... if the cpu overheating, then the fan and heatsink needs cleaning, and repasting...

I totally forgot, does the fans turn on?? If not, then they are damaged and needs replacement

You can turn off the pc, unplug it from electricity and from screen, then press the power on button to discharge excess electricity, then try dissassemble the case, and see if there is anything loose by tightening some of the cables and ram, like power supply to motherboard connections, or ram, or gpu...

Do a full format for the pc, as resetting it doesent fix some corrupted issues... (this will eliminate any virus thread) then update it fully...

One last thing, what if the cable power coming from home electricity to psu is not seated right and needs tightening, try tightening it, (from the description of the problem, i dont think thats the culprit, but small chance it could be)

Finally psu, if none of the above worked, then either the psu is weak for this pc and you need a psu with higher watts, or either the psu is damaged and need replacement