Computer is overheating.

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Paraplegic_Ballerina

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I set up my computer at my aunts house and was playing Star Wars Republic Commando and my computer just shut off. I checked and the power supply and processor were really hot. I am not sure if I need both, or just the processor (I put my hand over the fan and it was burning up.) Anybody have any ideas? Maybe some links to cheap Intel dou core 2 processors? (I refuse to use AMD) :confused:

****Side note I found the booklet and it says I have a three year warranty and I have only had it for two years so I either have to contact newegg or Intel. I took really good care of my computer so hopefully I can get it replaced.
 
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Does your computer not turn on? If It doesn't turn on then I would recommend buying a new power supply, and see if that fixes the problem. Usually an overheating just burns out the powersupply, sometimes the processor as well. But a new power supply SHOULD fix the problem.
 
No it turns on It's just overheating. The processor fan was really hot to the touch the power supply wasn't as bad but still noticeable hot. I am on newegg now. I think I am going to give Intel a call and see if I can't replace it instead of buying a new one since it's still under warranty. But as for power supplies I have no idea what one I should get. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208011
Thats the case and power supply I have now.
 
Paraplegic_Ballerina said:
No it turns on It's just overheating. The processor fan was really hot to the touch the power supply wasn't as bad but still noticeable hot. I am on newegg now. I think I am going to give Intel a call and see if I can't replace it instead of buying a new one since it's still under warranty. But as for power supplies I have no idea what one I should get. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811208011
Thats the case and power supply I have now.
Click to expand...
I'd recommend getting a new power supply, to support some of the new processors/cards..I also would get rid of the 2 80mm fans and get 120 mm fans..This is my case and I really love it.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811133058

it has a side air duct, and has 2 120mm fans.
 
have you gone into the computer and tried to reseat the heatsink and fan on the processor?

although from what it sounds like, it seems like the cpu is putting out an excessive amount of heat.... you may want to check for dust buildup in your heatsink. If there is excessive dust in there, it can block airflow and that will cause it to heat up a lot more than it should...

it doesnt sound like this is a power supply issue to me.... but it certainly might be, if your power supply is sending to much power to the components they could be overheating
 
Havegooda {A|R} said:
Be sure to click on the Newegg sponsor link here when you go to buy ;)

Why would it be a PSU issue if it's getting too hot? True, the PSU might be crapping out with all the load, but that's a seperate issue.

~Gooda~
Click to expand...


The power supply came with the case and I would rather buy them together then separate. That way with at least that I don't have to worry about compatibility.
 
Its way better to buy them seperate, as buying them together doesn't guarentee a good quality PSU.

Anyway, do what I did, and get a small fan that you would put on your desk, and put it behind the computer where all the ducts are.

Or even better, open up the side panel and blow air directly into the computer.
 
A CPU won't just randomly start overheating due to use. Nor will the power supply cause heat issues (unless the exhaust is blocked, but then you'd probably have a fire instead of shutdowns). I would make sure the computer's fans are free of dust completely, check that the heatsink-fan is mounted correctly and has good thermal grease (Artic Silver) applied. Make sure the case is well ventilated, and that wires are properly managed as not to cause interference in overall cooling.

What are your specs now?
 
To AW I have the side panel open. Seems to helped a lot. To haloracer I blew out the fans, I built the computer 2 years ago so I figure it's about time to replace a couple of things. As I said before the processor was ridiculously hot so I am going to contact Intel and get a replacement. As for the case/fan combo my xion has never given me a problem at all and I am a pretty heavy PC gamer.
 
HaloRacer said:
A CPU won't just randomly start overheating due to use. Nor will the power supply cause heat issues (unless the exhaust is blocked, but then you'd probably have a fire instead of shutdowns). I would make sure the computer's fans are free of dust completely, check that the heatsink-fan is mounted correctly and has good thermal grease (Artic Silver) applied. Make sure the case is well ventilated, and that wires are properly managed as not to cause interference in overall cooling.

What are your specs now?
Click to expand...

Indeed, lack of thermal paste was going to be my suggestion.
 
As others have pointed out, it's not normal for a processor to start producing more heat than a heatsink/fan combo can dispel consistently, so it's most likely not the processor. Since the heatsink is getting hot, it's definitely conducting the heat from the processor. This indicates that the thermal paste is most likely not the problem either. Power supplies generate large amounts of heat, thus the reason that they had fans before even processors did. So I believe something else is going on here.

One thing I think people are missing is the fans. While the system is running, see if any of the fans seem sluggish. If one of the intake, exhaust, or CPU fans isn't running at full speed or is intermittently cutting out, that could cause the heat to not dissipate fast enough. This would cause overheating.

As others have mentioned, a good cleaning will help. If you can, remove the fan from the heatsink, blow all the dust out of both the heatsink and the fan itself and then mount the fan back.

However, if having the side of your case open helps cool things off, I'm inclined to think that the true problem is the case fans and not the CPU fan. It appears that your case has one 80mm fan on the side, one on the back, and one in the PSU. Make sure that each of these fans are properly running. Also, make sure that they are blowing the proper direction. The side panel fan should be sucking air in from the outside and blowing it toward the motherboard (intake fan) and the rear fans should both be blowing air out (exhaust fans).

If you can, purchase another 80mm fan and mount it in the front fan location. It won't do a lot of good since there's a lot of material blocking airflow for that location, but it will help introduce a new source of fresh cool air.

One last component that is often overlooked is the graphics card heatsink and fan. Pull the card out, and give it a thorough dusting. Make sure to blow all the gunk out by pointing the air directly between the fins. Lots of little dust bunnies gather there. With the case open and the system running, gently lean the case so you can look at the underside of the graphics card. While looking there, ensure that the fan on the card is spinning at a fast rate. If your graphics card fan stops, the card will quickly overheat and cause system failure.
 
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