Computer shuts itself off when trying to play games

[Bloopin]

Howdy! There's a peculiar issue I've been having lately with my computer in that it seems to shut itself off whenever I try to play games on it. At first it seemed specific to one game in particular, but now it's happening when I try others as well.

About two weeks ago when I started up an mmo I play regularly, it blue screened when I went out of the room for a few minutes. In total, I'd say the game was on maybe fifteen minutes at most. The blue screen didn't even come in properly either, it was literally just a blank blue screen. Confused, I figured it was just the game being weird, as it's a bit eccentric sometimes. Restarted the computer and everything was fine, until I tried to play the game again. This time the computer shut itself off after around fifteen minutes or so. When it turned off, it made the noise it makes when I first turn on the computer, but stopped before it actually did turn on. So it sounded like it was trying to come back on, but wasn't managing it. I held the button down to turn it off and waited for a few minutes before turning it back on. It seemed fine, I tried other games and they also appeared to be alright.

At this point I figured it was just the mmo that was causing issues, and after completely uninstalling it, reinstalling it, turning down all of the settings to their simplest point, and trying it a few more times, the end result was a proper blue screen once, and then more of the computer turning itself off.

There were no words of warning at any time that the computer was having troubles. Wasn't making any noises, it felt cool as it always does. The only thing that alerted a problem was a split second before the computer shut off, the game's graphics got jumbled up (which was honestly a little freaky). So, I sent a support ticket to the company and their answer was that my system was not strong enough to run the game. I've had this computer for three years, and I had only started playing the game a few months after I got it, so that answer didn't seem quite right to me.

I decided to just leave the mmo for the time being and everything seemed okay. But then when I tried to play something else a couple days later, the computer turned itself off once again. No warning at all, and also no scrambled graphics.

I'm certainly not a computer expert, so I have no real grasp on what the issue is. I've tried to look things up, but the answers have been pretty nebulous. I don't think it's any issue with the fans/overheating, because like I said, no noise or heat. Would it be a graphics card or power supply issue? Or something else??

My computer is mainly used for digital art, and things like my tablet and photoshop don't seem to cause any problems. Same with when I'm browsing or typing documents. The games I play aren't super intensive (I don't think), and have never caused me problems before now. Everything in the computer is original to when I bought it brand-new, save for something that got broken a year or so ago  (it was the harddrive I believe) and had to be replaced (and it only broke because I accidentally tipped the tower over when I was vacuuming). Considering that I haven't had any problems with this computer until now, is it just a matter of upgrading/replacing something?

[old_geekster]

@Bloopin, welcome to the forum.

The symptoms sound like it could be a heating problem.  If you haven't done so, I suggest that you give the computer a thorough cleaning inside and outside of the case.  Make certain that all of the fans are clean; including the fan in the power supply unit (PSU).  If this has been done, it could be a memory (RAM) or PSU problem.

[DGroves · Accepted solution]

there is one other possibility that comes to mind is a failing power supply.

as power supplys get old they sometimes are unable to deliver the same output they did when new,

or as Old_geekster said   they can also have a buildup of dust in their fan area causing a thermal issue

if you have a mini tower the power supply is fairly easy to clean or replace

[sangria25]

Heat buildup or failing powersupply are just 1 possibility.

Another one is failing hardware e.g. RAM modules.

Better run a diagnostic first that checks everything (HP Hardware Diagnostics (http://hp.com/go/techcenter/pcdiags))

[Gennyswiss]

As your computer is hutting off when you are trying to play games, similarly my printer used to shut off whenever I used to connect it with computers or try to put something on print. I just went with the Epson printer troubleshooting process which solved my issue. You can also try troubleshooting your computer which can also solve your problem.

[Bloopin]

I replaced the psu and now it's back to normal,so that must have been it! Thanks!

[albertjohn247]

One such problem which general users encounter while using Epson printers is Epson Printer Error Code 0xf4. The reason behind this error code is the unavailability of ink in the device, jammed paper, broken components, etc.