Asus G73sw randomly shutting off

Dear readers,

I've bought my Asus G73SW laptop about half a year ago, and I absolutely love it. I have had no real-problems with it so far and it's a beast for what I am using it for, gaming.
But as of recently my G73SW randomly shuts off (only noticed it while playing a particular game called "Guild Wars').

At first I thought the problem is that the game is overheating my GPU (which would be extremely strange, considering the game isn't very mondern and computer demanding and because this laptop has a beast of a venting system)
I also regulary clean the vans to make sure no dust is in it and also in the motherboard.
On top of that I downloaded a program to see my computer's heat. And the maximum it has reached so far is about 65 and minimum 28. Which I think are reasonable numbers.

I also wondered if some Windows updater shut off my laptop in the background, without me noticing. Because my laptop shuts off and automaticly starts it self again. But when it starts up after randomly shutting off I get a screen showing " Windows didn't shut down properly ".

After all the those things I've tried I am clueless, hence why I hope to hear from someone on these forums to enlighten me on the problem.

Thanks in advance!

PS: I apologize for any grammar misstakes, making it hard to read. English obviously isn't my native language.

 

http://forum.notebookreview.com/asu...-video-card-cause-shutdown-games-gtx460m.html

 

Are you overclocking?
Are both fans running?
Are you sure that HWINFO reads all temps including GPU and CPU as staying below T junction?
Are you using the original brick and adaptor? Which should be around 120-150watts?

 

Since you report the problem is recent, does using Windows System Restore to restore your system to a time before this issue occurred resolve the problem?

Your system may be experiencing BSOD's and is configured to restart afterwards. If that is what's happening, running BlueScreenView by Nirsoft will provide additional info to troubleshoot your issue.

Does your system shut down during the game if you've removed the battery prior to startup and are running only on the power adapter?

BTW - It always embarrasses me when posters who apologize for their English have better spelling and grammar than I do... ;>{)>

 

This is more than likely your issue, especially if you're overclocking. Right now there's nothing we can do.

 

Thanks for all the answers! Really appreciate the help.

I'll try and answer all your questions, but I have to say I am a noob on technical/computer stuff.

@Yiddo
- I am not overclocking. Atleast not that I know of. I googled it and I believe it's a proces to make your computer run faster, right? Well I am not doing anything like that. Except using my "High Performance power plan" at all times.

- Same as the last question, my laptop is using both fans, as I haven't changed anything from the defaults. Neither do I know how to 'shut down one fan'(?).

- I downloaded the following programm to get an indication of the heat: "RealTemp GT". It just shows max/min heat of my computer 'in general' (?). I believe it measures the CPU's heat.

- Yes I am using the original brick & adaptar. It shows 85V. And as input: 100-240V. Output: 19,5V


@Dstrakele

I am not really sure how long it has been happening really. But a guess would be 2months or so. I am not familiar with "Windows System Restore". If I use it to restore my system to aprox. 2months ago will it change any files and/or stuff I've been doing in the meantime on my laptop?

Almost 90% of the times I play games with the plug in, sometimes I start a game without having the plug in/start the computer without having the plug in. What exactly do you mean with "running only on the power adapter"?


Thanks for the link I will check it out. Is the problem in the link solved by any means?

 

Windows System Restore will not change any of the files you've created, but it will undo any changes made by applications and Windows Updates that were installed. One good thing is you can allways undo a restore if you don'tl like the results. You can choose "Start-Help" and search for more info about it (or Google it).

By "running only on the power adapter", I mean you have physically removed the battery from your laptop, plugged it in and started it. If it cannot start, it may mean you have a bad power adapter. If you don't experience shutdowns with the battery removed, it may mean your battery is bad or needs to be recalibrated. A high "Wear Level" reported for your battery by HWINFO64 can also indicate a bad battery.

 

Thanks for the information. If I won't be able to find any other fixes for the problem I'll try system restore.
Also the battery is always in the laptop, i've never took it out of there, even

tho I use my laptop 99% of the time plugged in.


- - - Also I read the link you guys posted about the Video card issue. But I am not sure if it's the same issue I'm having. I don't overclock (which seems like the problem in that link) and it's not like this experience of mine is every time I game. I think last time it happend was about half a week ago and before that maybe a month. So it's not, as a lot of people describe in the linked thread, a very common/regular thing to happen.

 

You want to be measuring the GPU heat because if it is heat related that is what is going to be causing the thermal shutdown.

Install HWINFO and run an intensive game for 10-15 minutes with the sensors running in the background and check your temps.

If it is fine then what was said above in regards to voltage could be causing your problem but if you are not pushing the clocks I doubt it, sounds like thermal shutdown to me unless you have a short or a loose connection of a piece of hardware, a similiar thing happened to me when my DVD catch on my old ACER broke off and if I knocked it and the connection came loose it would instantly switch off. Could easily happen if you have a loose connection on a HDD too.

 

this problem we are having the G73 is unfortunate. the asus is not linking to this problem. I already cancei to ask for Help Support. response is always the same Standard, as if we were idiots.

Several people are having the same problem, even without overclocking the GPU. the laptop just turns off when gaming.

How can a laptop made ​​especially for players that happen?

is a SHAME!

this problem is not logical, has nothing to see with any driver or Windows setup.

is a hardware limitation, or any defect in the system.

I'm desperately trying to find a solution for this, I tried several things. solves nothing.

ASUS If you are seeing this message, I would like to thank the headache I'm having with your product!

 

@Yiddo
After running a game for 15mins I got the following results of HWINFO:
Imageshack - hwinfo.png
I hope this helps giving you an indication of my laptop's performance.

Well, as I said in my opening post, I have only positive experiences with this laptop so far. But those random shut downs I find very weird. Also if this problem will occur more I might trade it in. Good thing I still have the guarantee certificate.. :S

 

And you don't have the sensor windows in your screenshot, see the screenshot below:

 

Oh I am sorry. Didnt notice the Sensor option.
I ran it again, here are the sensor results:

Imageshack - hwinfosensor.png

Also, my computer shutted off again while playing about an hour ago..

 

Sorry to repost/bump, but after posting my screenshot (post above) about the heat of my laptop, can someone see if anything causes the problem?
If not I will try to do a system restore.

 

Can you have your GPU usage run at 99%? The screenshot you posted is only using 60% of your gpu and is running at 65C, but we can't really judge the temp if the GPU isn't fully utilized. Run Furmark for 10min and take the result while furmark is still running.

 

You need to really run a burn in test to make sure you are showing the GPU running in true light compared to an intensive game like Battlefield 3.

First look though it does not look to be your temps and everything seems pretty ordinary with those temps but repost with a proper stress test to confirm.

As mentioned earlier you are sure you dont have anything loose as my DVD drive being only slightly lose and popping in and out again when moving it was enough to cause an instant shutdown. You might need to consider an RMA and a new motherboard if the problem persists without any obvious cause.

 

Ok sorry for the wrong information in the last post. This time I used Furmark. After 10 mins, I recieved the following results:

http://imageshack.us/f/854/furmarkstresstest.png/


PS: Only one of my fans got really hot. The other one wasn't blowing out a lot of warm air. Does this mean I disables one? (Without me knowing)
Or are both fans used in a different way?

 

Both your fans are working as per your hwinfo sensors it just that Furmark only stresses one thread when it is running so your CPU wont be running as hot as the GPU.

Your temps are fine however so it is not that. How often does it do it at the moment?

 

Well I do use my laptop a lot. Dunno if that has anything to do with it.
But I think it's about twice a month now.

 

Do you remember how the laptop was placed when your rig shut off? Like any wall behind the laptop which might be blocking the vent?

 

When it fell of it was always in the same place: on my table. Nothing stands behind the fans, so nothing is blocking it :S

 

Hello friend, I think I can give you something new!

Try the new 301.24 beta driver from Nvidia. This driver is Solving my problems in games random shutdowns.

You see more! to work.

You need to enable FXAA the NVIDIA control panel.
and need to disable anti-aliasing in the Menu of Your Games.

the FXAA will make the role of anti-aliasing more efficiently and consume less GPU resources.

For Some Reason, When Using the traditional anti-aliasing, the notebook off randomly

Now I'm being able to play Overclocked to 840Mhz on the GPU without shutdowns. I could not believe it! more is Real!

 

See post below please - made a mistake

 

Thanks Maykon_Helver for your comment. - Sorry tho for my late post.

I do run into a problem following your instructions:
I get an installation error when downloading the 301.24 beta driver from Nividia - it's telling me my computer doesn't support it. I did however downloaded it for the right windows version (windows 7) and for the fitting bit (64x bit).
Perhaps the driver version doesn't support the G73SW's graphics card? (NVIDIA GEFORCE GTX 460M)


Also how do I adjust the FXAA option? I do have a Nvidia Control panel which I can open but It only shows options for 3d settings, display and video (?)

Thanks in advance!