A user's desktop randomly powers off several times a day with no error messages or other warning signs. No recent hardware or software changes have been made. As the technician, which hardware component should you troubleshoot first based on this symptom?
Frequent, unexplained shutdowns are most often linked to an unstable or failing power-supply unit (PSU). If the PSU cannot deliver consistent voltage-because of internal component failure, aging capacitors, or external line sags-the system will abruptly lose power. In contrast, CPU thermal problems are usually preceded by fan noise or temperature warnings; bad RAM tends to generate POST beeps or blue-screen errors; and motherboard faults typically appear as POST failures or complete power loss, not intermittent shutdowns. Therefore, start by verifying PSU output and connections.
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What are the signs of a failing Power Supply Unit (PSU)?
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How can I troubleshoot the power supply to confirm it's the issue?
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Why is overheating not the primary suspect in this scenario?