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effiejae's avatar
effiejae
Rising Veteran
2 years ago

TS4 Causes Computer to Restart

When playing The Sims 4 (and only TS4) my computer will randomly restart. I can't figure out the cause, I don't know if it's my PSU or if I need more RAM. If someone could help me figure it out, I would greatly appreciate it!

Computer specs:

Processor: Intel Core i7-10700F (4.8 GHz Turbo) (16-Thread) (8-Core) 2.9 GHz

Motherboard: ASUS / MSI / ASRock (Intel Chipset) 
System Memory: 16GB DDR4 Digital Storm Performance Series
Power Supply: 850W Digital Storm Performance Series (Modular) (80 Plus Gold)

Graphics Card(s): 1x GeForce RTX 3080 10GB

3 Replies

  • @naeshelle  A straight restart of the computer is most often a power supply issue, so yes, that's a distinct possibility.  But the PSU you have should be more than sufficient for your hardware.  It's possible the unit is faulty or not running properly, so please look at it and make sure the fan is spinning when the computer is on.  The fan also needs to be pointed towards a source of fresh air, not against a solid case wall.

    Additionally, if your house or apartment is older, please plug the computer into a different outlet, preferably through a surge protector, but you can leave that for later if you don't have one.  If you're already using a surge protector or power strip, test with a different one or with none at all.  Dirty power from the wall can mimic a PSU issue.

    If you're comfortable opening up the case, please also disconnect all the power cables, on both ends since the PSU is modular, blow out the connectors both ends) with compressed air, and reseat them.  While you're working inside the case, have a look at the motherboard as well.  You're looking for bulging capacitors—do a Google image search if you want examples—and anything that looks like a scorch mark.

    I don't see any BSODs listed in your dxdiag, which supports the idea that this is a hardware issue and not a Windows-initiated shutdown.  Still, please look for any associated crash dumps here:

    C:\Windows\Minidump

    If you see a file that corresponds with one of the restarts, please upload it to a free filesharing site (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.) and link it here.  I don't need older files though, just anything related to the current issue.

    The problem is definitely not that you have too little RAM.  At most, that would cause Sims 4 to crash without taking down the entire system, and 16 GB is enough memory anyway.  Defective RAM is another issue entirely, but it's much less likely to cause a restart than a problem with the power supply or motherboard.

  • effiejae's avatar
    effiejae
    Rising Veteran
    1 year ago

    @puzzlezaddict I wanted to let you know that I figured out what was going on. I did everything you recommended but I was still experiencing crashing. Turns out I had to cap the FPS in the NVIDIA Control Panel. The game was regularly getting upwards of 120 FPS & taking my entire system down with it. Ever since I figured out how to cap the FPS to 60, I haven't had any crashing! I also improved my system's cooling so I'm sure that contributed as well. Anyway, thank you for your help!! Just wanted to report back in case it could help anyone else. 

  • puzzlezaddict's avatar
    puzzlezaddict
    Hero+
    1 year ago

    @naeshelle  I'm glad that helped, but that's not a real solution, just a (likely temporary) workaround.  Setting an fps limit of 60 means your graphics card isn't working nearly as hard, which means it's drawing less power and generating less heat than before.  The processor will have a reduced workload as well.  So you're sidestepping any potential issues related to insufficient power or overheating, not fixing them.

    If you'd like more help, let me know.