My pc randomly shuts down but only when im playing a game from steam

General Help
1

my pc randomly shuts down but only when im playing a game from steam what do i do

2

This may be an overheating issue.

You might try running psensor

sudo apt install lm-sensors psensor

And open the window to let it run while using a Steam Game. Monitor your temps.

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3

Is it a laptop or desktop computer?

Either way, it's most likely an overheating issue. A good vacuuming of the heat sink and fans, and using pipe cleaners to clean out the spaces between the heat sink fins, is likely called for if you've never done that before.

Three caveats:

  1. Unplug the computer before doing any work on it. If it's got a removable battery, remove it.

  2. When using the vacuum, be sure to remain grounded (some vacuums build up a static charge as they pull air in... keep one hand on the vacuum nozzle, and one hand on the metal chassis of the computer to bleed off the charge).

  3. When vacuuming the fans, do not over-rev the fans... spinning them too fast via the vacuum can damage the bearings. I find using the bristle-brush vacuum attachment, along with a pipe cleaner, gets the fan blades pretty clean... be sure to do both sides of the fan blades.

3 Likes
5

see i doubt that because if i play a game thats harder to run and get the temp higher on lutris it doesnt shut down and if i watch anime for 6+ hours to the point the back is scorching hot like way more than the game nothing happens

6

I see your logic but this just makes me say:

Why are you running your notebook that hot?!

Well, overheating or failing power supply are the two likeliest culprits. Please follow up with @catlikehana 's post.

7

what is the command?

8

hopefully nothing is failing that would cost money

9

what is the command for specs pls

10

Installing lm-sensors from above can show this information.

You could try

dmidecode -t chassis

or

dmidecode --type-39

but I only ever got generic responses from those because the hardware manufacturers never input the information...

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11

yeah everything doesn't make sense so what do i do

12

dmidecode -t chassis
gave me this dmidecode 3.2
Getting SMBIOS data from sysfs.
SMBIOS 2.7 present.

Handle 0x0003, DMI type 3, 23 bytes
Chassis Information
Manufacturer: LENOVO
Type: Notebook
Lock: Not Present
Version: Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro
Serial Number: YB07627788
Asset Tag: No Asset Tag
Boot-up State: Safe
Power Supply State: Safe
Thermal State: Safe
Security Status: None
OEM Information: 0x00000000
Height: Unspecified
Number Of Power Cords: 1
Contained Elements: 0
SKU Number: Not Specified

13

This kinda proves that you have an overheating issue :thinking:

Just clean the PC, even if it doesn't fix this problem you'll extend the life of your hardware anyway.

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14

i clean it daily

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15

Doubt it.

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16

i truly do at the same time each day

18

since its a notebook i fold it in half so the vents are always open to air

19

I just send my my main computer to repair the other day. They found out the heating problem with my computer was lack of cooler pasta on the cooler.

3 Likes
20

so what do i do when i got to a place

22

You've replies from 4 different people that agree your description of the issue is consistent with overheating problems. We may all be wrong, but we can't be sure until you try these steps first.

Please check the temperature of your system as you play a game or watch some videos, and let us know what does it look like under normal vs stress conditions i.e., browsing the web, editing documents, playing lightweight and heavy games, etc.

By cleaning the inside of your machine you are not going to hurt anything and it's something you want to do anyway from time to time.

1 Like
23

oh ok idk when ill be able to get some paste but still why only in steam games and not in other games