Solved Computer surges when playing certain games such as Heroes of the Storm

[ProffesorPig]

My PC power surges when I play certain games such as Heroes of the Storm, Metro: Last Light, Planetary Annihilation and Saints Row: The Third (They're just examples, it also happens with many more games). However this doesn't happen with every game. When it surges my PC turns off and reboots to an 'American surge protection' or something like that. I think it has something to do with my power supply but I'm not completely sure and would like some help. If it is the power supply, can you suggest what power supply I would need to fix this problem?

Here are my PC specs:

Processor (CPU) Intel® Core™i5 Quad Core Processor i5-4570 (3.2GHz) 6MB Cache
Motherboard ASUS® H81M-E: Micro-ATX, LG1150, USB 3.0, SATA 6GBs
Memory (RAM) 4GB KINGSTON DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz (1 x 4GB)
Graphics Card 4GB NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 770 - 2 DVI, HDMI, DP - 3D Vision Ready
1st Hard Disk 2TB 3.5" SATA-III 6GB/s HDD 7200RPM 64MB CACHE
1st DVD/BLU-RAY Drive 24x DUAL LAYER DVD WRITER ±R/±RW/RAM
Power Supply CORSAIR 550W VS SERIES™ VS-550 POWER SUPPLY
Processor Cooling INTEL STANDARD CPU COOLER
Sound Card ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless/Wired Networking 10/100/1000 GIGABIT LAN PORT - AS STANDARD ON ALL PCs
Operating System Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64 Bit w/SP1

I'm not sure if I included everything I need to or if I put things in that I didn't need to but that's what I think I need to put on from my order sheet. Thank you

 

[CKWD]

Hello!

This does sound like it could be your PSU that's failing. It probably can't keep up as much.

Some ways to test it would be using a multimeter or you can purchase a power supply tester to perform an automatic PSU test.

If the PSU happens to be faulty, replace it immediately and never try to fix it yourself.

Good luck!

CK_WD

 

[TVeblen]

You have a good quality power supply and it would spec large enough to handle the GTX770 and the rest of your system.
That doesn't mean it couldn't be defective though. Testing with a multimeter as CKWD stated is a good idea anyway.

I am more curious about this error you are getting.

1. When you say your computer "surges", what do you mean? Do you hear the fans speed up, or is there something else that you see or hear that you are calling a surge?
2. "When it surges my PC turns off and reboots to an 'American surge protection' or something like that". This is curious - I've never heard of such a thing. Do you have a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) connected to your system? How about any power monitoring software or utilities?

 

[ProffesorPig]

Hello. Thank you both for replying.

I'll look into getting this power supply tester and I'll see what that says when I can get my hands on one.

When I say surges, I mean that the fan speeds up, getting louder and then my computer turns off, rebooting on a screen called 'American Megatrends'. This tells me exactly this: "Power supply surges detected during the previous power on. ASUS anti-surge was triggered to protect systen from unstable power supply unit."

Once I click F1 to continue, it takes me to another screen called the ASUS UEFI BIOS Utility - EZ mode.

 

[TVeblen]

That is not good. Definitely test that supply ASAP.

If you can't get your hands on a multimeter right away, you could bring the power supply (or the entire PC) to a repair shop and have them test it.

In the UEFI/BIOS there should be a tab for Monitoring (Advanced Mode). There you will find the voltage readings on the motherboard. Check those and report what it says.

 

[ProffesorPig]

Okay, I will do. Thank you a lot! I wouldn't have know what to do if it wasn't for you ^^

 

[Layback Bear]

Any thing that interrupts the power will case that effect.
A power short to ground or to power will cause your power supply to detect and shut you down.

A poor connection from the wall socket to the power supply could also cause this problem. Like a faulty extension cord or surge protector.
Not using the cord that came with the power supply can also do strange things. All power cords are not created equal.

From post #4

American Megatrends'. This tells me exactly this: "Power supply surges detected during the previous power on. ASUS anti-surge was triggered to protect systen from unstable power supply unit."

This can be a power supply just doing it's job when detecting a problem within itself or a problem any where in the system. Normally a power short to ground.