Computer Shutting Down By Itself?

Heat is a leading cause of damage to computer hardware. Computers produce a massive amount of heat during normal operation. The heat is dissipated using a variety of strategies, including heat sinks and fans. This allows the computer to work at a safe operating temperature. If computers overheat, they are prone to random restarts and shut downs. In the worst case scenario, an overheated computer will simply operate until the CPU is destroyed. At that time, its bye bye computer. Lets take a look at the most common reasons for a computer to overheat, and some strategies to help prevent a disaster

The CPU is the single most biggest heat producer inside your computer. CPU temperatures are kept under control by means of a heat sink and fan. The heat sink is a cube shaped chunk of metal with multiple fins on the top, and a flat bottom. These fins help dissipate and distribute the heat coming off the CPU. The flat bottom sits on top of the CPU. A fan sits on top of the heat sink, which blows cool air through the fins. This essentially “blows away” the heat and in turn keeps the CPU cool. So what we have here is a 3 layer sandwich. It looks like this:

Fan
Heat Sink
CPU

There are 3 main reasons why CPU’s overheat:

1) The CPU settings have been incorrectly configured at the BIOS level and the CPU is running way too hot. If you don’t know what the BIOS is, please pretend you never read this. If you are currently pretending you never read this, please do not worry about reason number 1; you absolutely positively have nothing to worry about

2) The CPU fan has died, or is in the process of dying. If the fan is not operating 100%, the heat will not be blown off the heat sink and the result is an overheated CPU. This is a relatively common problem.

3) The heat sink is clogged with dust, dog hair, and debris. The heat sink will not be able to do its job in this situation, therefore compromising the safety of the CPU. This is an extremely common problem.

How can you tell if your computer may have fallen victim to overheating?

-Your computer may be very hot to the touch. Specifically, on the right side of the tower (if you are looking at the computer from the front).

-The “sounds” coming from inside the computer tower change over time. It will get louder and noisier, or start to “rattle.” Conversely, the computer may be dead quiet and you will hear almost no noise at all. These scenarios indicate a dying fan, a dead fan, or a clogged heat sink.

-The computer restarts randomly, or shuts itself off. This is a safety feature built into the hardware. Some systems will shut themselves down when they reach a certain temperature to prevent any permanent damage.

What can we do to stop this from happening? Well, there are a couple of things you can do to help keep dust and debris out of your system.

-Keep your computer up off the floor to prevent rolling dust bunnies from being sucked into the computer.

-Make a habit of vacuuming around the computer tower, especially if you have pets.

Above all else, trust your gut instinct. If you are experiencing any of the symptoms listed above, call a professional computer technician. Have your computer hardware serviced on a regular bases to avoid problems with dying fans, or clogged heat sinks. It’s always better to be safe than sorry!