Plz Help, CPU is Overheating

[weslygibson]

Hello friends!

Please help me sort out a problem. I have an Intel dual core 2.6 GHz CPU with a MSI 945 motherboard. Everything was working fine, but last week I found a problem. I was playing NFS (Need for Speed) carbon on my PC when suddenly it restarted and showed the error message "CPU is overheating". Now it always shows this message whenever I try to play this game. Please help, I don't know what is actual problem is.

All help will be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

[3DGrunge]

What kind of case do you have?
number of fans, working?
Room temperature?
Download a temperature monitoring program such as speedfan or others to give a round about temp reading of your rig so we can see how hot it is.
How quickly did you go back to playing after initial overheat?

Most likely this is due to either dust build up, poor air flow from lack/layout of fans, or cpu fan/heatsink lifted.

[weegillis]

The safest thing to do is take your machine to a shop where they can a)find the problem and b) fix it. If you have a cooling problem with the CPU and there is no obvious sign of air flow blockage, then the CPU fan may have failed. You should not run the machine yourself, else damage to the motherboard could result.

[Alice_Ink]

The first thing I would do is to check for dust build up. If so, clean it out and see if that help. Check to see if the fans are spinning up when you turn on your computer. If they aren't running, you'll need to replace any dead fans. You can also check the heatsink to make sure it is securely attached. If none of those are the issue, you may need to add a new fan to create more circulation in your case. Also, you could always try turning down the a/c in your room. ;)

[3DGrunge]

As I said earlier we truly would need more information to help you any further.


Most of the time when its a CPU overheat issue it's either dust, poor fan placement, improper ventilation(computer in the closed shelf).
A CPU fan failure is usually fairly easy to spot as most machines do give warning. Popping off the case cover will also allow you to see if the CPU fan has failed if you even have a CPU fan.

Honestly, if you feel comfortable with your computer and take a few precautions, changing out a CPU fan or heat sink is an easy DIY job.
I would not bring the machine to a computer tech unless you feel unsure or incapable of proper pc maintenance. All users should know what is inside their rig and open it monthly(at least) for cleaning out dust bunnies.

If it it is the cpu fan/heatsink. Buying a replacement is fairly simple and cheap just do not forget to check size specs and compatibility with your motherboard. Most replacements come with thermal paste however purchasing your own thermal paste can never hurt and it is extremely cheap.
Doing the repair yourself can save you money and time in the long run, however if you are not careful you can as weegillis said end up destroying your machine.


To be certain of the problem at hand, we would need more information. If you do not know anything more than what was stated then yes taking it to a tech is probably the best idea.





<stab in the dark>Or if you live in or around Carrboro NC, you could drop it off to me and I will take care of your problem for a fair price.</stab in the dark>

Also, it looks like he joined today, but has banned under his name. Is the user banned?

[ronaldeddy]

Hi,

I think check out that cpu fan is working or not because if it is not working system generally starts giving error message.

Thank you

[weegillis]

It's all fine and good to be of the opinion that everyone should be familiar with the inner workings of their 'rig', but this is not 'good' advice, imho. Only a small percentage of the population has the slightest wherewithal when it comes to electronics and the guts of a computer.

As I suggested earlier, check for obvious problems (dust build up, fans not working) and refer to a qualified service tech for any replacement of parts. There is no sense turning a small problem into a bigger one.

[alphaomega]

Is your rig overheating? Just because you get a message does not mean it is. Take thesee steps to find out.


Remove side panel to view the inside of your computer.
Like the message before me, check the CPU fan for fluff build up.
Note the speed of the fan rotation. Fan motors and bearings are just cheap Chinese stuff most of the time, especially if you have after-market cooler.
Make sure all the other fans (case fans) are working.

The previous advice assumes your CPU is overheating. There is a possibility that the CPU is running nice and cool and you just get a message generated by faulty application. Software glitches are more than common and badly written software is nothing unusual. If your game plays OK there is a good chance you have faulty software utility. You can not damage the CPU, Intel has inbuilt safety to throttle down the clock speed or to reset to CPU. Computer would simply reboot itself.
My recommendation is to ignore the message and see if it overheats. You than know for sure it is overheating.
If the CPU was overheating it should give you the same symptoms in all applications, not just the game.

[luigip]

alphaomega he wrote that his computer restarted. So it is not only a faulty software utility.
weslygibson do the fan and dust checks mentioned above.

[weegillis]

It's not the CPU overheating, or the faulty software that will cost big bucks. It's mucking with hardware we know nothing about. Nobody has bothered to mention static build-up and the high prevalence of it in the presence of an abundance of DUST.

Please, OP, be careful to ground yourself before tampering inside your case, else you discharge straight into sensitive components on the motherboard.

[Clint1]

Hello friends!

Please help me sort out a problem. I have an Intel dual core 2.6 GHz CPU with a MSI 945 motherboard. Everything was working fine, but last week I found a problem. I was playing NFS (Need for Speed) carbon on my PC when suddenly it restarted and showed the error message "CPU is overheating". Now it always shows this message whenever I try to play this game. Please help, I don't know what is actual problem is.

All help will be really appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
(Where have you gone?) In addition to what everyone else has asked, is this the only time it did this? If so it could be the HSF unit just isn't enough for gaming or that particular game. And if so, the easiest thing to do would be to add a faster RPM fan to the CPU's HS. If it's a custom type fan sort of built into a "shroud" over the HS just put another fan blowing onto the side of the HS. (Don't put one blowing across the existing fan because that will create a low pressure area above it actually lowering CFM).

[weegillis]

(Where have you gone?)To the shop, hopefully, and not the recycle bin.

[Clint1]

To the shop, hopefully, and not the recycle bin.
Or at least hopefully not the dump or landfill. ;)

[3DGrunge]

As I asked earlier.
Maybe he can't reply because he is banned?


weslygibson
Banned

Join Date
Aug 2010
Posts
3

And to expand on grounding yourself if you are going to do anything yourself.
Leave the computer plugged in if you can (unless otherwise marked) and grab the metal of the power supply or case before and periodically during the upgrade/repair.
Electrical shock chances are seriously reduced, if you do this.

It is indeed great practice to always ground yourself when upgrading/fixing if you want a healthy, happy computer.

so no sock feet sliding around on a carpet with ram in your hand while wearing the fluffy sweater your mother in-law made you for Christmas.

[Clint1]

As I asked earlier.
Maybe he can't reply because he is banned?
HA!!! :lol: :roll: I didn't even notice that. Yeah, that would explain it. Weegillis?

[weegillis]

Funny. I never noticed that either, and I was even looking to see if there was a reply... Obviously, it wasn't me that banned him.

One supposes we're done here so this thread is closed.