Playing this game turns my PC off????

[Kesash]

Really really weird problem, after playing for maybe 5 mins (I get to the point I can scan for copper) my computer just... turns off.

Checked temps and they are fine, nothing else running, happened 4 times in a row now.

I've never had an issue like this with my PC and it isn't happening unless I play this exact game.

Any ideas?

[Kage Goomba]

If your computer is powering down - you've got a serious hardware problem that needs diagnosis - I'd start with the power supply.

Generally if its not an overheat - could be an over-voltage triggering a fail-safe.
Could be CPU centric or GPU (PCI-E) Bus.

Check everything carefully.

[Kesash]

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

If your computer is powering down - you've got a serious hardware problem that needs diagnosis - I'd start with the power supply.

Generally if its not an overheat - could be an over-voltage triggering a fail-safe.
Could be CPU centric or GPU (PCI-E) Bus.

Check everything carefully.

The issue is it's ONLY when playing this specific game, no others. Nothing else does it, and its always after about the same amount of time. How can a game do that when nothing else does?

[Huren Ogeko]

then that means only this specific game pushes your cpu or power supply over the edge.
I am sure other game would too but this just happens to be the only game you have that will do this.
this game is more CPU intensive then GPU which most other games tend to be more GPU then less CPU.

in nay case no software bug can turn your computer off...its normally a bios level thing that is protecting your computer from overheat damage or its a power supply that is unable to meet the high demands of the CPU or other power hungry component.

I would first check all your airflow vents and heat sind to make sure all are clean and free of any dust and dirt. that sort of thing can sneak up on you over the months or years.

if you havent dont this in a while maybe check out the thermal paste on your CPU...it tends to wear down over many years of use...sometimes sooner if whoever made the computer used cheap crap before.

[CynicalFinch]

Windows Event Viewer should have timestamped logs of every time your PC shuts off, along with a description and/or code which "mostly" explains the cause of the shut off. I'd start there.

Also, if 'Satisfactory' is the most hardware demanding game you own, then it doesn't matter that it's not happening with any other game you own & play. A good way to prove this is by using benchmark software to recreate the same stress point Satisfactory is triggering. Heaven Benchmark, TimeSpy, and Cinebench are all solid tools, and I do mean ALL because each one stresses the hardware in different ways. Since no two benchmark programs are the same, seeing which benchmark causes issues helps narrow down which part of the PC is chugging. "Roughly speaking": Cinebench = CPU, Heaven = GPU, TimeSpy = a mix of both. Again, "roughly" speaking.

With regard to checking your temps: if you're checking your temps while NOT reproducing the shutdown (in your case, while playing Satisfactory'), then any temp reading you get will be redundant and a waste of time. Example: checking your temps while idle at desktop will ALWAYS be cooler than temps while running a game or even browsing youtube. So if you're really wanting to check temps, do so while running Satisfactory to reproduce the shutdown, and take note of the temps at the moment of shutdown. Of course, be sure to monitor temps for all (CPU, GPU, Mobo/VRM), versus just one component. HWMonitor by CPUID "should" do the trick, but have a look around online & see what works best for you.

Bottom line: PC's and their parts (especially today) are designed with fail-safes in place to shut off the PC before damage is caused, giving the chance to troubleshoot & fix the problem before resorting to building or buying an entirely new PC. So, if you're PC is shutting off mid task or game, then it is 100% a hardware issue, with a high chance of it being power/voltage related.

Wish I could offer more in the way of help, but unfortunately trying to troubleshoot PC shutoff through forums is nigh impossible. Best anyone could offer is how/where to start troubleshooting, and you'll have to get hands on from there. If it feels like the issue is a bit above your comfort level, then finding someone where you live (that you can trust) to work on your PC for you might be the best route.

[Zak]

Originally posted by Kesash:

How can a game do that when nothing else does?

From my experience this game is more demanding that anything else I played recently including Cyberpunk 2077, Borderlands 3, etc. So, it's possible that whatever issue your hardware has, this game pushes it too far while others don't.

As others said: if your PC spontaneously shuts of then it's absolutely a hardware problem. The game simply triggers the fault. I agree with Kage Goomba: check the Power Supply first.

[Huren Ogeko]

The game isnt really doing it. The hardware is doing it to protect the hardware from overheating or other issues it detects. It could also be voltage drip due to a power supply not up to the task
All the game is doing is pushing some bit of hardware over its limit and the bios is shutting things down to protect against damage. Most people never have this issue as their hardware is running fine but if you have issues with heat or power supply or something else then this is something that can happen when a game does something that should work on a system that cant handle it hardwarewise

any time your pc shuts down without notice and does not give you a blue screen or some other window with error then your problem is in the hardware or the bios of the system. the game is asking your hardware to do something it cant handle and cant recover from so your bios is going into self preservation mode to avoid further damage to your hardware.

So its likely its not only this game that can trigger this. it just happens this is the only or first game that is triggering this. maybe this game is a using a function of your GPU that is a broken that other games done use....maybe its more stressful on the CPU and causes the CPU to run at a higher clock speed that draws more power that pushed the PSU over its limit.
any number of issues can be at play here but the one thing for sure is its based in your hardware...something is failing or something is not rated high enough to support what you have.

[Kage Goomba]

You can blame this game all you want - but at the end of the day - your Motherboard is making the decision.

If it wasn't this game - it would be an another one that has just as much intensity as this one.

Time to do a full check up on your hardware.

Are you using overclocking? Turn them off - see if it stops the issue.

[kimba-rip]

do you meet the minimum specs to play safely......?
pc maybe needs a clean..?#
but this game is hungry on cpu and gpu..

[Kesash]

Originally posted by CynicalFinch:

Windows Event Viewer should have timestamped logs of every time your PC shuts off, along with a description and/or code which "mostly" explains the cause of the shut off. I'd start there.

Also, if 'Satisfactory' is the most hardware demanding game you own, then it doesn't matter that it's not happening with any other game you own & play. A good way to prove this is by using benchmark software to recreate the same stress point Satisfactory is triggering. Heaven Benchmark, TimeSpy, and Cinebench are all solid tools, and I do mean ALL because each one stresses the hardware in different ways. Since no two benchmark programs are the same, seeing which benchmark causes issues helps narrow down which part of the PC is chugging. "Roughly speaking": Cinebench = CPU, Heaven = GPU, TimeSpy = a mix of both. Again, "roughly" speaking.

With regard to checking your temps: if you're checking your temps while NOT reproducing the shutdown (in your case, while playing Satisfactory'), then any temp reading you get will be redundant and a waste of time. Example: checking your temps while idle at desktop will ALWAYS be cooler than temps while running a game or even browsing youtube. So if you're really wanting to check temps, do so while running Satisfactory to reproduce the shutdown, and take note of the temps at the moment of shutdown. Of course, be sure to monitor temps for all (CPU, GPU, Mobo/VRM), versus just one component. HWMonitor by CPUID "should" do the trick, but have a look around online & see what works best for you.

Bottom line: PC's and their parts (especially today) are designed with fail-safes in place to shut off the PC before damage is caused, giving the chance to troubleshoot & fix the problem before resorting to building or buying an entirely new PC. So, if you're PC is shutting off mid task or game, then it is 100% a hardware issue, with a high chance of it being power/voltage related.

Wish I could offer more in the way of help, but unfortunately trying to troubleshoot PC shutoff through forums is nigh impossible. Best anyone could offer is how/where to start troubleshooting, and you'll have to get hands on from there. If it feels like the issue is a bit above your comfort level, then finding someone where you live (that you can trust) to work on your PC for you might be the best route.

Thanks for the explanations! I've checked the event viewer but all it says is "The previous system shutdown at 04:17:20 on ‎04/‎12/‎2024 was unexpected."

How do I get from that to it telling me exactly why it shut down?

I've gone to the time shown in the event viewer and there's nothing there, at all.

[Huren Ogeko]

that just shows it wasnt software...windows cant tell what happened because it happened at the hardware level. either your cpu shut down due to lack of power or a voltage drop in your PSU or the bios shut things down because it detected dangerously high temps one some component it monitors.

More often then not what I see is people who upgrade their PCs with all these new things but forget that the PSI was never rated for such a power draw and then they run into issues anytime too much of that fancy hardware gets used at the same time. Sometimes you just need a bigger PSU.

in any case your issue is a hardware one..wether it be a failing component or a underrated power supply or some temperature problem.

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by Kesash:

Thanks for the explanations! I've checked the event viewer but all it says is "The previous system shutdown at 04:17:20 on ‎04/‎12/‎2024 was unexpected."

How do I get from that to it telling me exactly why it shut down?

I've gone to the time shown in the event viewer and there's nothing there, at all.

Widnows only reports what it can see as an Operating System - beyond that it's as dense as a bloody post and not much more useful than that.

However - it tells you a very clear indicator - that the issue is not software/operating system based.

Its entirely hardware based - that means your dealing with one of 3 Suspects.
CPU
Motherboard -> This can be triggered by BIOS/PCI-E
PSU (Power Supply)

If I was you - id shut off any overclocking mechanisms of any kind and enforce a strict baseline - if that eliminates the problem - you have your answer - Satisfactory is pushing your hardware too hard and you need to "Restrain it".

You've not listed your specs - that would help us narrow down the field.

Power Supply is generally suspect number 1 here - the more stress you put on your hardware - the more power it will consume - you may have "soft rails" - its not an easy thing to test without the right hardware - a multi-meter would help but you would need to know what your doing.

A thorough cleaning of your PC would be a good start as well - also take a whiff - seriously - smell the inside of your PC - if you are picking up a hint of ozone - or something to that effect - you are pushing your system too hard. Especially your PSU - that's usually where problems start.

Are all cooling fans spinning? What's the temps of your GPU/CPU when you usually play a game (other than Satisfactory).

Satisfactory pushes systems pretty hard....

Until you start running the usual suspects - you won't know what's up.

If you want to brute force the problem - swap the PSU - its usually the cheapest part - course you do get what you pay for.

Next up would be the Motherobard or CPU - unless your GPU is not the high end kind - then you could swap the GPU - sadly with a full system shut down - GPU tends to be at the end of the problem starters as they will cause Windows to BSOD if there was problem - usually.

You could also try running Satisfactory at minimum settings to see if you stay online for longer periods of time.

Hopefully this gives you some clues.

Check BIOS settings to see if its got any useful logs or info - sometimes they track things diagnostic wise - sometimes not so much.

[CynicalFinch]

Since you found the log for when your PC shut down, you can look for other logged events that are timestamped in the seconds right before the shutdown. But that can get quite tedious, and I agree with the above comment that "unexpected shutdown" pretty much rules out software causing it. It's got to be either temp issues or over/under voltage issues.

Here's a very rough guide on steps you can take to get to the root of the problem.
https://youtu.be/UHXbQ_kyebw?si=8RSTaMoLVAN-vcB-

Generally speaking though, you want to rule out temps first, then try swapping the power supply if temps seem fine. If PC still shuts off after power supply swap, then it's time to start swapping graphics card and/or RAM, and last resort, processor and/or motherboard.
The key is that you do only one thing at a time, then test running Satisfactory or a Benchmark that recreates the issue. If you change more than one thing at a time in your PC and the problem goes away, then you'll have no way of knowing which change fixed the problem. So change ONE thing, then test, and if problem persists, rinse & repeat.

I know that doesn't sound great, but that's where you're at without taking your PC to a repair tech, who would likely follow those steps as well.

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by CynicalFinch:

Since you found the log for when your PC shut down, you can look for other logged events that are timestamped in the seconds right before the shutdown. But that can get quite tedious, and I agree with the above comment that "unexpected shutdown" pretty much rules out software causing it. It's got to be either temp issues or over/under voltage issues.

Here's a very rough guide on steps you can take to get to the root of the problem.
https://youtu.be/UHXbQ_kyebw?si=8RSTaMoLVAN-vcB-

Generally speaking though, you want to rule out temps first, then try swapping the power supply if temps seem fine. If PC still shuts off after power supply swap, then it's time to start swapping graphics card and/or RAM, and last resort, processor and/or motherboard.
The key is that you do only one thing at a time, then test running Satisfactory or a Benchmark that recreates the issue. If you change more than one thing at a time in your PC and the problem goes away, then you'll have no way of knowing which change fixed the problem. So change ONE thing, then test, and if problem persists, rinse & repeat.

I know that doesn't sound great, but that's where you're at without taking your PC to a repair tech, who would likely follow those steps as well.

GPU isn't worth swapping in this context.

GPU's are likely to either invoke a BSOD or overwhelm the PSU can't handle the output which may cause a shutdown - but that's not the GPU's fault.

Now the PCI-E bus lanes COULD cause something like that - but its a bit of a stretch. Those would cause BSOD's of some kind one would think.

RAM also isn't worth messing with - RAM is just storage and not really power centric - you either get BSOD's or you get a POST Error - neither of these would cause an abrupt shut down. (Shouldn't anyway)

That leaves the CPU/Motherboard/PSU.

CPU tho only marginally - but still - it may weigh in.

[CynicalFinch]

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

GPU isn't worth swapping in this context.

GPU's are likely to either invoke a BSOD or overwhelm the PSU can't handle the output which may cause a shutdown - but that's not the GPU's fault.

Now the PCI-E bus lanes COULD cause something like that - but its a bit of a stretch. Those would cause BSOD's of some kind one would think.

RAM also isn't worth messing with - RAM is just storage and not really power centric - you either get BSOD's or you get a POST Error - neither of these would cause an abrupt shut down. (Shouldn't anyway)

That leaves the CPU/Motherboard/PSU.

CPU tho only marginally - but still - it may weigh in.

Respectfully, this is objectively wrong. Every single port / connector on a motherboard is "power centric". Even usb ports. This is why matching a power supply to a PC based on wattage and efficiency rating is so important.

Hence, there is a specific order to trouble shooting power issues, one component at a time, starting with the power supply. Voltage is power, and power matters everywhere. Too much voltage = too much heat = shut down. Too little voltage = too little power draw = (sometimes) shut down. This goes for every component, including RAM & GPU.

[Kage Goomba]

Originally posted by CynicalFinch:

Originally posted by Kage Goomba:

GPU isn't worth swapping in this context.

GPU's are likely to either invoke a BSOD or overwhelm the PSU can't handle the output which may cause a shutdown - but that's not the GPU's fault.

Now the PCI-E bus lanes COULD cause something like that - but its a bit of a stretch. Those would cause BSOD's of some kind one would think.

RAM also isn't worth messing with - RAM is just storage and not really power centric - you either get BSOD's or you get a POST Error - neither of these would cause an abrupt shut down. (Shouldn't anyway)

That leaves the CPU/Motherboard/PSU.

CPU tho only marginally - but still - it may weigh in.

Respectfully, this is objectively wrong. Every single port / connector on a motherboard is "power centric". Even usb ports. This is why matching a power supply to a PC based on wattage and efficiency rating is so important.

Hence, there is a specific order to trouble shooting power issues, one component at a time, starting with the power supply. Voltage is power, and power matters everywhere. Too much voltage = too much heat = shut down. Too little voltage = too little power draw = (sometimes) shut down. This goes for every component, including RAM & GPU.

You can believe what you want - but facts are facts.

I suggest you read up on it.