CPUs tend to heat up because of dried-out thermal paste and Insufficient heat ventilation. Besides this, the motherboard thermal detector on the socket can be dead and is not registering the appropriate CPU temperature. The all-time number one reason a CPU overheats is that there’s something wrong with the cooler. and 99% of the time, that’s going to be a fan attached to a heatsink. The fan can stop rotating – either because the fan is dead, the power has been disconnected or some poorly routed wires in the cabinet got caught in the fan blades. There are also chances that the cooling heatsink was poorly fitted, with too much or too little thermal paste, or the thermal paste itself has dried up and flaked away over time, leading to less heat being conducted away from the CPU. Here let us see the reasons for the CPU suddenly overheating.
Reasons: CPU Suddenly Overheating
CPUs can start overheating because of multiple reasons like the poor original design, clogged up cooling system – heatsink, fan, inlet/outlet vent, improperly applied thermal paste, improperly fit heatsink, Fan failure, Pump failure, and Coolant leakage (for water cooled machines), Over-volting during overclocking of CPU, Improper fan control settings, poorly done upgrades – e.g. CPU, Graphics cards, hard drives without taking into consideration if the existing cooling system is up to the job, and many more. So let’s see what are the major reasons that cause a CPU to overheat.
Failure of internal fans
PC components tend to generate a lot of heat when you use the machine for a long period. The cooling mechanism in a PC depends on the internal fans to control the amount of generated heat. Things aren’t bad if these fans are functioning smoothly and the temperature will just be within control. But, there are some issues with the fans and they start to malfunction then which can lead to severe overheating of the CPU. If the fans make a buzzing sound then replace them. You can also upgrade the PC hardware together with heat sinks to regulate the heat. External PC coolers can also serve the purpose. Here are some ways to ensure whether or not the fans are working properly:
- You will hear the fans making weird noises as soon as you turn on your PC
- Try to feel the vibration of the fans by placing your hands near the fan grills
- Look with a flashlight whether the blades of the fans are stuck or are moving smoothly
Dust and Dirt
Things like animal fur, dust, and smoke can jam the system fans that cause the CPU to overheat. If you are facing the same issue then take some time to clean the fans and even the heat sinks.If your case doesn’t have fan filters, purchase a case that does have one and move all of the internal to the new case or you can attach pantyhoses to the intakes of the case. These guidelines can help you clean the internal part of your computer.
- Shut down the PC completely and remove all the wires and cables
- Place the machine in a place where there is good lighting condition
- Remove the ATX cabinet
- Find a can of compressed air and clean the dust from the fans, ducts, and other parts of the motherboard
- You can use cotton swabs to clean excess dust gathered in tight spaces
Reapply thermal paste
Thermal paste often comes shipped not with the CPU, but with the CPU fan. The main reason for using a thermal paste is to make sure that the heat from the CPU isn’t hitting a thin, insulating layer of air as it makes its way out. You want to remove that heat as efficiently as possible. The specific heat of thermal paste allows heat to transfer better between the CPU and the heatsink plate/CPU block, therefore bringing down temperatures. So, without thermal paste, temps should rise making the CPU overheat. So always apply thermal paste on the chip to avoid overheating.
Overclocking
If you have overclocked your CPU then it will cause your CPU to require more power which leads to more heat generation which can cause them to overheat if your cooling isn’t sufficient. The cooling mechanism of a PC is meant for base performance and cannot handle overclocked hardware. Overclocking is safe. What is not safe is the excessive temperature in the CPU! Your CPU can be overclocked but you need to keep track of the temperature.
Close unnecessary browser tabs and programs
If you do multitasking a lot with a lot of apps open then your CPU will start overheating. You should try to close the active processes by launching the task manager and shut down those programs which are open in the background. Search which apps are not necessary and remove them. Bookmark tabs for later use and close those tabs which are not necessary. This will prevent the temperature from rising.
Junk files and bloatware
Our computer might have a lot of junk files as well as bloatware which holds unnecessary space in our computer. But besides these, they are also responsible for overheating your CPU. You should use a cleaner app like CC cleaner to get rid of duplicate files, junk files, and apps not used for a long time for a better performance of your machine.
Adjust your computer’s internal settings
The internal settings of your machine might get tampered with which might result in overheating. Your PC might need to be calibrated to reduce the system load that is causing the overheating. You can utilize the power-saving mode of your system or try to manually adjust the brightness of the screen. These small changes can reduce the excess heating.
Check for viruses and malware
If you think that viruses and malware can only slow down your pc, steals your data, and corrupts your files then you are wrong because, besides these, they also contribute to the overheating issue secretly. You need to use some tool that can detect this malware and remove them as well. Look for a good antivirus and install it on your pc.
Keep your software updated
Having a system with the latest OS and updated drivers and software highly boosts the performance of your machine. On the other hand, if you have outdated drivers and software, this might lead to overheating of your CPU as the system struggles to run smoothly. You should have a specialized tool for updating the drivers and software of your machine which can detect outdated software and drivers and suggest you the latest versions of them.
Demanding applications
Certain applications require high CPU usage and thus lead to overheating of the system. Video editing apps, 3d modeling apps, games, and antivirus software are very resource hungry and cause the CPU to overheat.
Blocked air vents
Every PC has an inbuilt cooling mechanism to drive the internal heat out of the machine to keep the system cool. Even if you have a properly configured cooling mechanism but the airflow is blocked, your machine starts to heat. Because of the blockage of the air vents in the cabinet, the hot air cannot get out resulting in accumulation of the heat and this raises the temperature inside. You need to remove the dust gathered in the vents once a month and this will solve the overheating issue to a great extent.
CPU Cooler not working properly
You must have noticed that the CPU is covered by a fan, a heatsink, and a layer of thermal paste that lets the heat produced in the CPU transfer into the heatsink and fan. If the CPU fan is malfunctioning then the CPU can overheat. If you observe this issue, you should get a new CPU fan. You can also remove the fan and heat sink and apply a fresh layer of thermal paste onto the chip and minimize the production of heat in the CPU.
Direct sunlight
If you are using your PC or laptop in direct sunlight then your device can overheat. This might be a simple thing but many of us ignore such things and keep searching for other issues. The internal cooking mechanism might fail to regulate the temperature caused by the sun’s rays leading to overheating of your machine. Even if your PC is an area that is too hot, the CPU can start to overheat quickly.
Conclusion
It is undoubtedly a matter worth worrying about if the CPU starts to heat all of a sudden. But you need to identify the problem within your machine by following all the troubleshooting tips that we discussed above. Normally when the CPU begins to heat as you perform heavy editing work or gaming, it starts to throttle as a part of its defense mechanism so that the CPU does not get damaged by the generated heat. You will observe frequent system lags as a result. So check for the internal fan and ensure their smooth functioning. Also, replace the thermal paste once a year to prevent sudden overheating issues.
