Seems like alot of folks come here for computer related advice so I figured I'd get in line.
I haven't tried to game on my PC for a few weeks now, and now when I try to do anything within 20 minutes the computer just shuts off even though the power light remains illuminated. It seems like the computer is fine so long as I don't use any 3d acceleration.
My computer is a compact model, (not my choice) so of course cooling is an issue. I tried setting up a small fan behind the computer blowing into it, but that only seems to buy me a few more minutes.
Is it definately a cooling problem? What options do I have in terms of fix it yourself. And if I have to buy a new fan for the unit what price am I looking it.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Try this free SMART program. Unless you're on Vista, you'll have to find another SMART program that runs on Vista.
It will show temp. of the disk drive, though not the CPU temp. IIRC.
Good luck! I almost bought a compact HP a few weeks ago, I'm glad I didn't. Not only do you get the temp issues, but upgrading is either difficult, expensive or impossible.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Do you have a graphics card in this computer?
My first suggestion would be to open up the case while the computer is on and make sure all fans are actually turning. Also, go buy a can of compressed air and dust the thing out. Since it's a compact, it's more than likely got a good bit of dust buildup happening, and dust causes even more problems in cramped spaces.
One other thing I would suggest is to avoid smoking around computers (if you smoke at all. I have no idea whether you do or not, but it is worth mentioning). The big problem with smoking is that the computer will often take in a lot of the smoke. Tobacco smoke has a whole lot of nasty sticky crap in it, and it can thoroughly coat the inside of a computer in very short order. The stuff that gets deposited is an insulator and severely diminishes the cooling ability of heatsinks and fans (It can also get inside the cracks of the fans and cause them to seize up). And it's really really hard to get clean.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
I would check to make sure you have the latest drivers for your video and audio card. I would also make sure you have the latest directx installed. It does sound like a potential temperature problem.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
I use Speedfan to monitor temperatures in my computer because it pulls temperatures from every sensor in the computer and not just the CPU. For starters, I'd open up your computer and clean out all the dust you can. Try running it with the case off and see if there are any fans that aren't spinning. And if it doesn't crash with the case off, or if it takes longer to crash, then that might also be an indicator that it's a heat problem.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I gave it a pretty good dusting and that has extended how long it can go without crashing, but I'll try to look at the fans.
My case does not come off per se, it opens up. I do have a graphics card but it does not have it's own cooling system.
I downloaded SpeedFan per Jon Boy's suggestion and it's finding my hard drive. It shows CPU usage but fans register as 0 RPM and there are no temperature readings. I might be missing something on the configuration.
I'll post more once I've had a look at the fans.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Sounds like your fan died, and it is shutting down with heat.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Yeah, that would be my guess, too. I had a video card do something similar. (Fortunately, the card had a good warranty.)
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
Our computer was having fan problems. We bought a $15 fan from a computer repair shop and no more problems.
Then my mom's computer was having fan problems. The same shop tried to fix it, ended up saying it would cost $200-$300 to fix with no guarantee. He fixed the fan problem but that was only the beginning. Mom's using our second computer now and either she'll get a new one next month or we will (and maybe let her have the one she's using).
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
quote:Originally posted by BlackBlade: I do have a graphics card but it does not have it's own cooling system.
What do you mean by that? Any graphics card you can get will have a heat sink at the bare minimum, and most will have a fan too.
quote:I downloaded SpeedFan per Jon Boy's suggestion and it's finding my hard drive. It shows CPU usage but fans register as 0 RPM and there are no temperature readings. I might be missing something on the configuration.
Speedfan is not the most intuitive program, and it can be kind of a pain to set up. Also, it depends a lot on what sensors your computer actually has. Ruth's laptop shows one fan speed and two temperatures. On my computer it shows up to six fan speeds and nine temperatures.
Also, is your graphics card ATI or Nvidia? I think both companies offer drivers or other utilities that will show the temperature of the card. That might be a little easier than trying to configure Speedfan.
Posted by scifibum (Member # 7625) on :
Just relating a situation I dealt with: my mom's computer was shutting down after a few minutes, even though the case was regularly blown out and all the cooling fans were working. Ended up checking the CMOS settings and the setting for CPU shutdown temp was low, like 60 Celsius. The spec for her CPU indicated it could run safely to about 90 Celsius (IIRC). Adjusted the shutdown setting to allow the CPU to go up to 85 C, and it worked fine after that.
Might be worth the time to check the specs for safe operating temperature and any related settings in your CMOS setup program.
(If the settings won't stick then maybe you need a new CMOS battery.)
But if you have fans that aren't turning that's far more likely to be the root problem.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Well the fan is not spinning, but is it supposed to all the time? In either case, I ran some 3d acceleration software and the fan didn't do anything. I mounted a small fan and opened the case, so for now I just have the fan blowing on it while I do anything 3D card related.
Do brand new fan units cost about $20?
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
Are you talking about the fan on the graphics card? Most likely it should be spinning all the time, though the speed may vary depending on whether you're doing 2D or 3D stuff. If it's not spinning at all even when you're doing 3D stuff, then there's definitely a problem.
The price of a new fan/heatsink assembly should be about $15 or more, depending on what kind of graphics card you have. Do you know what model yours is? I actually have an extra one that I could give you if it fits.