Unable to determine the cause of my computer crashing

Understanding and Troubleshooting Computer Crashes During Gaming: A Guide

Experiencing unexpected computer crashes can be frustrating and disruptive, especially during gaming sessions. If your PC is shutting down unexpectedly, with symptoms similar to those described below, this guide aims to help you diagnose potential causes and identify troubleshooting steps.

System Overview

Hardware Specifications:
– Processor: AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-Core, 3.70 GHz
– Memory: 16GB RAM
– Graphics Card: AMD Radeon RX 6500 XT (4GB)
– Storage: 466GB SSD
– Operating System: Windows 10 (fully updated)

Usage Patterns:
Primarily used for gaming, with crashes occurring during specific games such as Team Fortress 2 and Final Fantasy XIV. Notably, other titles like Fallout 4, Civilization V, and Hearts of Iron IV run without issues.

Symptoms and Observations:
– Crashes happen unpredictably, ranging from 5 to 30 minutes into gameplay.
– Prior to crashing, fans may ramp up suddenly to full speed.
– The system powers off immediately without any blue screen or shutdown message.
– During certain scenes in Final Fantasy XIV, especially lengthy cutscenes or boss fights with particle effects, crashes can occur.
– Lowering graphics settings may delay, but not prevent, the crashes.
– System logs report errors like “1796 (Secure Boot Failed to Update),” “6008 (Unexpected Shutdown),” and “10010 (DCOM Disconnected).”

Initial Troubleshooting Steps

Verify Hardware Health
Temperature Monitoring: Use tools such as HWMonitor or MSI Afterburner to keep an eye on CPU and GPU temperatures during gaming. Overheating can cause sudden shutdowns.
Power Supply Check: Ensure your power supply provides sufficient and stable power. Sudden shutdowns often point to PSU issues.
Physical Inspection: Check for dust buildup, loose cables, or signs of hardware wear.
Update and Validate Drivers and BIOS
Confirm that your graphics card drivers are the latest version from AMD.
Update your motherboard BIOS to the latest version, which can improve hardware compatibility and stability.
Assess Software and Operating System
Since you’ve already validated game files and performed fresh installs, focus on system stability.
Run Windows Update to ensure OS components are current.
Use built-in tools like System File Checker (`sfc /scann