The adrenaline of gaming enthusiasts will keep up the gamers all night but the common problems that might come in the PC will likewise keep up the gamers all night—the maintenance, as like other electronics or instrument, the gaming pc to require it. However, it is common for gaming pc to face certain problems in operativity. The mega gaming components perform heavy-duty functions and carelessness in any manner, even to a small extent can cause this. Now, studying these common problems will help you deal with them as well.
Table of Contents
What are Main Problems Faced by Gaming PC
A PC itself is a complex, high-performance working machine, and the gaming ones are specially made upper level from the ordinary ones. The load on the models, is much greater, the culprit that can face commonly are;
Computer Doesn’t Turn On
The certain error of a PC doesn’t turn on may have many causes;
PC Doesn’t Get Any Power
The computer not receiving any power might be the cause behind the problem that it is not turning on. First, check the power source, whether it’s supply. If the source is okay, check the power cord whether it is receiving electric power from the source—afterward, if the power cord is working, then, make sure, the power button is working.
PSU (Power Supply Unit) isn’t Working
Making sure of that your pc is receiving power, but still, it is not turning on—then, the culprit is not related to external hardware. The chances are PSU might be facing some issues, that need resolving;
- Check the power cord connection to the PSU
- The power switch of PSU is turned “On”
Most of the time, the gaming PCs turn on, after double-checking the power cord, because this is most of the time, the main culprit—still, if it doesn’t, then the power supply unit is the problem itself.
Changing a PSU: As it would be confirmed that the PSU is faulty, it needs changing now. Search out the relevant PSU according to your PC, replace it.
How to Replace a PSU?
After getting the right model for your PC, for a mid-range PC, there are about 3-4 connections to keep track of. There’s a large 24-pin connection that is linked to the motherboard, an 8-pin connector for the CPU and others are SATA connectors. Connect these connectors and run the PC. The connectors in a dead level gaming pc are more than that, the graphic also requires power connections, thus, watch for a 6-pin PCI-E connector as well.
Computer Doesn’t Boot
The problem this time, your pc is turning on but doesn’t boot. This time, it is not PSU or the power source, but the internal hardware or might be because of software. The sort of problems depends on the error;
The Monitor isn’t Turning On
When you turn on the PC, and the monitor does not put in the display but the PC is working then the culprit is the monitor. Check whether the keyboard and other attached devices are operational, if they are working as regular, then, change the monitor and check again.
The Monitor Isn’t Faulty
If the monitor is giving in the display but the PC is failing to run, then one needs to find out what is causing to fail the POST (Power on Self-Test) protocol. Any major component of the PC facing failure might have been causing the whole PC to stop working, now, the question pops up “how to check the PC’s components?”
How to Check the PC components?
This is possible by having a certain spare PC with at least minimum compatibility stature with the current one. Test the components by swapping them in order (knowing that the other one is completely operational). Check these first;
- RAM
- Motherboard
- Hard drive
- Processor
Even if any of the certain components is not operational, changing them will help to get the PC operational. The main concern here is the model you should, e.g., if it is an external hard drive for gaming pc, go for the one that has durable quality feedback.
The Ram is Culprit; Replacing them
If you have run through a POST Failure, then, the problem is because of the RAM module. They are plugged into the motherboard, deal with them as;
- Remove all of them (if there are more than one)
- Plugin one (at one time)
- Run the PC
- Check whether it is operational or not
- If the PC works, turn it off and replace the RAM
- If it doesn’t work this time, the relevant RAM is the culprit
- Repeat this process for every RAM
The motherboard is the Culprit
If all the other components are working on the spare PC but not on the problematic one, then the motherboard itself is facing faults. Thus;
- Clean the motherboard with the cleaning solvent.
- Let it get dry.
- Check it again.
- If it still doesn’t work, change the motherboard.
Whilst the replacement, make sure to get the gaming motherboard in quality range for robust performance.
Computer Keeps Shutting Down
If you were about to place that mind-blowing position in the competition in your game and right at the moment before the decision has just being made, your ultimate gaming PC just drops working, it shuts down booyah! this would be the time, where one questions the existing life. Now, that culprit might because of some reasons;
Getting Heated Up
Most of the time PCs are designed to tolerate the heat to some extent, but as the limit exceeds, they automatically trip off the power or shuts down. They detect the abnormally high temperature, thus, to avoid the PC’s components, burning up or damage, they shut down the unit.
Fans are Not Working
If the gamer was an average one and doesn’t like to do tricky stuff as put some obstacles unknowingly that could block airflow from the fans—then it won’t be surprising that the cooling fans may not be working. There can be reasons behind that; it would because the motor might have burnt out or there is some damage done.
How to Treat Non-Operational Fans?
You can try;
- Dust Cleaning: Most of the certain times, the debris or dust builds on the internal structure of the PC, over the fans, which could possibly block the airflow.
- Check the Connector: if you have turned on the PC and spotted that the fan isn’t working at all, then check the connector to it.
- Replace the Fan: If the connector is operational, there is a power connection to the fan, then there might be some damage, replace the fan and check again.
Fans are Operational but Still, the PC Heats Up
If the fans are working properly, and there wasn’t an issue, but the PC keeps shutting down periodically then the culprit might not be those—the heating up would be because your previous thermal paste is overdue now.
How to Apply Thermal Paste?
Applying thermal paste will help the PC to cope with the unnecessary shutting down as it won’t let the PC shut down occasionally. The right way to do that;
- Get a quality tube of thermal paste.
- Remove the heat sink from the CPU.
- Rub off the leftover/overdue thermal paste using a soft non linted fabric—drop small amount of rubbing alcohol.
- Let the rubbing alcohol dry, usually take 4 to 5 seconds.
- Apply fresh thermal paste directly on to the top of processor (CPU chip).
- With the applied paste, reseat the heat sink and settle it properly.
- Screw in the heat sink and check whether it has solved the problem.
Monitor Turns Off but PC Stays Operational
If you turn on the PC and it operates normally but, in the way, the monitor drops the display on the same side, the pc stays operational then there can be sorts of the culprit. This problem is not as common as others but still can be a pain in the gaming seat. To score this problem out;
Check the GPU
The graphic processing unit might be the concern behind this, remove the graphic card. As most the monitors have onboard graphic chips, so after the removal of the dedicated graphics, check the monitor, if the monitor doesn’t launch the display properly, then the problem is with the PSU.
Check the PSU
If the error of display keeps bugging in, then the problem is not with the GPU but related to the power supply. It may be trying to supply power to too many dedicated peripherals. Remove all the connections to the SATA powering (hard drive, optical drive, etc.) just leave the basic ones and check whether the system is turning on.
Still the Error?
After all these, alternations, if the error keeps coming then replace the power supply as per the procedure described above. Checking the unit with the spare PC will help to know the problem much efficiently.
Data Source
- https://www.computerhope.com/jargon/e/error.htm#:~:text=An%20error%20describes%20any%20issue,software%20errors%20or%20hardware%20errors.&text=Computer%20error%20messages.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Computer_errors
- https://cliffyb.com/how-to-fix-pc-freezes/#:~:text=It’s%20possible%20that%20you%20might,and%20overall%20quality%20a%20bit.&text=It%20also%20goes%20without%20saying,hard%20freezes%20when%20playing%20games.
- https://www.drivereasy.com/knowledge/fix-computer-freezes-when-playing-games-easily/