Game starts and PC reboots

Hi,

Got a problem with my pc. I recently made the move from Vista Home Premium 32-bit to Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit and upgraded my graphics card from the onboard one.

Here are my system specs:

HP Pavilion Elite m9242.ch
QuadCore Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600, 2.4GHz
Asus IPIBL.LB (Benicia) Motherboard
4GB DDR2-80 RAM
ATI Radeon HD 4890
Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium, 64-bit

All drivers are up to date...checked that a million times. I reinstalled Windows 7, reinstalled graphics cards drivers clean.

What happens is that my PC suddenly reboots as soon as a game like COD World at War is started. No BSOD, even when set to not reboot automatically, no error message and error log just tells me the pc was shut down unexpectedly. The game seems to run in safe mode.

Funny thing is it reboots when I try to run a Windows Experience Index assessment. The PC has also rebooted while idling once or twice.

Hope this is enough information to get you started.

Thanks and happy new year. :)

EDIT: Can't find the minidump in my Windows folder.

I tend to go with an overheating problem, either CPU or GPU or maybe the power supply is having problems. You might want to check the GPU or CPU temps while it's under load.

If temps are normal...

What kind of power supply are you running?
Do you have both 6pin PCI-E power cables connected to the 4890?


Most hardware/driver problems give a error or generate a BSOD.

I have found that many times Windows simply rebooting with no errors at all points to a PSU issue.

if you are using the same Power Supply that came with your HP, theres a good possibility its struggling to power that 4890.

Opened up the pc today to take a look at the PSU. 300W. Not enough, I'm sure. The 4890 is about as big as the pc itsself.

Pariah said:

Opened up the pc today to take a look at the PSU. 300W. Not enough, I'm sure. The 4890 is about as big as the pc itsself.

This is most certainly the issue IMO.

The 4890s reccommended req:
MIN. 500W power supply with x2 75W PCI-E power connectors.

While the wattage itself is a rough estimate: I would guess that you'd need a bare minimum of a 35A-40A on the 12V rail ..
Your current 300W is most likely 20Amps or less (give or take)