Computer heats up/shuts down, but have 3 fans on it.

[Dottonedan]

My son has a gaming Computer that heats up/shuts down after about an hour of use and have 3 fans on it.
2 are internal and the 3rd is a 9" fan blowing right on the side wall (with casing off) showing the guts.

It does not shut down during normal web surfing. Just during online gaming with big memory games.
Someone said maybe a power cord or source not on par for the needs.

Thoughts?

[sqslabs]

I'm guessing its a desktop computer and not a laptop since you have part of the casing off.  The power cord on a desktop is pretty standard and I'd be surprised if that's the issue, but you could swap it with another standard power cord and test that fairly easily.

Given the scenario, and that it is happening during heavy gaming, I'm thinking it's an overheating issue either with the main CPU or the graphics card.  Most computers these days will shut down once they reach a certain temperature, which can be set in the BIOS.  There is also software that can be downloaded free which can monitor the temps of various parts of the PC, and can be a good tool in finding out where the issue is before tearing the computer apart.  Most gaming PC's ship with this type of software, but if it isn't on yours let me know and I can point you in the right direction.  I'd recommend running that while the PC is under a heavy workload as a great way to isolate the problem.

Aside from that, check to ensure that the fans on both CPU and graphics card are fully operational.  If they are, and this is something that has popped up recently, my first look would be at the graphics card.  If there is an aftermarket fan on it, I'd check to ensure it is seated correctly and a proper thermal paste used.  If that looks good and the problems persist, I'd swap it out with another to see if it solves the problem.  If its a newer computer, I'd check the main CPU for similar issues with the fan and making sure it is seated properly. 

If all that checks out and the temps look good across the board, I'd then look at the power supply, which can be tested either using a power supply tester (about $20), or swapped out with a new one.  If your son added a larger or second video card recently, that could turn into a power supply issue if it was not upgraded at the same time.

Will keep an eye on the thread, let me know if there's any other way I can help out.

[Frog]

I would check for dust. How long since the last thorough cleaning?

Also, I guess that's why they sell liquid cooling devices as well as extra fans.
The hot set-ups playing the hottest games get hot! Whoodathunkit?

[blue moon]

computers are generally designed to be used with the case closed. It forces the air to the right places. Try closing it and see what happens.

pierre

[screenxpress]

I've been away from pc parts for a while, but from your description about failing after an hour of gaming, I'd check the video card for 2 things.  One a fan and if it has one, it there plenty of clearance (some of them big video cards are huge) around for lot of air to move.

[Northland]

Can't help you Dan... but on a side note, really heavy-duty gamers use immersion cooling to remove the heat from the CPU. The mother board is placed directly in a bath of heat transfer fluid that is much more effective than air cooling.

The Data Center I maintain is shown in the following video. My employer (3M) makes a class of heat transfer fluid that is super effective at removing heat. This has the potential to drastically change the way Data Processing is done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6ErbZtpL88

[Evo]

My son has a gaming Computer that heats up/shuts down after about an hour of use and have 3 fans on it.
2 are internal and the 3rd is a 9" fan blowing right on the side wall (with casing off) showing the guts.

It does not shut down during normal web surfing. Just during online gaming with big memory games.
Someone said maybe a power cord or source not on par for the needs.

Thoughts?

Need even more details.

What is the processor? Does it have a 3rd party cooling solution or is it stock cooling? Is the heat sink seated properly?
GPU? Is the GPU cooling stock as well?
How much RAM? Is the RAM cooled?
What is the brand and rating of the power supply?

Note on power supply units: most cheapo PSU's are very inefficient and rated far above their actually capability. Aside from a big GPU and proper cooling, the PSU is critical for overall stability in a machine. Starve the components for power and all kinds of issues can occur.

For reference, I've always trusted Antec cases and PSU's.

YMMV.

[ravenmark]

Double check that there is not a ton of dust and gunk in the fins of the heat sink (sits on top of main processor with fan on it.) Note: always ground yourself out on metal before touching internal parts to kill static electricity.

[GraphicDisorder]

My son has a gaming Computer that heats up/shuts down after about an hour of use and have 3 fans on it.
2 are internal and the 3rd is a 9" fan blowing right on the side wall (with casing off) showing the guts.

It does not shut down during normal web surfing. Just during online gaming with big memory games.
Someone said maybe a power cord or source not on par for the needs.

Thoughts?

I would be sure your graphic card fan is running or running at good speed, make sure its clean.  If its only doing it on games could be just the GPU having trouble. 

[inkman996]

3 fans is quite limited really. My gaming PC has 8 and liquid cooling. Having the side panel off is not recommended especially for a PC that is designed specifically for gaming. As already said search for the software that has temp monitors. If you can tell us more of the specs especially the MB brand and GPU brand we could help a lot more.

[jvanick]

Also, is he overclocking it at all?

Overclocking the CPU and/or GPU will cause them to heat up outside of the normal thresholds... you definitely need bigger/better heat sinks and fans if you're overclocking any part of the machine.

[Dottonedan]

I want to thank everyone for the feedback.  He was able to look at the power supply or maybe the cable "or something" and determine that he had a 350 rating on it and he read that most basics are now rated 500-750 or something like that...and then there are the ones that are beefed up for like 1000 or more.


So he's way behind the times and going to try starting with that. I guess it had something to do with working with his video card and wasn't up to par.  I'm sure you guys know what it is. I'm sure the others things mentioned should be done as well but we will have to let someone else give it a real close look and beef it up to standards, or he will rather.  All of this gave him some direction.


Side note.  All 3 fans are working fine. Mounted well, no slow down etc.  He's been looking for the download of that program to check where the heat is coming from. It might be the GPU also. Only affects it when playing large games. everything is virtually dust free. Very clean.  Two of the fans are stock and the 3rd is an add on. Then he has the fan. So 4 fans going total.

[Frog]

Yeah Dan, I was a little amazed when years ago, I first found out that the top of the line boxes weren't for graphic artists, but rather for gamers. Some of those video cards cost more than some complete systems! So that expensive performance comes with more than a high dollar price tag. They also suck power.

[Dottonedan]

Yea, they sure do.  I keep telling my son, ya know, you can actually make money using that computer rather than playing games all night.
He's not at that point yet I guess.


Here are some more specs on what he's running. I'm sure everyone will see big holes in the system that need upgraded. He got it at a pawn shop just to play games and doesn't have a bunch of $ to put into it.


Processor ADM Athlon 64x2 Dual Core 4400_3.306 GHZ
4 GM memory.
2 GB on Vid card. Nvidia GeForce GT 640


Running 64bit Vista

[Frog]

A machine like that probably has at least four fans stock. (and four places to keep especially clean)
CPU fan
GPU fan
PSU fan
Case fan