Random shutdowns, the plot thickens! (Help!!)

[FL630]

Hi,

So my PC has been shutting down randomly recently, often will start back up right away, sometimes not.

It turns out I think something to do with the 24 pin is gone awry. I'm on my computer now, typing away happily, if I poke the 24 pin leads, it'll switch off. I poke them again, it switches back on.

If it shuts down randomly and doesn't re-start right away, I can poke the area around the 24 pin and it'll start.

What is more likely on an "untouched" system (it just sits on my desk and rarely gets moved), a faulty motherboard or a faulty 24 pin cable?

I did have the system on air with a weighty cooler hanging off the board before I went to water. When it was air cooled I took it in the car regularly (my thoughts are hairline fracture in MoBo?), but now it is water cooled. I took the system apart today and rebuilt, which as it's hardline cooled is a pain in the arse. The problem remains.

Any thoughts where to start looking?

Thanks!

 

[FL630]

Did you attempt to tighten all the 24 pin connectors with a pair of small pliers so they get a better grip on the board as vibrations could cause this if they are too wide. (Health and safety tip) Turn off the power before attempting this.

By this do you mean remove all the pins from the connector housing and give them a little tweak with pliers?

A new sleeved cable will cost only £20 or so, I may give that a try, certainly cheaper than a new motherboard and CPU if I can't find a Z97 board...

Thanks