Unusual shut down

[Noob]

It started happening about a week ago. I'll be in the middle of playing FFXI when all of the sudden, I'll hear my graphics card fans stop spinning, the screen will go black, and the sound will stop. I'll hear the system shut down and restart. When I look through my case's window, everything is running and all of my LEDs are still lit except for the graphics card fans. The PC will restart when this happens. I'll get the message saying windows didn't shut down normally, with the options to start windows in safe mode or start in normal mode. This happens to me at least once a day, sometimes twice. It only happens while playing FFXI.

I built my PC back in September. It's pretty top of the line with all new, premiere parts. When this happens, it doesn't seem to be the entire system. It just appears to be the graphics cards. Maybe it could be something within the motherboard, I don't know. I have two GTX 570 cards in SLI, although I'm only playing FFXI with Single GPU mode set, since their's some bugs when trying to play the game in SLI. I've tried switching around the graphics cards on the PCI lines, but it still persists. I've already had to RMA one card just after I built my rig because it went up while playing Bad Company 2. I don't see how it could be a PSU problem either, because my PSU is a Corsair AX1200. Cooling's not a problem either. Even while playing Battlefield 3 at maximum settings, my i7-2600k never exceeds 48 degrees celsius and my 570s never exceed 74 degrees celsius. FFXI does nothing as far as heat.

If someone could please tell me what might be causing this, I'd greatly appreciate it. I'm sick and tired of knowing that at some point during the day, my system's going to randomly shut down and restart on me.

[Corrderio]

Sounds similar to what I'm experiencing. Does hitting the power button do nothing sometimes?

[Noob]

Nope, it shuts the PC down.

[Noob]

Anyone know what might be the cause?

[Artemicon]

Sounds similar to what I'm experiencing. Does hitting the power button do nothing sometimes?

When you have this issue try holding the power button. If it shuts down after about 5 seconds than you're experiencing a lockup. You probably already knew this, just sharing info.

[Artemicon]

Anyone know what might be the cause?

I don't know exactly what would be the cause but I was having issues like this before and my hard drive was going and causing the reboots. I could also imagine a faulty graphics card doing this. It sounds like your system is just restarting itself and depending on what motherboard and graphics card you have this behavior may be normal for a restart.

When you look through your case and notice the graphics card fan isn't spinning, is this after the restart has happened? If this is so you should check to see if your graphic cards fans start upon boot up because if your computer is restarting then sometimes the fans on the card don't kick in until the BIOS has seen the card and started sending/receiving signal from it.

I know my fans on my HD 5870 don't start spinning until about 5-8 seconds into the actual boot up and when my HD was dying and it would reboot on me the fans would stop but only because it was essentially in boot up and they were never on during boot up.

[Noob]

I really need help with this...I spent almost 5 grand on this PC back in September, all top of the line premiere parts, and I've had to RMA a brand new GPU and my first motherboard right after I put everything together. I haven't overclocked a thing, and my temps are all low. By the way, the best way I can describe the sound that I'm getting when the screen goes black is the sound you would hear back when you played Sega Genesis or SNES games and they would freeze. You hear whatever sound was happening in a constant drawn sound. It's not a loop. The sound just gets frozen and continues, then you'd have to reset. This has only happened with FFXI. I've tried all sorts of settings within my GPU settings in Nvidia control panel to no avail. I've tried disabling SLI while playing FFXI. My PC has absolutely no problems running the game so I have no idea what could be causing the problem. I've tried the last set of drivers for my GPU as well as the very latest and the problem still persists.

Just to clarify, what I do know is this:

Sometimes my GPUs will shut off when this happens, other times the GPUs will still continue running (I can tell because I will still hear the GPU fans spinning). When they do shut off, my screen will go black, and I'll get the message on my monitor "No Signal". Other times, my GPU fans will still continue spinning, and the screen will turn a grey color and stay there, while the sound does what I just described. This sound will continue until I hold the power button on my case to force a shutdown. Either way, power to all components is still continuing. All fans within my case are still spinning, all LEDs are still lit, everything is still running.

I have no idea what could be causing the problem. That's what is upsetting. This happens every single day once. When it happens is completely random. I'm afraid I'm going to lose data from this happening and I want to take the steps to get whatever is causing this fixed. I've tried using google to find symptoms as to what could be the problem with no luck. I don't know whether it's CPU failure, SDD or HDD corruption, a PSU problem, something wrong with my motherboard, something wrong with a wire, or my GPUs. If someone could refer me to somewhere where I could get this problem diagnosed, I'd greatly appreciate it. If I lose data, it will be very, very bad. Someone please help me.

[Kohan]

I don't see how it could be a PSU problem either, because my PSU is a Corsair AX1200.

The first thing I thought was "PSU problems," so you shouldn't exclude that possibility simply because you've bought a good one.

As you said, you've spent a lot of money on quality parts. Most of those manufacturers also offer quality customer service. Since you've probably registered everything to activate their warranties, there's absolutely no reason not to give them a call.

You have warranties, and the companies know you're a customer. The fastest road to a solution is likely speaking with them. I would start with Corsair.

[machiko]

Sounded to me either like your GPU is overheating or you have a faulty PSU, you say it's only ffxi though so...

Bad ram caused problems like this for me long time ago, I had a regular problem in certain S zones (no idea why it only did it in these zones but it made DI/SW camping hellish at the time..) I'd be playing FFXI and it would randomly freeze up. I add that this problem with ram only happened with FFXI too but since I tended to play FFXI for far longer than the other games I guess that was possibly why.

[Noob]

Ok, first off, I'll list my build.

Case: Cooler Master HAF X 942
UPS: CyberPower 1350AVR 810W
PSU: Corsair Professional Series AX1200 80 Plus Gold Certified 1200W
MB: Asus Maximus IV Extreme-Z
CPU: Intel Quad Core i7-2600K Sandy Bridge 3.4GHz
CPU Cooler: Corsair H100
GPU: SLI EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD 2560MB
GPU Cooler: Cooler Master SickleFlow R4
RAM: Corsair XMS3 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz
RAM Cooler: Corsair CMXAF2
SC: Creative 7.1 Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium
SSD: Crucial M4 128GB SATA III
HDD: Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB 7200 RPM
ODD 1: Asus Blu Ray Disc Writer
ODD 2: Asus DVD ROM Writer
Monitor: Acer GD235HZ 23.6" 120Hz 3D Ready LCD
Sound System: Creative Inspire T6160 5.1 Surround Sound
Headset: Turtle Beach Ear Force PX5 7.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Mouse: Saitek Cyborg R.A.T. 7
Mouse Surface: Saitek Cyborg V5
Keyboard: Saitek Cyborg V5
OS: Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit

I'll go over what I've been trying to troubleshoot this, since this has been happening very frequently now.

1.) Using compressed air to dust out all components and fans within the PC.
2.) Disabling SLI in both Nvidia control panel and FFXI's Nvidia control panel profile.
3.) Reducing all Nvidia control panel settings for FFXI's Nvidia control panel profile to the minimum. This did nothing.
4.) Checking CPU, CPU socket, and GPU temps.
5.) Removing one GPU from the case and using only one.
6.) Removing other GPU from the case and using the other.
7.) Removing TIM & reapplying to CPU.
8.) Removing Corsair H100 and using CPU stock fan/heatsink.
9.) Uninstalling/installing older Nvidia GPU drivers.
10.) Uninstalling/installing the latest Nvidia GPU drivers.

Dusted out PC. Dusted out all components and fans, especially inside each GPU. Their was hardly any dust buildup whatsoever with how well the dust filtering is around the fan vents. Problem still persisted.

Disabled SLI entirely and enabled Single GPU mode for FFXI. Problem still persisted.
Tried all varieties of Nvidia control panel settings. Problem still persisted.

Asus AI Suite II displays CPU and CPU socket temps. They never exceed 38 degrees celsius. EVGA Precision displays GPU usage and GPU temps. GPU usage never exceeds 10% for either card, regardless of whether or not SLI is enabled. I have GPU fan speeds set to scale with temps. Temps never rise above 50 degrees celsius for either card. Problem still persisted.

Removed second GPU from the case and only playing with one GPU in the top PCI lane. Problem still persisted, so I removed that card and tried using the other GPU in the top PCI lane instead. Problem still persisted.

Removed TIM from CPU & reapplied a new layer to it. Problem still persisted.

Removed Corsair H100 from CPU & installed stock CPU/heatsink. Problem still persisted.

I'm running out of ideas. Since I've built my rig, I've had to RMA one of my original GTX 570 GPUs because one of the original two died on me. I've just had to RMA my Corsair H100 because the LEDs stopped working and my monitor would display a message, saying "CPU fan error!", not allowing me to proceed any further with boot up. Now I've had to use the stock CPU fan/heatsink. Please bear in mind that everything within the PC case continues to work other than the GPU sometimes. Sometimes I will continue to hear the GPU fan spinning, while other times I don't. I've tried everything listed above one by one and the problem still continues.

Please bear in mind that this only happens while playing FFXI. I can have my PC doing anything else, playing any other game, and never have this problem once. I can leave my PC on for hours and hours and it never happens. Only while playing FFXI does this occur.

I've tried everything I can think of to no avail. All I can think of now is that it's either a problem with FFXI and the latest sets of drivers, a problem with the wiring from the PSU to the GPUs, my motherboard's top PCI lane having gone bad, or a problem within my PSU. I can't think of anything else to try testing and am really hoping I don't have to do yet another RMA. If I have to RMA my PSU, I'll be unable to use my PC for weeks. I'm trying my very best to avoid that. Anyone have any ideas as to what else I could try? Possibly remove my GPU from the top PCI lane and try using it in one of the other 3?

[Kohan]

You could try to call the manufacturers, as mentioned.

[Noob]

I appreciate the advice, I'm just not trying to go down the "RMA & wait a few weeks" road until it's a last resort. I already know they will allow me to RMA it, I'm just trying to make sure that their's no alternative first, because when my first GPU went up, I tried alot of different things to troubleshoot the problem I was having, and wound up RMAing my first PSU & Motherboard, resulting in me waiting weeks for absolutely nothing. This was before I tested my second GPU by itself and found out that the problem was in fact one GPU and not a PSU/Motherboard problem.

If it's a PSU problem, shouldn't this be happening at any given time rather than just while playing FFXI? I would figure a PSU problem doesn't discriminate when it comes to what parts are getting power. My PSU is fully modular, so it came with several cables for the PSU. Should I try using one of the alternate PCI-E cables for the GPUs?

[Kohan]

You can do that, sure. However, the reason I'm insistent is because you're not saving yourself trouble by posting on the forum and fretting about it. I understand that you're hesitant because you don't want to be told to RMA, but the better manufacturers (e.g., EVGA in terms of GPUs) have technicians who aren't as stupid as those at, say, Dell. They'll understand that you would rather fix the problem than go through an RMA, and won't ask you if your "computer is plugged in," and other such brain-dead nonsense. They should be able to provide you with valid troubleshooting techniques, and if it does come down to RMAing, they will know more certainly than anyone else that you haven't any other choice.

It isn't as if you're calling HP and it's a guaranteed "just send it back to us," but if a builder-friendly company tells you that is indeed the route you must take, it's unlikely that they're wrong. On top of that, if there is a real problem that you manage to mitigate by finding a temporary work-around, it may be even more painful (and possibly expensive) to deal with later.

EDIT: Additionally, if you do call a manufacturer who is that unhelpful, just ring one of the customer service lines for a different part (e.g., your GPU, even though this is probably a PSU issue). As mentioned, I'd start with Corsair, but if you actually are unfortunate enough to get an awful rep, ring the next best manufacturer on the list. The better ones will help you with thorough troubleshooting.

[Noob]

You can do that, sure. However, the reason I'm insistent is because you're not saving yourself trouble by posting on the forum and fretting about it. I understand that you're hesitant because you don't want to be told to RMA, but the better manufacturers (e.g., EVGA in terms of GPUs) have technicians who aren't as stupid as those at, say, Dell. They'll understand that you would rather fix the problem than go through an RMA, and won't ask you if your "computer is plugged in," and other such brain-dead nonsense. They should be able to provide you with valid troubleshooting techniques, and if it does come down to RMAing, they will know more certainly than anyone else that you haven't any other choice.

It isn't as if you're calling HP and it's a guaranteed "just send it back to us," but if a builder-friendly company tells you that is indeed the route you must take, it's unlikely that they're wrong. On top of that, if there is a real problem that you manage to mitigate by finding a temporary work-around, it may be even more painful (and possibly expensive) to deal with later.

EDIT: Additionally, if you do call a manufacturer who is that unhelpful, just ring one of the customer service lines for a different part (e.g., your GPU, even though this is probably a PSU issue). As mentioned, I'd start with Corsair, but if you actually are unfortunate enough to get an awful rep, ring the next best manufacturer on the list. The better ones will help you with thorough troubleshooting.

Thanks. It's good to read this, because before I built this rig, I've had pre-built bullshit PCs like Dell, where they'd give you the usual speel, and their customer service turned out to be, let's just say, the usual stereotypical kind that you don't even want to waste your time with. I assumed all electronic customer service was like that, which was why I've been trying to troubleshoot myself before I have to be put through more bullshit. It's good to know that their are REAL technicians out there that don't put you through bullshit.

EDIT
FYI, I haven't registered my hardware with their manufacturers online. I thought warranties were automatic when buying through Newegg, I think I read the warranty information incorrectly. How long do I have following an items purchase to register the product online for warranty?

[Senji]

Same freeze and sound happened to a PC years ago with FFXI two different times; one was ram related, other was a G keyboard that only had a problem with that PC.

Remove ram, clean sticks + blow out slots, reseat. If persists, try 1 stick at a time.

It was a lan PC that was transported often, the cleaning and reseating fixed it. All of them were recognized, and worked fine for everything except randomly in FFXI.

[Kohan]

Warranties are never automatic, as far as I'm aware, as even extended warranties usually don't kick in until the manufacturer's warranties expire. That aside, how long ago did you buy the products? Most companies give you thirty days to register. Even if it's been longer than that, I'd just call them with your purchase information and see what they say.

[Noob]

Same freeze and sound happened to a PC years ago with FFXI two different times; one was ram related, other was a G keyboard that only had a problem with that PC.

Remove ram, clean sticks + blow out slots, reseat. If persists, try 1 stick at a time.

It was a lan PC that was transported often, the cleaning and reseating fixed it. All of them were recognized, and worked fine for everything except randomly in FFXI.

Thanks alot. I'm guessing that's it too, because of all the troubleshooting that I've done. I just tried that and it seems to have worked (at least for now). I've been playing the game for several hours now and haven't had it happen. If it happens again, I'll take out one stick & play with just one 4Gb stick until it happens again, then try playing with just the other stick.

Warranties are never automatic, as far as I'm aware, as even extended warranties usually don't kick in until the manufacturer's warranties expire. That aside, how long ago did you buy the products? Most companies give you thirty days to register. Even if it's been longer than that, I'd just call them with your purchase information and see what they say.

Good to know. I bought everything back on September 25'th, 2011. I have all receipts and proof of purchase through Newegg.com, as well as all boxes and manuals they came in, still in tact (I kept everything because I've heard it's not uncommon to be RMAing items when you've built a PC from the ground up).

[xopher]

Why does no one ever suggest checking event logs?

[Ratatapa]

Cuz Windows event logs are shit?

[xopher]

Cuz Windows event logs are shit?

Except for when you go in and increase what they monitor to troubleshoot the situation. And even with the default settings they're better than a shot in the fucking dark.