It was another bright Sunday morning, and as usual, I woke up to a message. "Hey, can you come fix this thing?"
Already 10 o'clock. Time to get dressed and actually start solving problems.
The issue? PC randomly turning off. On the way over, I mentally ran through my checklist: Download Speccy, check temps, stress test, reattach the CPU cooler if needed, be on my way. Any other day, that would've been it.
But today was different.
I arrived and the PC fired up like nothing was wrong—just mocking me at this point. Temps were a bit high but nothing that would melt your mouth like hot sauce from Tijuana Flats (seriously, go there if you haven't). So we stress it. Throttles at 95 degrees and holds steady.
This thing's loaded too: Ryzen 7 7700X, brand new B650 motherboard, RTX 3060, 2TB storage, 850W gold PSU. It won't shut off now, but I pull the AIO cooler anyway to check the CPU. Thermal paste spread perfectly, great contact. We keep testing—no issues.
I pack up because I've got to take the family to Costco in Daytona Beach. Tell them I'll come back after if needed.
I leave. Halfway down the block, my phone buzzes. "It turned off."
This PC is possessed and I need to call Scooby Doo for this mystery, but I'm too stubborn. We hit Costco, spend way more than planned (as usual), and I head back to the nightmare.
Time to bring it into my shop. Maybe it's something about the house?
Nope. At my place it powers on for about five minutes, shuts off, won't turn back on. I tear the whole thing apart—remove all RAM, GPU, reseat everything. Pull the AIO and CPU to check pins. Everything looks perfect. PSU is brand new, cables are good.
Even with just CPU, cables, and PSU, I'm getting nothing.
Then I fixed it.
Can you guess how? Scroll down to find out.
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Did you get it? Here's a hint: The answer is in the title.
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That's right—it was the case itself. The power button was malfunctioning. After disconnecting the front panel, I shorted it with a screwdriver and everything worked great.