It might probably really feel jarring to restart your pc and see an error message as an alternative of your pc’s beautiful login display screen. Worse, when that error message is one in all these scary ones:
Ah, the dreaded “CPU Over Temperature Error.” Don’t fear (an excessive amount of). It sounds rather a lot worse than it really is. Your PC is unlikely to burst into flames, nor are you (in all probability) coping with a serious concern. It’s an annoyance at finest, and one which may put you out of fee for a small period of time, however odds are good that all the things is totally positive along with your system.
Why you shouldn’t fear a few CPU temperature error
There are many regular causes this notification can seem. Your pc’s cooling configuration won’t be excellent, for instance. Perhaps your CPU cooler’s fan has collected plenty of mud and gunk, or it’s simply not spinning very properly (or in any respect). Maybe your case has constructed up a bunch of crap that’s preserving it from sucking in cooler air or blasting out hotter air. Perhaps it’s summertime and your room is a stifling 80 levels and your system is operating just a little hotter usually.
I see this error every now and then once I reset my desktop PC after some heavy gaming. My system isn’t melting—I do know that—however the ambient temperature inside my case is hotter than regular, which ends up in worse cooling efficiency, which ends up in my motherboard assuming that my system is booting at an alarming temperature.
G/O Media could get a fee
It’s proper. It would be alarming if my CPU’s temperature sensor detected scorching scorching warmth if I had simply began up my PC after letting it sit dormant for hours (or in a single day). However your system doesn’t have context for temperatures; it merely stories what it reads and alerts you when a determine is exterior the norm.
So, if this situation applies to you, you may safely hit “F1″ to “run setup,” which dumps you into your motherboard’s BIOS. Shut out of that to reset your system such as you repeatedly would, and you need to be capable to boot into your working system with none concern. For those who’re nonetheless receiving temperature notifications, energy your system down, wait a couple of minutes, and let ‘er rip as soon as once more. Your pc ought to be capable to deal with a traditional boot (and regular use) with out providing you with any warnings.
When to fret a few CPU temperature error
In case your desktop pc freezes or crashes randomly, and also you see this error message seem regardless that you spent the previous hour doing one thing benign like looking your favourite web site or taking a look at pictures, I’d be barely extra involved. For those who aren’t taxing your system—which you’ll be able to examine by pulling up Home windows’ Job Supervisor to see if something is consuming up your CPU’s sources—you then might need a secondary drawback to handle.
I already teased the troubleshooting I’d do, nevertheless it bears repeating. Assuming that there’s nothing defective along with your CPU or motherboard, it’s doable that your CPU’s cooler simply wants a superb de-dusting. Unplug your pc, hit the ability button to discharge any remaining voltage, and use a can of compressed air (or a extra Earth-friendly electrical air pump) to rigorously blow mud off your CPU cooler.
Use a pen or another device to make sure the fan’s blades don’t spin round like loopy. You’ll make much less of a multitude and spray much less mud into your system’s insides when you take away the cooler first, however when you don’t know the right way to put one again on, otherwise you’re apprehensive about it, don’t. And don’t do that:
You may also clear off the blades of your cooler’s fan with a cotton swab and a few 99% rubbing alcohol, like I previously demonstrated here. For those who can, be sure you get the swab (or some air) between the heatsink fins.
Whilst you’re in cleansing mode, undergo and examine to be sure that the remainder of the followers in your case are dust-free. If not, clear them as properly. And go searching your desktop’s case to be sure that any consumption vents aren’t lined in mud. In that case, eradicate it.
For those who’re nonetheless having points, you may have to reapply extra thermal paste to your CPU. You seemingly don’t have any readily available, so that you’ll have to select some up. When you do (and please don’t use Nutella), right here’s an excellent, fast tutorial for making use of it to your CPU. Keep in mind: A bit of goes a great distance.
In any other case, it’s also possible to attempt updating your motherboard’s BIOS (to verify it’s studying temperatures appropriately) or resetting it to its manufacturing facility default settings, simply in case. Take a look at your CPU whereas it’s operating to verify its cooler’s fan spins at an inexpensive velocity—if not, you might need to exchange it. You may also attempt reseating your CPU on its socket, or you may attempt reattaching all the cooler once more (and, if it’s an aftermarket cooler, tightening it just a little bit).
