"Power supply surge detected"

[[VR] Deggial]

This is new.
And it is worrisome.

So far I could play Planet Zoo without any issues.
Since today, my computer shuts down when I try to play Planet Zoo. It happens almost immediately when I start playing or even load a save.

Apparently the game causes a spike in power usage and the ASUS system protection shuts down the computer.
After the automatic reset, the following message is displayed: "Power supply surges detected during the previous power on. ASUS Anti-Surge was triggered to protect system from unstable power supply unit!" and I had to enter a dedicated BIOS(?) screen afterwards (which I exited without any changes).

I have verified the game data; no corrupt files were found.
I tested other games without issues (Stellaris, Civilization 6), the GPU load was 100%. My system doesn't seem to be defect, but the issue seems to be related to Planet Zoo.

This is not just a CTD, not a "simple" freeze. I've never experienced something like this with any game before.
Honestly, I don't dare to continue playing trying as I am afraid to damage my computer permanently!

But how to proceed?
A bug report was created.
Is there a log I could attach? If so, where can I find it?
Has anybody else experienced similar problems?

 

[Agathorn]

Stop using unreliable software to patch a bad power supply

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Stop using unreliable software to patch a bad power supply

What do you mean with that?

 

[Raino]

Well, You either have a very sensible power protection unit in your BIOS (ASUS motherboard) or just a bad power supply

check your BIOS for settings, maybe there is a way to de- sensible it

 

[[VR] Deggial]

The computer was set up by a professional company (custom built), the power supply is more than adequate to handle it. I've never had any issues with it until now.
I don't know anything about BIOS editing and will certainly not mess around with that. It seems way too dangerous and I don't want to risk my hardware.

I had given my computer to a computer shop recently though (another one). They updated the BIOS in order to make it compatible to a RAM upgrade.
Is it possible they messed it up?

Edit: And what could be the reason that the game ran just fine until now?
Nothing has change since the game launched. I had no issues while playing whatsoever.

 

[Agathorn]

It isn't the game's fault other than that the game can push your hardware to its limits that may be causing your GPU or CPU to pull more power than your PSU can handle. No offense to whatever company built your PC but if the PSU is underrated for the components then the computer may be trying to pull more power than the PSU can provide. Another reason would be that the PSU is providing dirty power, or that ASUS Anti-Surge is triggering when it shouldn't be (which there are plenty of examples of on Google).

 

[[VR] Deggial]

So, after googling a bit i’ve found multiple hints towards the PSU.
As written, it is definitely not underrated. Maybe it is just defect.

Hurray.

It’s still weird that other games with 100% GPU usage don’t cause this issue.

 

[peon2t]

Does this really only happen if you start Planet Zoo?

Because I only know the message you're quoting from cases where there was some kind of "short circuit" due to damaged USB ports.
(I repair PCs, so I have quite a lot of "examples" when it comes to damaged hardware.)

Anyway, if it's like you described it, probably Planet Zoo somehow sets your computer under heavy load that a defective part triggers the power surge protection. I don't really see how this could be the "fault" of the game. It's most probably just the game triggering an underlying issues with your hardware. So you should get that checked.

Maybe stress tests with Benchmarking-Software (like Prime95 etc.) can help you to figure out which component causes the "overload".

 

[[VR] Deggial]

Does this really only happen if you start Planet Zoo? ...

So far, yes. But it is a brand new issue from today. A prolonged Civ6 session (with 100% GPU load) didn’t triggered it though.

... I don't really see how this could be the "fault" of the game. ...

I came to this conclusion, too.

... It's most probably just the game triggering an underlying issues with your hardware. So you should get that checked.

Maybe stress tests with Benchmarking-Software (like Prime95 etc.) can help you to figure out which component causes the "overload".

Probably. Which is annoying, because I just have had the computer be checked.

I may try the Benchmarking test.
However, while I know some things about this world, computer technology (especially hardware) is not really one of them.
I might have to bite in the lemon (is this an English saying as well?) and bring it back to the repair shop.
For another two weeks or so ...

Thank you all for your help, guys!

 

[peon2t]

However, while I know some things about this world, computer technology (especially hardware) is not really one of them.

Yep. And that kind of issue normally isn't something that is diagnosed very easily. The repair shop guys probably will just exchange your PSU to see if the issue presists with a new PSU. If it solves the issue, they'll decided that your PSU was defective, if not, they'll exchange the next part.

I might have to bite in the lemon (is this an English saying as well?) and bring it back to the repair shop.
For another two weeks or so ...

Haha, don't know if it's an English saying. But I certainly recognize it as a German one ;-)

Two weeks seems long (at least if it's a local repair shop and not some manufacturer service center). Maybe you need a faster repair shop ;-)

 

[[VR] Deggial]

As apparently some people were interested in this thread, it might be fair to post a quick update:
I think, it's my graphic card that is broken.

I've stress-tested my system over an hour with Prime95 (thank you again for the help, @peon2t) and there was no issue detected whatsoever.
So it's not the PSU, CPU or RAM. (Oh, and @Agathorn: I use a 'Cooler Master B700 ver.2 700WATX2.3', which got good ratings; I think it should be fine.)
Which leaves the GPU as most likely source of the problem. (I didn't have time for a specialized GPU stress-test so far, though).

Furthermore, my claim that I am able to run other games without issue isn't true any more. Yesterday, Civ6 did caused the same effect and did shut down the computer.

So, as a all-clear for all Planet Zoo players who were worried due to my headline/the OP: Apparently it is NOT Planet Zoo that caused the issue!
I will withdraw the issue tracker entry, of course.

What will happen now is that I will probably get a RTX 2070S, which is at least an upgrade to my GTX 980ti.
A new PSU might be neccesary as well, as its power usage is slightly higher. But Iwill have to ask the technician about that.

 

[mondo1748]

Does this really only happen if you start Planet Zoo?

Because I only know the message you're quoting from cases where there was some kind of "short circuit" due to damaged USB ports.
(I repair PCs, so I have quite a lot of "examples" when it comes to damaged hardware.)

Anyway, if it's like you described it, probably Planet Zoo somehow sets your computer under heavy load that a defective part triggers the power surge protection. I don't really see how this could be the "fault" of the game. It's most probably just the game triggering an underlying issues with your hardware. So you should get that checked.

Maybe stress tests with Benchmarking-Software (like Prime95 etc.) can help you to figure out which component causes the "overload".

I'm thinking the same on this issue there having. It seems to just be pushing the limits in a weaker area of the system

 

[Soron Silin]

As apparently some people were interested in this thread, it might be fair to post a quick update:
I think, it's my graphic card that is broken.

I've stress-tested my system over an hour with Prime95 (thank you again for the help, @peon2t) and there was no issue detected whatsoever.
So it's not the PSU, CPU or RAM. (Oh, and @Agathorn: I use a 'Cooler Master B700 ver.2 700WATX2.3', which got good ratings; I think it should be fine.)
Which leaves the GPU as most likely source of the problem. (I didn't have time for a specialized GPU stress-test so far, though).

Furthermore, my claim that I am able to run other games without issue isn't true any more. Yesterday, Civ6 did caused the same effect and did shut down the computer.

So, as a all-clear for all Planet Zoo players who were worried due to my headline/the OP: Apparently it is NOT Planet Zoo that caused the issue!
I will withdraw the issue tracker entry, of course.

What will happen now is that I will probably get a RTX 2070S, which is at least an upgrade to my GTX 980ti.
A new PSU might be neccesary as well, as its power usage is slightly higher. But Iwill have to ask the technician about that.

I would stress-test the GPU first.
You don't know that you've found the problem until you can re-create the problem.
Otherwise it may just be that your other stress tests didn't stress things enough or in the right ways.