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Resolved Question

Is my mobo overheating ?

May 27, 2015 8:57AM PDT

Hi guys,
I've got an (very) old PC from 2008. After I dropped it somewhere for about 2 years or so, yesterday when my laptop broke, I remembered that I had this old rig. So I took it out and tried to boot from a linux live USB and to my surprise it worked like a charm.
However after a while I went on Youtube to watch some videos when suddenly it froze, completely. No mouse movement, no keyboard...nothing. First I thought the CPU might have been the culprit but no...then I checked the RAM (from the BIOS) it seems to be fine too. Then I installed Windows 7 on it. Downloaded SpeedFan and HWMonitor and went on Youtube again, while watching videos I noticed that one of the temperatures was constantly increasing, from 38 to over 60 and then the PC froze again at about 62. I believe it is the motherboards temperature since HWMonitor shows it as Motherboard temperature. Both SpeedFan and HWMonitor show the same temperatures so I guess the sensors are working fine.
So my question is could an overheating mobo cause a PC to freeze just like that or am I just guessing wrong? And if yes, is it somehow possible to prevent themobo from overheating or I need to run the fans at 100 just like I am right now?

Thanks in advance.

Discussion is locked

GeorgeBushOfTheHiddenRain has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Heat can cause it to freeze.
May 27, 2015 9:01AM PDT

Time for the canned air and thermal paste.
Dafydd.

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WoW...
May 27, 2015 9:06AM PDT

this was quick. I didn't expect an answer so fast.

Thermal paste on the CPU or is there any other place I can (should) apply it too?

Thnx for the fast answer.

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Google how to clean a pc and renew rhermal paste.
May 27, 2015 9:38AM PDT

It,s likely the fans/cpu are clogged with dust and fluff. Also the thermal paste should be renewed on all heatsinks. Plenty of guides on google. Bear in mind this is the cheapest fix at the moment. Try taking the side off and pointing a fan at it as a heat test.
Dafydd.

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OK
May 27, 2015 9:45AM PDT

Yeah, I did while I was waiting for your reply. Happy I'll do it tomorrow and see what happens.
Thank You.