My newest computer began locking up today
 

...and I traced it down to overheating (I ran all of my antivirus software etc. and found nothing). I took the case off but I cannot really see into it well enough to determine if the primary fan is working. I think that I can hear some sound from the fan but I cannot see if the blades are turning as the fan is encased.

None the less I have left the case off and put an external fan behind it to cool it. It has substantially cooled down and has not locked up in the past couple of hours.

Question: can this be a permanent fix or should I take efforts to replace the fan...or can the overheating be caused by something other than the internal fan not working properly?

You're a fucking idiot.

Also, your thermal paste is probably dried up between the heatsink and chip, because you're an idiot.

Wow. Get a new, better fan and if you wanna be ghetto, cut a hole in the side. You will have a dust issue but it will be cooled down :2 cents:

If its new, go back to the store.
Don't forget to erase your porn first :thumbsup

pull the fan & heatsink off the cpu

wipe off all the old thermal paste

put just a dab of crest toothpaste on it, reassemble

it will be fine

It isn't new...but is my newest of three.

Could also be the gpu on the video card that has a heat problem.

This is a great program for monitoring the system Everest @ www.lavalys.com

Mine was shutting down and was a solid computer, I had a vid card choke up a fan and it was the reason (which was easily identified when I saw the GPU temp at 88 C or 190ish F)

I just downloaded it...it is an interesting piece of software

I put the cover back on and it started heating up again so I took it off. Using the external fan with the cover off has kept it from shutting down or locking up. The software shows that the internal fan is working at more than 4,000 RPM's. I guess when software that I am running completes which will take another 24 hours or so...I will take the fan housing off and see what I can see.

go to store and get new one :D

I bought this when building mine -
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...?Sku=A406-1107

It's great except for the fact that it has to be on the desk to see it. If youre pc sits on the ground or lower, you'll have to look at it eye level to read the screen but it definitely helps monitor things.

Good old heating problems... Back in the day I had a twin Pentium pro 90 setup overclocked to the max. The only way I could keep it cool enough to run was to vent air conditioning directly into the back to the computer with dryer duck. worked like a charm and used the system that way for a couple years. How It never built up condensation and shorted out I'll never know, just lucky i guess.

Newest = 3+ years old

And that's just a guess.

I had the same problem so I went to Home Depot and got a fan upgrade.

http://i768.photobucket.com/albums/x...omputer654.jpg


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Make sure there are fans in front of case, sucking air in, and fans on back, throwing the hot air out.

It's probably the Faked Death app that most new computers come with.

You'll need to either take back your fake death, or return the computer to the shop to have the software removed.

Is the case itself heating up?
I've seen older systems with bad power supply fans sit there and literally use the case itself as a heatsink..

Yeah the case was also getting hot. The primary fan is working at over 4,000 rpm and the power unit fan which is much smaller is working at over 1400 rpm and this may be the problem...I am not sure. None the less I purchased a small desk fan and sat it behind the computer and it is keeping it cool. A $7.00 fix.

BTW...it is the motherboard that was overheating the CPU was not.

4000RPM is pretty fast and hard

How can the "motherboard" (assuming you mean m/b temp) overheat but not the CPU? The latter will pretty much always be hotter than the ambient case temp.

I downloaded the software the guy above suggested and the software showed the motherboard was around 83C when it was locking up...the CPU was around 43C and the AUX around 43C.

Since I have put the desk fan behind it...with case off...the software shows the mother board at around 63C...the CPU and the AUX both around 43C. With the case on the software shows the motherboard at around 75C and the CPU and AUX around 43C. So unless 43C is to high for the CPU I do not have an answer to your question.

Actually those figures are wrong with the case on the CPU and AUX are both around 43C and with the case off the CPU and AUX are around 31C.

63C and 75C sound far too hot for a motherboard. Some utilities report bogus information because of variation in chipsets, reverse engineering that doesn't work 100%, etc.

A CPU fan can only cool to ambient temperature, which is what your m/b sensor is supposed to be measuring. It's impossible for the CPU temp to be significantly lower than your ambient case temp unless you're doing something like water cooling.

Just get Everest and see ur temp!
But if ur reading are right that's too mush temp for mobo!
Something is heating up very much! Try touching ur chipset with fingers, if u get really burn then their is ur problem!

There is not any water cooling involved and I can only tell you what the software is reporting.

At the present (the sun has shifted so it is now cooler in my office) the mother board is showing 52C...the CPU 30C...the AUX 30C and the HD 44C.

windows comes with a backup and restore center. just choose the day before the problem. if that dont work then buy a better air conditioner