Diagnosing Sudden System Crashes Under Load: Is Your Power Supply the Culprit?
Building a high-performance gaming PC involves selecting components that work harmoniously to deliver a smooth experience. However, even with premium hardware, unexpected system stability issues can arise. Recently, I encountered a perplexing problem: my PC would crash immediately when under load, especially during gaming sessions. After thorough analysis and troubleshooting, I suspect a failing power supply unit (PSU) may be the root cause. Below, I detail the issue, observations, and considerations to help others facing similar challenges.
System Configuration Overview
- Graphics Card: EVGA RTX 3090 FTW3 Ultra, undervolted to 1830 MHz at 0.85V
- Power Supply: EVGA P3 1000W, previously used for mining activities
- Processor: Intel Core i5-13600K
- Cooling: Custom airflow setup with multiple intake and exhaust fans, including a GPU backplate fan
The Problem
The system crashes immediately during gaming sessions (notably Dead Space and Battlefield 6) or under heavy GPU load. These crashes occur even when the total power consumption is relatively moderate, typically between 150 to 240 watts, and are not always correlated with maximum GPU utilization. Temperatures for the GPU are within safe ranges: core temperatures hover around 68–74°C, hotspot temperatures reach 87–93°C, and VRAM temperatures peak at approximately 92°C. Additionally, undervolting the GPU does not seem to mitigate these crashes.
Key Observations and Log Analysis
Using hardware monitoring tools such as HWiNFO, I recorded power consumption before and after power cycling the PSU:
- Prior to power cycle: GPU power at approximately 175.9 W, CPU at 66.4 W, totaling around 242 W
- After power cycle: GPU power drops to about 116.9 W, CPU to 31.4 W, with total around 148 W
Most system crashes occurred without any explicit performance limit flags. Notably, one incident displayed a “Power” warning flag just before shutdown, suggesting potential power delivery issues. Interestingly, temporarily cutting power to the PSU temporarily “reset” the system’s stability window, but crashes resumed immediately once the system was restarted. Furthermore, subsequent restarts resulted in quicker crashes, indicating worsening instability.
Additional factors include more frequent crashes when changing display resolution or enabling features like DLSS or DSR scaling—
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