Random laptop reboots

[Cassel]

My Asus G75V has started to reboot randomly when using certain software while being plugged in.
I don't think it's an overheating issue because I can play games like BF4 and CS:GO without the computer rebooting, while five seconds of Ryzom (a MMORPG from '04-'05) or Guild Wars 2 will cause a reboot.
The problems seems to disappear if I unplug the AC-adapter.

Can AC-adapters go bad or is there a problem with the hardware?

[Psycommu]

What happens if you unplug the adapter, launch the problematic games, play for a minute or two and plug the adapter back in while the game(s) are still running?

[GiGaBiTe]

[QUOTE=Cassel;43467086]Can AC-adapters go bad[/QUOTE]

Most definitely. They're basically the switching PSU you find in a desktop PC crammed into the size of a small brick. Most commonly the capacitors fail because they're trapped in a sealed furnace with no ventilation.

You can check a power adapter two ways:

1) an oscilloscope attached to the output side of the power adapter while the computer is running to check voltage levels and ripple current. Oscilloscopes are expensive if you don't have access to one and have a steep learning curve, so I don't recommend this unless you know what you're doing.

2) break the shell of the power adapter and examine the components visually. This of course has the negative effect of a power adapter with a split case, but is really the only way to test without expensive equipment.

If you get a replacement power adapter, [U]do not[/U] buy one of those generic $9 "replacement laptop power adapters" They're equivalent to IED desktop PSUs and will fail, possibly also killing your laptop. Find the model number of the power adapter printed on it and get the exact same one.

[Cassel]

[QUOTE=SuperDuperScoot;43470872]What happens if you unplug the adapter, launch the problematic games, play for a minute or two and plug the adapter back in while the game(s) are still running?[/QUOTE]
Still reboots soon after. :/

[QUOTE=GiGaBiTe;43471746]Most definitely. They're basically the switching PSU you find in a desktop PC crammed into the size of a small brick. Most commonly the capacitors fail because they're trapped in a sealed furnace with no ventilation.[/QUOTE]I have a friend who have a similar laptop and probably the same adapter, I'll ask him if I can try it out.