I have been experiencing whole pc shut downs recently. While checking the forum posts, i could note that all of them relate to PSUs; however, i was not experiencing this issue since I got my pc (1 year ago).
Here are my specs:
CPU: Ryzen 5 3600
Ram: Corsair LPX 2 x 8GB, 3200 Mhz
Motherboard: B450 Aorus ITX
GPU: GTX 1080 G1 gaming
HDD: 1TB Seagate Baracuda
SSD: Crucial 256 GB BX500
Fans: 1 x Arctic P12, 1 x Arctic F8
PSU: 550W Thermaltake powerlite
VR: Quest 2
I spent some time tweaking the system and it works fine - no stutters.
I used pc part picker to estimate the power and it comes to 344W
During the game i monitor the power usage and could only obtain from the GPU (220W) and CPU (46W)
I never used to experience this problem and it started quite recently. I haven’t checked the connections properly, will do so and reseat them well. I am also worried about bad sectors, data corruption and other failures due to this sudden shutdown.
I used to fly GA in the UK (worked fine), now I am in Sweden and there are a lot more trees in the scenery. I don’t know whether this is a contributor.
As for a new PSU, I would like to explore all avenues (including undervolting my GPU/ CPU) before buying a new one. I could see some posts where this phenomenon also occured on 1000W PSUs.
Either my PSU is largely ineffficient and falls below 50% - which could explain that it operates on the margin with the system requirement and trips when there is a spike or that the game has an issue which needs fixing…or both…or something else. !
I have had the same happen to me - only since the last update. Googling leads me to possible faulty PSU also. But as it only happens during running of MSFS, I’m going to wait until the next update to see if the issue goes away.
But a year ago you was already running MSFS? You already had VR? The shutdown only occurs when playing msfs or other games too?
Did you overclock anything?
Anything in background, like miners for bitcoin?
Do you think you have enought airflow?
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Try to underclock the GPU a little.
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An actual PC hardware shutdown during any operation generally indicates a hardware issue.
While your calculation and observation indicate that your components only require “X” power the very fact that it’s shutting itself off does make it look like a PSU issue.
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Thanks everyone. Yes, most likely the PSU tripped, but this protection was triggered by a spike.
I ran some test scenarios this morning and used the same route with and without VR.
without VR, the power draw on the GPU was around 200 W (max)
with VR, the power draw was about 215 W. (I need to mention that the Quest 2 uses the USB port which itself charges the headset - will need to test through airlink)
In both cases, the GPU power fluctuates between 136 and 180 W with occasional spikes (but less than 210 W). I noticed that when I was near the ground, the average power draw was higher; it was drawing between 143 and 211 W.
Then near to land, i saw 215 W. It could be that there was still a thin margin, but a sudden spike would take it down.
I am not sure what changed lately - Could be ageing (PSU is 1 year old) and I play only during weekends.
Definitely, will try to undervolt the GPU a bit to see the effect. Will post the results here.
Ultimate solution will be getting a new PSU, I was anyway eyeing a new GPU - but don’t know when that’ll happen !
It could also be thermal issue as well right? I have 750W PSU, and I’ve been getting shutdown like this even when my PC was all brand new. At the time, I was building a small form factor PC, so I use mini-ITX motherboard in a compact case, and all my hardware are running at stock speed.
Usually what happens before a shutdown was a high increase in RPM on all my fans (CPU, Case, GPU) to full power, then suddenly the power just cuts then reboots. It always happens on most games I play. And everytime it does, my PC case is boiling hot…
Then since I got so fed up with it, I bought a larger case, and slapped every hole with a fan, so that it has a larger room to breathe and airflow that goes through all the components.
I have to say that I’m getting shutdowns a lot less frequently. I still get them from time to time, but only from very high-demanding AAA games running at Max settings at 4K. Even so, it only happens from time to time. And this is coming from the exact same hardware, same PSU, same everything. I only upgrade my CPU cooler and fill up the case with case fans and proper airflow. And I’m getting less shutdowns like these.
MSFS isn’t an exception. This is a very demanding app after all. Usually what I use is to underclock the GPU only by around -300 MHz, that usually stabilise my system, even if I’m losing a few FPS.
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I see you in literally every hardware related thread giving some ill-informed advice. Then it turns out your own system is probably one of the most unstable and underperforming on this forum. Check the paste on your gpu.
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I’m just saying about my experience That doesn’t mean it’s an advice for other people to follow. It’s just about adding context. Just because I have to do things a certain way myself that doesn’t mean other people should do the same. Same thing that I don’t really take advice at a face value from other people that does their own thing.
Each of us have different systems and different use in our PCs. It’s merely about adding context. The decision on what you should do is entirely your decision and shouldn’t be influenced by anyone else.
Maybe my i9-9900K, and RTX 2080 Ti is the most unstable and underperforming in this forum. My hardware is 3-years old anyway. But I don’t think I’m comfortable enough to open up my GPU to check the paste. It’s an Inno3D brand… the cheapest RTX 2080 Ti that was available at the time. (actually it was the only RTX 2080 Ti available at the time). And this was a second unit after I return the first unit from seeing green pixels flickering on the screen after 9 months of use then failing at the end refusing to even boot.
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Press and hold “WINDOWS” key and then press R key.
Type
sysdm.cpl
and click ok or press Enter
Go to “advanced tab”.
Under “startup and recovery” click settings.
Uncheck “automatically restart”
Click ok > ok > ok.
Update motherboard BIOS and for testing purpose reset to default setings.
Remember that OC is exciting but dangerous so reset to default settings: CPU, RAM, GPU.
Also update your VR firmware to latest version.
edit
Also update GPU BIOS.
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it is often the PSU, but it can have also different reasons ( there is other hardware in your PC ).
But most common is the PSU. In generall there are huge differences in PSU quality and enginering and the value of 550W say not much.
More important are this values from manual:
I would assume it should works with that PSU, but it is border-line for me. And a PSU can also be faulty or we had some cases where the cables are lose 
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Thanks a lot. I have spent the whole day re-doing the cable management. Will try and re-run the sim again tonight and let you know.
then I’ll move down the software route. If everything fails, then I’ll get a new PSU.
As I am typing, everything is pretty stable. I’ll see when I stress the system.
By the way, I have an ITX system and the HDD/ SDD temps are about 40. But the GPU is about 77 Deg with 100% load in MSFS.
Your CPU has a tdp of 65w not 46 … just sayin.
Although 550w PSU should be ample much depends on the quality and age because today’s 7 and 8nm chips can be very finicky about spikes. If you’re ever passing Nuremberg I have a practically brand new 550w gold psu I would happily let you have gratis.
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I also had this problem. i looked in the device manager. in the usb bus controllers i had a device in anomaly. i deactivated the driver of this device (because impossible to update it), and i restarted fs2020 and the computer does not shut down.
excuse me for my english (traduit par deepl)
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Thanks everyone, after unplugging all power cords and re-seating them well.
I also changed the connector for the GPU (the harness had 2 connectors and I swapped them).
I did a few tests… No shut downs !
2D flight was solid as from the morning.
VR flight was spiking more than the morning but did not shut down pc.
The GPU does have a high variation in power consumption - there are several spikes during the gameplay.
I made these 2 screenshots to provide an idea of the power/ load on the CPU and GPU. GPU being the highest power consumer in the PC.
I hope my pc does not shut down, then it is another headache to troubleshoot it. And I also hope that this thread helps fellow simmers.
Thank you everyone.
Thanks a lot, really appreciate the gesture - But I won’t need it for now - you rightly mentioned it, the PSU was not the issue (so far).
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Thanks Neo, I realised that using ITX means that we need to have sharp bends on cables and they can even pull the connectors unnecessarily. Looks like loosening the cables worked this time.
I also ripped all the filters off my grills to improve the airflow. The filters were kind of useless, but did affect airflow and temps !
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I’ve only had this particular problem with modular … one last tighten on that cable tie and pop out she comes and it seems always to be at the back where you can’t actually see it - and as in your case is even more infuriating/puzzling when the PC and gpu still actually run.
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I have changed the PSU but still having shut down. Mostly on takeoff or landing. Still not able to find the issue…
Complete shutdowns are usually caused by hardware problems and there’s a lot to choose from but occasionally spike protection in bios is just too sensitive especially with todays high powered gpu’s that probably weren’t even tested on some of the first revision mainboards around. Usually a bios update would address this so check that you aren’t still on the same ones that came originally installed. MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU ARE DOING BEFORE FLASHING NEW BIOS, if you are not too sure then get help from a techie.
In a way I am afflicted but in my case it’s the rcd on my house wiring that trips when I switch on my PC’s rear switch. To make things even more baffling this only happens if my monitor is plugged into the gpu and remember this is before the PC is even switched on at the front. It’s a 16 amp rcd and apart from my PC there’s hardly any load on it so zero chance of overload.
