5 Reasons Why Computer Turns Off By Itself And How To Fix It

Common Cause (Symptom)

Sometimes when we are working in front of a computer, the computer suddenly turns off, even though no one presses the power button and the electricity is still connected.

Your unsaved work just disappeared, its frustrating. This must have ever happened to any person. And you're not the only one who has experienced this. Sadly, this problem occured to most of computer.

For users who are still new to computer problems, of course this sometimes can causing panic.

But don't worry, you can actually fix it yourself and it's certainly cheaper because you don't have to worry about taking it to a computer technician if you know what the problem is.

Why did it happen?

Basically, computers has been designed in such a way (from the factory) that can turn itself off. The purpose is to prevent problematic components not causing any further damage.

Imagine if there is a heat problem in your computer but the sensors inside doesn't work. Computer doesn't turn itself off and catches fire, your house or office is getting risk of fire hazard.

Overheating Processor

Display PC health status in BIOS

Processor produces most heat among other components. If processor is too hot, computer automatically shuts itself down.

Normal processor temperature basically about 45 degrees Celsius. However, for gaming computers that have a special heatsink, the normal temperature can vary around 70 degrees Celsius.

The easiest way to check without opening the computer case is to look at the temperature in the BIOS.

To access the BIOS menu you can press the "DEL" or "F12" key just after you press the "POWER" button when you turn on the computer.

In the BIOS menu there is a computer health monitor that you can access by looking for the "PC HEALTH STATUS" menu.

Common Overheat Solution

Intel CPU heatsink (left) and AMD CPU heatsink (right)

you might to check the CPU fan directly inside the computer.

Older laptops have higher risk to overheating, and to deal with laptops that often turn off by themselves is by replacing the thermal paste on the processor.

Memory (RAM) problem

"Blue Screen" error on Windows 7 (left) and Windows 10 (right)

When there is a problem with RAM, it will generally be preceded by a Blue Screen

Usually this problem arises when the processor reads the memory incorrectly (memory faulty) so that the ongoing process will be stopped. The computer turns off or restarts.

In some cases, memory problems will be indicated by a long beep when turning on the computer

This problem can be caused by dirty memory due to the amount of dust in the computer so that the connection to the RAM chip will be disrupted.

Solution for RAM Problem!

Memory installed on the motherboard

Solution is to clean the dust inside the computer and with a trick to clean the copper brass in RAM with a pencil eraser.

If the problem still persists after cleaning, you will also need to move the memory to another available free slot.

Power supply problem

computer power supply

Power supply is component to supply electricity to the motherboard. If the electrical output is less stable, the computer can also turn itself off.

This can caused by existing power supply components are so old that the capacitors in the power supply cannot store electricity properly.

Power supply is equipped with a fan, sometimes this fan died so that the power supply gets too hot and causes the power supply to be interrupted.

The way to check without opening computer case is to feel air pressure behind the computer.

If there is a warm wind blowing from power supply then fan is in normal condition.

Overheating Motherboard/Chipset

Chipset (on the motherboard) have a cooling heatsink installed

Motherboard is the main board that acts as the main component of the computer. On motherboard processor and memory are placed.

Chipset is a component soldered on the motherboard. Chipset serves as a device that regulates the communication of input and output devices with one another.

A normal motherboard / chipset heat is usually below 50 degrees Celsius.

The heat on the chipset can also be observed (on the heatsink mounted on it) by sticking your index finger and feel if it cool/warm.

Cooling fan broken

Case fan inside a computer

In general, computers are equipped with cooling fans. Sometimes a fan died so that the air circulation inside computer becomes blocked.

Therefore, it is necessary to carry out periodic checks.

To clean dust in the computer, it's easier by using an air blower or it can be cleaned with a soft brush.

Pay attention if you hear a noisy fan. It can be a sign that a fan lubricant has decreased, thus is approaching it's end of life. To maintain it you can use additional lubricant on it.

Conclusions and Suggestions

• Excessive heat can cause the computer to turn itself off, so it is necessary to take care of the computer to prevent overheating.
• Good computer maintenance is to regularly clean the dust in the computer every 3 months (or less)

Hopefully this article can help you to figure out the cause computer often turning itself off.

If you have questions and suggestions, please write them down in the comments. And don't forget to share if you find this article useful. Thanks for reading!