# PC shuts down itself after a few minutes



## associates (Aug 23, 2006)

Hi,

My PC shuts down by itself gracefully. When it's turned on, it works just fine but only for 3 to 4 minutes. And then, it tells itself to shut down. 

Initially, I thought it was due to overheating. 

Decided to open the chassis in order to be able to hear any loud noises, and what I found is that my PSU was generating some noise during reboot period and then went a bit quiet after loading the OS (linux - Ubuntu). After a few minutes, it shut down itself. And if I turn it back on after being shut down, it will start again with no problem. It turns itself off again after a few minutes later.

Just wondering if this is a sign that I need to replace my PSU. My understanding is that if this issue was caused by PSU, it would not get started in the first place. 

By the way, I also checked the fans inside PSU and they were spinning ok.

Thank you in advance


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## JimE (Apr 16, 2009)

Shutdowns are typically the result of a hardware fault. The most common cause would be the power supply or motherboard.


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## DBCooper (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi associates,

Your computer issue can definitely be related to a defective power supply. What's the wattage of your computer power supply? Also, please post your computer specs when you can. With knowing your computer specs, we can definitely troubleshoot your computer issue more efficiently.

May I ask, do you have a spare working power supply laying around that you can test on your computer? Please provide an update when you can, thank you.


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## associates (Aug 23, 2006)

Hi,

Thank you for your replies.

I'm sorry that I did not get back to you sooner.

No, unfortunately, I don't have a spare power supply laying around.

The wattage of my power supply is 400 watt. 

The motherboard is Gigabyte GA-965P-D54.

This desktop PC has been around for many years (approx. 7 to 8 years), and I had someone built it up for me.

I'll find out the price of the new power supply first to see if it's worth getting a new power supply.

Thank you very much for your input. really appreciated it.


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## DBCooper (Jun 11, 2010)

Hi associates,

Since your PC is 7-to-8 years old, it's possible that something hardware related (e.g. PSU) has gone bad. Based on the symptom of your computer that you provided, it's possible that the PSU is defective. If you do purchased a power supply for your computer, I recommend either going with "SEASONIC or "XFX" brand. Hope everything works out well for you.


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