Computer restarts after starting game

[RyanPigbelt]

Hey guys im having an issue where my computer keeps restarting when i try to play certain games.

 

My specs are as follows:

Graphics card: Zotac GTX 1080 mini

CPU: Intel-i7 4790k

COOLER: NOCTUA NH-D14

RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 4x4 GB

PSU: Not sure exactly but its 750W gold standard and modular

MOTHERBOARD: Asus Z97-a

 

So basically heres the story, i was enjoying my wonderful time sipping coffee and watching a youtube video when all of the sudden a fruit fly makes his way into my peripheral vision. My hunter killer instinct snapped in immediately so i decided to try to clap him out of the sky, it didn't work. I ended up knocking my coffee cup over and it spilled into my pc, everything was fine for the timebeing until around 10 seconds later my monitor shut off and my pc fans went to maximum.

 

I freaked out and turned my pc off immediately and began drying every single part in my computer inside out with cotton swabs very carefully. Some things to note that were affected the most. There was at least 5 seperate spots that i had to dry individually on the motherboard, When i lifted the graphics card out of my case it was dripping coffee everywhere, i dried/cleaned that card inside out to the best of my ability. There was a little bit of coffee on and around my ram *I don't believe these were damaged at all*

 

And post-hawk i do believe there was coffee that made its way into my old PSU. I say old PSU because when i tried to turn on my PC after i had dried everything it made electricity noises for a while and then made a loud explosion. I have a new 750W gold standard power supply installed, the one i had previously was only 600W so i dont think power output is the problem

 

So basically from my perspective here is how i process the situation, please let me know what you guys think is going on

"High risk of damage" parts:

GPU

MOTHERBOARD

 

"Low risk of damage" parts:

PSU (Very unlikely because its literally new to the system installed after the coffee spill, it was taken from another pc that worked perfectly fine)

RAM (Very unlikely)

 

If you would like any more information, or if i explained something stupidly lemme know and i will clarify.

 

 

 

[Blue4130]

The fact that it turns on a all is promising for the mobo and CPU. Simce it's only shutting down when gaming makes me think that the gpu is causing the problem. Do you have any old cards kicking around to try? 

[RyanPigbelt]

Other things to note: 

 

Earlier today my computer was restarting in the same way but not in relation to playing games and i found out the issue was the PSU had limited airflow. I flipped the PSU so the fan could get better airflow and now it usually only restarts when playing games

[RyanPigbelt]

1 minute ago, Blue4130 said:

The fact that it turns on a all is promising for the mobo and CPU. Simce it's only shutting down when gaming makes me think that the gpu is causing the problem. Do you have any old cards kicking around to try? 

I think i might have an old 750ti i can try out, ill give it a shot and let you know

[Blue4130]

3 minutes ago, RyanPigbelt said:

I think i might have an old 750ti i can try out, ill give it a shot and let you know

Something else to consider, you should clean up the coffee (and cream/sugar?) with isopropyl alcohol. Impurities cause the issues, make it sparkle.

[Mark Kaine]

30 minutes ago, RyanPigbelt said:

My specs are as follows:

Graphics card: Zotac GTX 1080 mini

CPU: Intel-i7 4790k

COOLER: NOCTUA NH-D14

RAM: 16GB Corsair Vengeance 4x4 GB

PSU: Not sure exactly but its 750W gold standard and modular

MOTHERBOARD: Asus Z97-a

 

So basically heres the story, i was enjoying my wonderful time sipping coffee and watching a youtube video when all of the sudden a fruit fly makes his way into my peripheral vision. My hunter killer instinct snapped in immediately so i decided to try to clap him out of the sky, it didn't work. I ended up knocking my coffee cup over and it spilled into my pc

Wouldn't have happened if you had a PC case! Also I wonder if this is the first fruit fly to destroy a PC,  what an heroic animal this must have been (although not a techie obviously)   

 

Spoiler

I'm sorry!  It's just such a hilarious / funny mishap... I hope you can still fix your PC up somehow! 

 

 

But 

 

18 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

you should clean up the coffee (and cream/sugar?) with isopropyl

 ^this is extremely important... 

 

You shouldn't even turn the PC on at all before you first unplugged it and cleaned *every* part including the GPU very thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol and also let everything dry with good ventilation for several days to make sure any moisture hopefully evaporated before turning the PC on again... 

 

Yes the fact it still turns on right now is a good sign but if you don't act properly now, using the PC in its current state can only make it worse imo... 

 

 

[RyanPigbelt]

15 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

Something else to consider, you should clean up the coffee (and cream/sugar?) with isopropyl alcohol. Impurities cause the issues, make it sparkle.

Yeah man i did exactly that but thank u for the tip either way

[RyanPigbelt]

1 minute ago, Mark Kaine said:

Wouldn't have happened if you had a PC case! Also I wonder if this is the first fruit fly to destroy a PC,  what an heroic animal this must have been (although not a techie obviously)   

 

  Reveal hidden contents

I'm sorry!  It's just such a hilarious / funny mishap... I hope you can still fix your PC up somehow! 

 

 

But 

 

 ^this is extremely important... 

 

You shouldn't even turn the PC on at all before you first unplugged it and cleaned *every* part very thoroughly with isopropyl alcohol and also let everything dry for several days to make sure any moisture evaporated before turning the PC on again... 

 

Yes the fact it still turns on right now is a good sign but if you don't act properly now, using the PC in its current state can only make it worse imo... 

 

 

Yeah man i was as thorough as i possibly could be, but i didn't wait days, I took apart my graphics card and made sure everything was as clean as possible and dry, and the motherboard was easy to make sure it was clean and dry

[RyanPigbelt]

25 minutes ago, Blue4130 said:

The fact that it turns on a all is promising for the mobo and CPU. Simce it's only shutting down when gaming makes me think that the gpu is causing the problem. Do you have any old cards kicking around to try? 

Yo so, weird thing happened, i plugged in my old 750ti, and my computer was restarting as soon as it got to the login screen, is this normal? I'm back on the 1080 rn and everything is as it was when i made this post

[RyanPigbelt]

Wowee my computer just restarted with the 1080 in it as soon as i finished all my replies in here, i guess its not just games

[Mark Kaine]

7 minutes ago, RyanPigbelt said:

Yo so, weird thing happened, i plugged in my old 750ti, and my computer was restarting as soon as it got to the login screen, is this normal? I'm back on the 1080 rn and everything is as it was when i made this post

There might still be some moisture in some parts... 

 

Like I said,  turning the PC on right now is about the worst thing you could do, sorry. 

 

 

I would honestly open it up / dissemble it so it gets good ventilation (you do a have a case do??) for a couple of days - that's how long it normally takes for any moisture to *hopefully* evaporate.

 

And ok you cleaned it, but did you use isopropyl (at least 90%)?  That would be actually recommendable otherwise,  at least the parts you know where the coffee spilled. 

[RyanPigbelt]

Yeah that's probably a good tip lmao, my PSU could have benefited from that if i was safe enough

[RyanPigbelt]

So its definitely not a heat issue, i was monitoring my heat with HWINFO while i launched the games earlier, and plus i was able to play classic wow for a couple hours earlier today no problem, and my pc was on for like 7 hours without interruption. I'm super confused if this is a mobo issue or a gfx card issue or maybe somehow my new PSU is messed up somehow

[SpikeSpiegel]

6 minutes ago, RyanPigbelt said:

Yeah that's probably a good tip lmao, my PSU could have benefited from that if i was safe enough

I would recommend in the future get one of those Double-Wall, Vacuum-Sealed Stainless Steel Tumbler with a lock in lid for your coffee and drinks.  So if it spills again.  You won't have the same problem again. 

 

I accidentally spilled water on my Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 keyboard twice in a row within a week.  And I manage to save it by using a bath towel and using a box fan.

 

As for your PC....That sucks  

[Arika]

could be bad RAM. start with 1 stick and move your way up adding a new stick each time.

[Mantabase]

Well, you need to look close.

 

Coffee is actually not that big of deal unless you had sugar in it.  Sugar?  Then you have a problem.  The dried residue can cause shorts (yeah....I know you know).  You have to clean it off.  If the PSU in it is the one that made the noise - pull it.  If you smelt anything - not a good sign.

 

Basically, to me, you are at the point of considering everything suspect.  So, test what you can on a "tree".  Start at the bottom, and move up.  PSU first.  Then MB/CPU.  Then RAM, then GPU...etc...  Just my advice - probably wrong.

 

On another note, Happy new year and any excuse to buy new hardware is ...well.....an excuse to buy new hardware!

[RyanPigbelt]

5 minutes ago, Mantabase said:

Well, you need to look close.

 

Coffee is actually not that big of deal unless you had sugar in it.  Sugar?  Then you have a problem.  The dried residue can cause shorts (yeah....I know you know).  You have to clean it off.  If the PSU in it is the one that made the noise - pull it.  If you smelt anything - not a good sign.

 

Basically, to me, you are at the point of considering everything suspect.  So, test what you can on a "tree".  Start at the bottom, and move up.  PSU first.  Then MB/CPU.  Then RAM, then GPU...etc...  Just my advice - probably wrong.

 

On another note, Happy new year and any excuse to buy new hardware is ...well.....an excuse to buy new hardware!

This coffee was just like 90% coffee 10% milk, so i think we should be good unless the milk/coffee had sugar as an additive

[RyanPigbelt]

8 minutes ago, CalintzJerevinan said:

I would recommend in the future get one of those Double-Wall, Vacuum-Sealed Stainless Steel Tumbler with a lock in lid for your coffee and drinks.  So if it spills again.  You won't have the same problem again. 

 

I accidentally spilled water on my Razer Blackwidow Ultimate 2013 keyboard twice in a row within a week.  And I manage to save it by using a bath towel and using a box fan.

 

As for your PC....That sucks  

that would be worth every penny, ima put my drinks in a sippy cup

[Crunchy Dragon]

-Moved to Troubleshooting-

[SpikeSpiegel]

2 minutes ago, RyanPigbelt said:

that would be worth every penny, ima put my drinks in a sippy cup

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Ozark-Trail-30-Ounce-Double-Wall-Vacuum-Sealed-Stainless-Steel-Tumbler/171452737 - $8.74 and it's works well.  It's the fake version of the Yeti Tumblers.  But it's works well.  I had mine since 2017 and still keeps my drinks hot and cold.

[RyanPigbelt]

alright i removed 3 out of 4 ram sticks. I also probably should have noted, 1-2 of the ram sticks are constantly under pressure due to the poor motherboard layout and the fact that my cooler is massive. But this wasn't an issue in the past, and my computer used to run perfectly fine

[RyanPigbelt]

So it restarted on its own with the 3 out of 4, im now using a different ram stick

[RyanPigbelt]

Idk why its restarting now automatically without a game being played

[SpookyCitrus]

First of all stop trying to turn it on and use it!

For future reference if you have the desk space, keeping the PC on it is much better than on the floor, not only for dust and airflow but to prevent things like this from happening.

As for your issue the best thing is/would've been to take the computer apart, clean, and let dry for a few DAYS not hours or minutes. I deal with this a lot in my line of work (Computer Technician) on a daily basis. Spilled coffee or soda on laptops and desktops is one of the more common accidents that happen. You said you heard an electric crackle when turning it back on for the first time, that's not good... more than likely something that was still wet bridged two circuits together and fried something. The GPU in a desktop that has had something spilled into it is usually worse off than any component, I would take it out and if it has one remove the back plate, clean with swabs and isopropyl alcohol and if you know how, remove the cooler and check the entire PCB for black or burned contacts and any other coffee residue, leave apart and let dry after cleaning for AT LEAST 24 hours, re-paste and re-assemble it, if possible test in another computer, if it has any issues send it in for RMA saying that it just doesn't work, if there is any signs of liquid damage or coffee on it then it will most likely be sent back and not covered under warranty. As for the motherboard do the same thing clean again with isopropyl alcohol and let dry for AT LEAST 24 hours(preferably a few days for both). If again the issue still persists do the same thing remove the CPU, SSD, Ram anything that doesn't come with the motherboard and send it in for RMA(same thing if any liquid damage is noticed, more than likely it will not be covered). If they can be RMA'd great, if they can't buy new ones. Using compromised components especially liquid damaged components is a huge mistake that could cause more to go bad or be killed by electrical damage. 

[RyanPigbelt]

5 minutes ago, SpookyCitrus said:

First of all stop trying to turn it on and use it!

For future reference if you have the desk space, keeping the PC on it is much better than on the floor, not only for dust and airflow but to prevent things like this from happening.

As for your issue the best thing is/would've been to take the computer apart, clean, and let dry for a few DAYS not hours or minutes. I deal with this a lot in my line of work (Computer Technician) on a daily basis. Spilled coffee or soda on laptops and desktops is one of the more common accidents that happen. You said you heard an electric crackle when turning it back on for the first time, that's not good... more than likely something that was still wet bridged two circuits together and fried something. The GPU in a desktop that has had something spilled into it is usually worse off than any component, I would take it out and if it has one remove the back plate, clean with swabs and isopropyl alcohol and if you know how, remove the cooler and check the entire PCB for black or burned contacts and any other coffee residue, leave apart and let dry after cleaning for AT LEAST 24 hours, re-paste and re-assemble it, if possible test in another computer, if it has any issues send it in for RMA saying that it just doesn't work, if there is any signs of liquid damage or coffee on it then it will most likely be sent back and not covered under warranty. As for the motherboard do the same thing clean again with isopropyl alcohol and let dry for AT LEAST 24 hours(preferably a few days for both). If again the issue still persists do the same thing remove the CPU, SSD, Ram anything that doesn't come with the motherboard and send it in for RMA(same thing if any liquid damage is noticed, more than likely it will not be covered). If they can be RMA'd great, if they can't buy new ones. Using compromised components especially liquid damaged components is a huge mistake that could cause more to go bad or be killed by electrical damage. 

Yeah i cleaned the GPU inside and out like i said i took that thing apart and had to repaste it and everything. The coffee spill was early yesterday so its been over 24 hours if that helps, I remember there being some coffee that got between the ram slots and it was really hard to reach.

 

do you know if there are any exposed electrical components between ram slots that could potentially get damaged by liquid on the Z97-a ?

 

I'm going to test a game right after this post, but my computer appears to be lasting a whole lot longer now that i only have one ram stick in, and in a different slot