One Simple Rule For Sudden System Shutdowns

In my many years of uh, *ahem* "computing" I have learned one thing: 90% of sudden system shutdowns are caused by overheated processors (including video processors). There are other causes, of course. PSU failure, malware infection, corrupted OSes, even corrupt or failing hard drives. But by and large an over heating CPU is the culprit. What many people or websites won't tell you is that every 1 or 2 years the fan and heatsink should be removed form your machine for a thorough cleaning and a fresh layer of thermal paste. Heatsinks get dirty and thermal paste dries up. If the condition isn't caught quickly, your processor will become Post Toasties. A little heat won't cause your cpu to die completely, but it will damage it to the point of unreliably processing data. This leads to corrupted operating systems, data errors, blue screens, network failure, partial screen display, among others. These problems can appear in virtually any part of your system and are difficult to pin down, if you don't know where to look. If left alone, it will render your whole system useless. To find out the operating temperatures of your cpu, look up your processor's white papers on the manufacturer's website.

Here are some things you can do to keep an eye on your processor's temperature to safe guard against this problem:

• Install a heat sensor unit. If you know your way around a system, they are not too difficult to install. You can check the temps of your cpu, mobo, hard drive, video processor, or whatever you choose to monitor.
• Install software that monitors system SMART data. For Windows users there's Speedfan. A free monitoring tool for your computer. Linux users can configure Conky to montior a myriad of system information.
• Regular dusting. Every 3 - 6 months you should power down, crack open the case and clean out the inside with compressed air. For heavy dust accumulations on the case, a damp (not dripping) rag will do the trick. Avoid getting any exposed components wet. If this happens, let the component dry completely before powering up. Refrain from using anything containing alcohol, or household chemicals in general.
• Annual disassembly. This includes removing the mobo and cleaning behind it, cleaning off and re-applying thermal grease, cleaning system fans, heat sinks, PSU, video processor(s) and around drives.

If you follow these recommendations, you will greatly reduce the likelihood an overheated processor will ruin your computing experience.