Help! My PC is overheating and shutting down

[JB]

I have a homebuilt PC -- it has a 300W power supply. In the past week,
the PC has shut down unexpectantly while I've been working (yes, I've
lost work...). I think it is the power supply fan, but I'm not sure.
How can I find out? After it shuts down, I have tried turning it on
again and it emits a long sustained beep. Then, if I leave it off for
a while, I can turn it back on. What makes me think it's the power
supply fan is that the PSU is the thing that's very very hot. Should I
replace the power supply? IS there something else I should be looking
for? Send replies to (e-mail address removed) if you have some quick
advice...

- JB

 

[Will Dormann]

I have a homebuilt PC -- it has a 300W power supply. In the past week,
the PC has shut down unexpectantly while I've been working (yes, I've
lost work...). I think it is the power supply fan, but I'm not sure.
How can I find out? After it shuts down, I have tried turning it on
again and it emits a long sustained beep. Then, if I leave it off for
a while, I can turn it back on. What makes me think it's the power
supply fan is that the PSU is the thing that's very very hot. Should I
replace the power supply? IS there something else I should be looking
for? Send replies to (e-mail address removed) if you have some quick
advice...

You should very easily be able to use your eyes to determine if the
power supply fan is working or not.

Most computers have a "PC Health" section in the bios where you can
check up on temperatures and fan speeds.

MBM5 will also do the same while in Windows.



-WD

 

[jeff findley]

I have a homebuilt PC -- it has a 300W power supply. In the past week,
the PC has shut down unexpectantly while I've been working (yes, I've
lost work...). I think it is the power supply fan, but I'm not sure.
How can I find out? After it shuts down, I have tried turning it on
again and it emits a long sustained beep. Then, if I leave it off for
a while, I can turn it back on. What makes me think it's the power
supply fan is that the PSU is the thing that's very very hot. Should I
replace the power supply? IS there something else I should be looking
for? Send replies to (e-mail address removed) if you have some quick
advice...

If it's not the power supply fan, it sounds like the power supply is
overheating for other reasons. What's in your PC? Have you added any
new components recently? My boss at work ran into this issue (minus
the shutting down). His solution was a new case that contains a much
bigger power supply. I think he's upgrading from an old 300W to 450W
supply. He recently added another PCI card, and noticed the power
supply was blowing air "hot enough it felt like a hair dryer on
high".

Jeff

 

[jeffc]

I have a homebuilt PC -- it has a 300W power supply. In the past week,
the PC has shut down unexpectantly while I've been working (yes, I've
lost work...). I think it is the power supply fan, but I'm not sure.
How can I find out? After it shuts down, I have tried turning it on
again and it emits a long sustained beep. Then, if I leave it off for
a while, I can turn it back on. What makes me think it's the power
supply fan is that the PSU is the thing that's very very hot. Should I
replace the power supply?

Well, the easy answer is that power supplies should never run "very very
hot". But I guess it depends on your definition of that. It's easy to
stick your ear there and tell if the fan is running. If it isn't, replace
the fan. But a new power would be the best choice.

 

[jo]

my computer used to shut itself down to prevent the cpu chip from
overheating.... (amd xp 2100, w/ asus a7v333) perhaps your heatsink has
bad contact and thus your cpu is overheating too....

josh