Help, I smell burning!

[Dimps]

My computer has been getting very hot recently (and all the quicker when my son is on Runescape), then everything freezes.

Help - techno fear!!

Dimps

[g a r]

Is the fan still still running?

(Maybe it needs a good internal dusting?)

g a r

[downside]

Hi Dimps

Do you really smell burning or are you exaggerating a little?

I would investigate the system requirements for the application your son is running to see if your current PC has enough resources to cope with it.  Windows comes with a few ways of monitoring the resources your computer is running.  If your press 3 keys together: Ctrl + Alt + Delete, it will bring up Windows Task Manager and you will need to scroll down until you come to your sons application and see exactly what it is consumming.

You can see how hot your computer is, by going into the BIOS setup.  If you close down Windows and click on the Restart button, then press F2 (or whatever key it is to get into your bios setup) and then check the temperature settings.

Another way of cooling down you computer is to take the side panels off of your PC and let the heat escape that way.  Shove a desk top fan next to it and and blast some air in if necessary.

downside

[Arquebus]

I agree with Downside....It 'sounds' to me as though the PC is trying to do too much......Although I would be wary of going into the BIOS if I wasn't an experienced user.

I use the Everest program to monitor the temperature, but I don't think it is a freebie anymore.

I think I would take the side off (keep your hands out when it is switched on) and see if the fans are running.....

There might be a lot of dust on the fan vanes.....a long handled paintbrush and a vacuum cleaner afterwards is what I use to clean them....obviously when it is switched off.

What age and specification PC are we talking about, anyway?

Al.

[Necromancer]

on some desktop PC cases, the side panels need to be on to effectively channel air from the small cutouts across the motherboard and memory etc .... so if you do remove them, keep a sharp eye open for hotspots developing ...

[Arquebus]

Good point mention....I wouldn't run it with the panels off, I just meant remove them for cleaning......And it all dpends on the make / type of PC as to where the fans are situated.

Incidentally, I believe that one PC manufacturer deliberately removes or disables the thermal sensor because the processer consistently runs hot, constantly shutting the PC down, so as to avoid too many returns, they disabled the sensor.

Also incidentally, processors cool down very quickly (unless it was terminal) so by the time you have switched off, switched back on again and accessed the BIOS, it will have lost several degrees.

Plus, AMD processors run at significantly lower temperatures than Intel Pentum processors.
At a guess I would expect to see a 2.3GHz Intel Celeron processor running at approx 35 to 37 degrees when idle, and between say, 47 to 60 degrees when working hard.
Intel Pentium D (960 Dual Core) seem to run at about 50 degrees when idle.
I can't tell you what the top limit is because, guess what? Mine caught fire.

Al.

[Nadine Moore]

I have an AMD Sempron processor and a fancy panel on the front that gives me CPU & system temperature. It's not a PC "make" but is a shop built PC.
If the CPU temp goes above 56 degrees, the damn machine beeps for about 10 - 20 seconds. This continues on and off until I turn it off for a while.
Should I see about getting a better fan on the CPU?

Nadine

[RJ_Paton]

Have alook at
http://www.heatsink-guide.com/content.php?content=maxtemp.shtml
for a guide to AMD operating temperatures.

Note, it is only a guide and if your machine is giving warning signals it could very well be an early indication of a pending fault.

[Nadine Moore]

Hi Falkyrn

Thanks for that link, looks quite technical so will read it when quieter.

I had the same problem last year, it only happens when the weather is hot, and eventually the PC did crash occasionally. I took it back to the shop and, as it was still in warranty, they checked it and found it was the power supply faulty.

Not certain if both problems were linked but may give them a call and see if they can come check it out for me just to be safe.

Nadine