Computer Overheating
"My computer sometimes shuts down at random times. A friend said it's probably overheating. How can I find out for sure, and what can be done about overheating?"
Signs of Overheating - And What To Do
Electronic components in your computer and other devices generate heat. The harder they work, the more heat they generate. Too much heat can damage the components. How can you tell if your computer is overheating, and what can you do to keep it from frying like an egg?
Sudden, inexplicable shutdowns of your computer are often due to overheating. The computer's BIOS (Basic Input/Output System) detects when the CPU (Central Processing Unit) is approaching its maximum operating temperature and shuts things down to avoid damaging that vital and expensive part. If you are experiencing shutdowns, measure your computer's temperatures and do something to lower them immediately.
Temperature sensors are built into many computer motherboards at critical places: under the CPU (Central Processing Unit); near the hard drive; and in the area of the motherboard most densely populated by other heat-generating components. Additionally, some but not all CPUs and hard drives have temperature sensors built into them. The trick is accessing these sensors to read temperatures.
Microsoft Windows and Mac OS do not have built-in utilities to let users read temperatures. You have to find third-party software. Fortunately, there are several free temperature-monitoring utilities. Some can not only monitor temperatures but also do something to lower them.
SpeedFAN is a long-standing favorite temperature monitoring utility. It also monitors voltages in various devices and the speed of the fan(s) which cool your CPU, power supply, and other components. Some motherboards allow users to control fan speeds while others do not; if fan speed can be controlled, SpeedFan will do it automatically to optimize the fan's cooling.
Temperature Monitor 4.6 is a similar utility for Mac computers. It's part of a suite of Mac monitoring utilities written by Marcel Bresink, and it's available free of charge. This one does not control fan speeds.
If you can find a fan-speed controller that works with your system, it will provide several benefits. First, it will keep your CPU's temperature under the critical level, preserving that vital component. Second, it will extend the life of your fan by running it only when it's really needed. Third, it will minimize that irritating noise than cooling fans often make.
Your computer manufacturer's support pages are the first place to look for fan speed control utilities. This functionality may be buried in the "Advanced" section of utility software bundled with your computer. If it's not there, try Googling for the make and model of your computer and the key words "fan speed".
A good rule of thumb is to make sure your CPU temperature is under 70 degrees Celsius, but each processor has a different safe operating range. Use Everest to find out what type of processor you have, and then search for information on the maximum safe temperature.
S.M.A.R.T. (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) is another feature often built into monitoring utilities like SpeedFan and Temperature Monitor. It is specific to hard drives, and can tell you if your hard drive is likely to fail in the near future. It can tell you a whole lot more about read/write error rates and such, too, if you are interested in the geeky details.
Other Overheating Solutions
If adjusting the fan speed doesn't bring the problem under control, there are several other possible causes for overheating.
Dust is a common cause of overheating. You can buy cans of compressed air to clean the dust out of heat sinks, fans and airflow vents. Crack open the system unit every few months and you'll be surprised at how much dust accumulates there, and how it affects your system temps.
It's possible that the fans themselves may need to be replaced. If a fan is noisy, that's a sign that it's not working properly.
It could also be that the thermal seal between the CPU and the heat sink (which draws heat away) is not good. You can remove the heat sink and reapply thermal grease, but that's beyond the scope of this article. Search for a good tutorial on how to do that first.
Do you have questions or tips on how to resolve computer overheating problems? Post a comment or question below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on November 10, 2009 10:03 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Computer Overheating (Posted: November 10, 2009 10:03 PM)
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Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Computer Overheating"
Posted by:
PeteT
10 Nov 2009
Several months ago,one of the fans on my one year old Dell desktop began running at high speed continually. Opening up the cover, removing the large clumps of loose dust, then using a can of compressed air to blow away the dust in the trickier spots worked wonders. A former co-worker used to purchase a cylinder of compressed oxygen from his local gas supplier to perform the same maintinence, although working with compressed oxygen is very dangerous. I would suggest nitrogen or some other inert gas for the job. I am yet to figure out how to do this on my laptop if I ever need to though.
Posted by:
Gary
11 Nov 2009
Hi Bob - So far my computer is doing fine but...big BUT. I started using seti at home and now all four cpus are running full blast 24/7. I hear the fan kick in every minute or so but it stays on for less than a second. Where is the best place on this computer to check the heat? Running a AMD X4 cpu and have Windows 7. Thanks - Gary
Posted by:
Steverino
11 Nov 2009
Are those gadgets containing two small fans in them that you place under your laptop and plug into a usb port to get power effective? I discovered I had to precisely offset it to line up with the fan opening. One fan blows air into the opening while the other just blows air at the bottom plastic panel of the laptop. Thanks for your great advise each week.
Posted by:
TanMan
12 Nov 2009
I fix people's PC's all the time. You cannot believe the amount of crap inside desktop PC's, especially when they're kept on the floor. I use a vacuum cleaner to gently clear out all the dust. Some PC's also have a front cover that dust accumulates under, so I have to remove that cover and vacuum that out, too. This dust accounts for almost all the overheating problems I encounter.
Posted by:
Adrian
12 Nov 2009
Hay Bob, great work as usual. I know this is slightly off topic for this thread, but gaming consoles are really just specialised computers. I was wondering if you had any tips for xbox 360 owners. These are notorious for overheating. I have read that M$ decided to go with non-led based solder. Which must have a lower melting point than it's led based equivalent. Google "xbox E74 error" aka red ring of death (1,3 and 3 red lights). It's quite typical for these to happen just after the warranty runs out. In fact M$ extended the the 3 ring of death warranty to 3 years! (which ran out end of last month) A friend of mine has the E74, 1 red light error, which I've read has something to do with the AV chip This chip has no heat sink what so ever!. I have also read that M$ reduced the size of the heat sinks by 50% to accommodate CD drive. Some people recommend overheating them on purpose, to "re-flow" the solder. A practice that is IMO both dangerous fire wise, and quite likely to do even more damage to any chips inside. I suggested using a bonding style heat paste to attach a heat sink to this chip, and maybe using a soldering iron to re-solder the chip leads. He really has nothing to loose at this point. He can play (some) games, but the graphics are so bad, unless you know the game, you really can't tell where your going. All the best m8.
Posted by:
Bill Knowles
13 Nov 2009
You answered a comment about ; "Crack open the system unit every few months and you'll be surprised at how much dust accumulates there, and how it affects your system temps." On a Desktop PC this should be easy. It is sometimes a difficult task to do on a Laptop. Trying to find out which screws to remove from the Laptop to gain access to the Cooling Fins. I sent a Toshiba Laptop to the recyling depot, because I could not find out which screws to remove to gain easy access to the CPU Cooling Fins, which were plugged with dust, dander, etc.
Posted by:
Kim
14 Nov 2009
Bob, does your article (and the software downloads to check temperature) apply to laptops as well as desktops? My son's 2 yr. old HP laptop actually burned my leg through my jeans so I'd like to be able to pass on some useful info to him if it does apply to laptops. Thanks.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Yes, they will work with laptops too.
Posted by:
cranston snort
19 Jan 2010
Reference article on overheating. You didn't mention what temps are acceptable. I have CPUID Hardware Monitor on my laptop. Lots of temps, but I don't know what's normal. Give me some numbers please.
EDITOR'S NOTE: Take another look at the article...
Posted by:
Snert
19 Jan 2010
Please, when you use those cans of compressed air to blow dust out of the fans, DO NOT allow the fans to rotate. You can spin them TOO fast and fry 'em. BTDT.
Keep the blades from turning but blow all the dust out.