random system shutdown with fans running at full speed

himendra · Mar 30, 2025

windows 10
intel core i5 - 10400 2.90ghz
ram hyper x 16 gb
mother board asus
gpu nvidia geforce rtx 2060 6gb

Namaste guys how are you all
Around 2 weeks ago the computer started crashing at random, i thot it was the dust so i cleaned it up but the crashes continue even when i am not gaming. what could be the cause of it please share any knowledge, thank you so much.

note - i did try googling a solution and even here in the forums but i didnt find any proper info. i just want some wisdom from this forum before i again start opening the case.

Princess Garnet · Mar 30, 2025

What sort of scenarios and uses cases cause this? Only in games or demanding applications? Or does web browsing and the desktop also cause it?

Are any motherboard diagnostic lights present and lit up when this occurs?

If the fans are running full speed (and which fan, the graphics card fan, CPU fan, or case fans?), this signifies it isn't a shutdown but a lockup of some type. A shutdown would be when power is completely cut.

Sometimes, when the graphics drivers aren't in control, the BIOS for the graphics card has the fan fallback set to full speed to ensure it doesn't overheat. This doesn't mean the graphics drivers or even the graphics card itself are the cause of the issue; just that it the freeze/crash is at least impacting them at least.

When this happens, do you have to force the power off? Or will it eventually restart on its own?

If you're not seeing any BSODs, my first step would be to look in the following two places.

Event viewer is overlooked, although it can be confusing to navigate and identify what is and isn't helpful. You'd want to look for Event ID 41 entries. these alone are not helpful in identifying the cause because these merely log "Windows shut down but didn't self initiate it" but they give you a time frame to look for surrounding logs which may be a clue.

WHEA is also helpful when BSODs aren't being logged. Look in the Windows/LiveKernelReports/WHEA and WINDOWS/LiveKernelReports/WATCHDOG directories for dump files (the latter may have a duplicate with numbers appended at the end if you ever changed hardware so if such a thing is present, look in both). If any dump files are present and have time stamps that correspond with the time of the crashes, they may have information on what's going on. WinDbg can open to analyze these files. Otherwise, upload them somewhere online and someone else can do so.

himendra · Mar 30, 2025

Princess Garnet said:
What sort of scenarios and uses cases cause this? Only in games or demanding applications? Or does web browsing and the desktop also cause it?

Are any motherboard diagnostic lights present and lit up when this occurs?

If the fans are running full speed (and which fan, the graphics card fan, CPU fan, or case fans?), this signifies it isn't a shutdown but a lockup of some type. A shutdown would be when power is completely cut.

Sometimes, when the graphics drivers aren't in control, the BIOS for the graphics card has the fan fallback set to full speed to ensure it doesn't overheat. This doesn't mean the graphics drivers or even the graphics card itself are the cause of the issue; just that it the freeze/crash is at least impacting them at least.

When this happens, do you have to force the power off? Or will it eventually restart on its own?

If you're not seeing any BSODs, my first step would be to look in the following two places.

Event viewer is overlooked, although it can be confusing to navigate and identify what is and isn't helpful. You'd want to look for Event ID 41 entries. these alone are not helpful in identifying the cause because these merely log "Windows shut down but didn't self initiate it" but they give you a time frame to look for surrounding logs which may be a clue.

WHEA is also helpful when BSODs aren't being logged. Look in the Windows/LiveKernelReports/WHEA and WINDOWS/LiveKernelReports/WATCHDOG directories for dump files (the latter may have a duplicate with numbers appended at the end if you ever changed hardware so if such a thing is present, look in both). If any dump files are present and have time stamps that correspond with the time of the crashes, they may have information on what's going on. WinDbg can open to analyze these files. Otherwise, upload them somewhere online and someone else can do so.

greetings
it just happens even when im just browsing, and the games that i play are not even so heavy in graphics anyways, when it happens i just get worried and i turn off the power from the plug.
Alright next time it happens i will try to see which fans are making the noise. Yes it sure is a kind of lockup coz only the display is off and the system is on.
I dont wait more than 5 seconds before i turn it off - i mean i dont wait at all for long to see what would happen.
I will try to look where you have suggested, im not familiar with this stuff but ill figure it now
thank you so much for responding

edit - hi, there is no WHEA folder in my computer, there is a watchdog folder but it dsnt have anything from year 2025 there are few files from year 2023 and 2021 only

K7SEM · Mar 30, 2025

Reduce PSU load in BIOS options to all components
If problem persist time to get a good quality PSU

Toss · Mar 30, 2025

check RAM

himendra · Mar 30, 2025

K7SEM said:
Reduce PSU load in BIOS options to all components
If problem persist time to get a good quality PSU

ok but if the problem doesnt occur after reducing the PSU load? we dont have to get a new one then? wont that reduce computer performance? is there a way to be sure what is causing this?

Toss said:
check RAM

hi, how can i check it? i mean it does show in system details that the ram is working. how to check RAM? u mean reseat the RAM or what shud i do

Toss · Mar 30, 2025

himendra said:
ok but if the problem doesnt occur after reducing the PSU load? we dont have to get a new one then? wont that reduce computer performance? is there a way to be sure what is causing this?

hi, how can i check it? i mean it does show in system details that the ram is working. how to check RAM? u mean reseat the RAM or what shud i do

use memtest 64 if there is errors

himendra · Mar 30, 2025

Toss said:
use memtest 64 if there is errors

i did that heres the screen

is this ok?

Bill_Bright · Mar 30, 2025

himendra said:
ok but if the problem doesnt occur after reducing the PSU load? we dont have to get a new one then?

You cleaned out the heat-trapping dust so that is good. Assuming "all" the fans spin normally otherwise, and assuming before 2 weeks ago, the computer ran fine (suggesting insufficient cooling is not the problem), then you need to swap in a known good PSU to see if the problem persists.

It is important to note that EVERYTHING inside the computer case depends on good, clean, stable power. Therefore, you need to ensure you are providing it. This is especially true before spending any money on something else. So I recommend you beg, borrow, or stea... err... borrow a PSU from another computer and see what happens.

Also, your TPU System Specs just says "Corsair" for your PSU. That does not tell us much. What model/size? Note that Corsair does make some excellent PSUs, particularly in their upper tier models. But their entry-level budget models are not typically described that way.

himendra · Mar 30, 2025

Bill_Bright said:
You cleaned out the heat-trapping dust so that is good. Assuming "all" the fans spin normally otherwise, and assuming before 2 weeks ago, the computer ran fine (suggesting insufficient cooling is not the problem), then you need to swap in a known good PSU to see if the problem persists.

It is important to note that EVERYTHING inside the computer case depends on good, clean, stable power. Therefore, you need to ensure you are providing it. This is especially true before spending any money on something else. So I recommend you beg, borrow, or stea... err... borrow a PSU from another computer and see what happens.

Also, your TPU System Specs just says "Corsair" for your PSU. That does not tell us much. What model/size? Note that Corsair does make some excellent PSUs, particularly in their upper tier models. But their entry-level budget models are not typically described that way.

the power supply unit is
Corsair CP-9020120-NA CX450 450W
can u tell something more about it now thanks

Bill_Bright · Mar 30, 2025

Well, CX is indeed, their budget line. And 450W, while technically big enough, leaves little headroom. It also means it spends much of its time closer to capacity than idle. That is not necessarily bad, but it does typically mean it runs on the warm side much of the time, which can increase the rate of aging.

But none of that really matters. Even the best models from the best makers can fail prematurely. This is why swapping in a known good spare is really the only way to conclusively be sure you are delivering good, clean, stable power.

Toss · Mar 30, 2025

himendra said:
i did that heres the screen
View attachment 392416
is this ok?

yes.
I had another problem bakc in the days, it was faulty GPU.
Try using ur PC w/o GPU on integrated and if it turns down.

scooze · Mar 30, 2025

himendra said:
computer started crashing at random

what crashes? blue screens? freezescreen? monitor turns off without turning off the computer? you will not get help if you do not describe the problem in detail. it is better to give the computer to knowledgeable people for diagnostics so that they can identify the culprit of the problem.

TORREXdaBeazt · Mar 31, 2025

himendra said:
windows 10
intel core i5 - 10400 2.90ghz
ram hyper x 16 gb
mother board asus
gpu nvidia geforce rtx 2060 6gb

Namaste guys how are you all
Around 2 weeks ago the computer started crashing at random, i thot it was the dust so i cleaned it up but the crashes continue even when i am not gaming. what could be the cause of it please share any knowledge, thank you so much.

note - i did try googling a solution and even here in the forums but i didnt find any proper info. i just want some wisdom from this forum before i again start opening the case.

There could be multiple issues, from a shorted PSU to a dying CPU.

You may have a RAM problem, or some junk is shorting out the mobo (it's happened to me) you may even have the graphics card connected incorrectly, I would recommend disassembling everything, cleaning it, and testing the components one by one to rule out faults

eidairaman1 · Wednesday at 4:43 AM

Gpu or psu at this rate

System Name	assembled
Processor	i5 10400 2.90ghz
Motherboard	asus tuf b460 plus
Cooling	stock fan with 3 cabinet fans
Memory	16gb
Video Card(s)	Inno3d nvidia geforce rtx 2060
Storage	1tb seagate hdd model st2000dm005, 512 ssd western digital
Display(s)	LG
Case	Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh
Power Supply	Corsair
Keyboard	Corsair k55

System Name	assembled
Processor	i5 10400 2.90ghz
Motherboard	asus tuf b460 plus
Cooling	stock fan with 3 cabinet fans
Memory	16gb
Video Card(s)	Inno3d nvidia geforce rtx 2060
Storage	1tb seagate hdd model st2000dm005, 512 ssd western digital
Display(s)	LG
Case	Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh
Power Supply	Corsair
Keyboard	Corsair k55

System Name	assembled
Processor	i5 10400 2.90ghz
Motherboard	asus tuf b460 plus
Cooling	stock fan with 3 cabinet fans
Memory	16gb
Video Card(s)	Inno3d nvidia geforce rtx 2060
Storage	1tb seagate hdd model st2000dm005, 512 ssd western digital
Display(s)	LG
Case	Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh
Power Supply	Corsair
Keyboard	Corsair k55

System Name	assembled
Processor	i5 10400 2.90ghz
Motherboard	asus tuf b460 plus
Cooling	stock fan with 3 cabinet fans
Memory	16gb
Video Card(s)	Inno3d nvidia geforce rtx 2060
Storage	1tb seagate hdd model st2000dm005, 512 ssd western digital
Display(s)	LG
Case	Deepcool matrexx 55 mesh
Power Supply	Corsair
Keyboard	Corsair k55

System Name	Brightworks Systems BWS-6 E-IV
Processor	Intel Core i5-6600 @ 3.9GHz
Motherboard	Gigabyte GA-Z170-HD3 Rev 1.0
Cooling	Quality Fractal Design Define R4 case, 2 x FD 140mm fans, CM Hyper 212 EVO HSF
Memory	32GB (4 x 8GB) DDR4 3000 Corsair Vengeance
Video Card(s)	EVGA GEForce GTX 1050Ti 4Gb GDDR5
Storage	Samsung 850 Pro 256GB SSD, Samsung 860 Evo 500GB SSD
Display(s)	Samsung S24E650BW LED x 2
Case	Fractal Design Define R4
Power Supply	EVGA Supernova 550W G2 Gold
Mouse	Logitech M190
Keyboard	Microsoft Wireless Comfort 5050
Software	W10 Pro 64-bit

Processor	core e-8400
Motherboard	asus p45
Memory	hynix 2 gb
Video Card(s)	gt 9800
Storage	samsung 1tb
Display(s)	benq
Case	Sharkoon VG4-V
Power Supply	thermaltake 430w
Mouse	a4 tech n708
Keyboard	a4 tech
Software	windows 8.1

System Name	HP Pro 6305
Processor	A8-6500
Motherboard	King Cobras Rev B
Cooling	Stock heatsink
Memory	4x4gb DDR3 Kingston 1333Mhz
Video Card(s)	APU radeon HD8570D 1.5gb shared vram
Storage	X3 500gb HDD + 240gb SSD adata
Display(s)	Display port 1633x728
Case	HP pro 6305 SFF
Power Supply	HP oem
Mouse	Ghia 5 btns?
Keyboard	Generic logitech
Software	Windows 10 Pro 22H2

System Name	PCGOD
Processor	AMD FX 8350@ 5.0GHz
Motherboard	Asus TUF 990FX Sabertooth R2 2901 Bios
Cooling	Scythe Ashura, 2×BitFenix 230mm Spectre Pro LED (Blue,Green), 2x BitFenix 140mm Spectre Pro LED
Memory	16 GB Gskill Ripjaws X 2133 (2400 OC, 10-10-12-20-20, 1T, 1.65V)
Video Card(s)	AMD Radeon 290 Sapphire Vapor-X
Storage	Samsung 840 Pro 256GB, WD Velociraptor 1TB
Display(s)	NEC Multisync LCD 1700V (Display Port Adapter)
Case	AeroCool Xpredator Evil Blue Edition
Audio Device(s)	Creative Labs Sound Blaster ZxR
Power Supply	Seasonic 1250 XM2 Series (XP3)
Mouse	Roccat Kone XTD
Keyboard	Roccat Ryos MK Pro
Software	Windows 7 Pro 64

random system shutdown with fans running at full speed

The Exiled Airman