Your computer is beginning to experience a new issue where it abruptly shuts down after less than an hour of heavy utilization. You also notice that something is loose and bouncing around inside of the PC’s desktop case when it’s moved. What is the most likely cause of this shutdown problem?
A) A memory module has dislodged from the motherboard
B) The hard drive is beginning to fail
C) An adapter card is loose
D) The processor’s heat sink has detached from the CPU
E) The tiny computer people are bouncing around the case instead of doing their very important jobs
The answer: D) The processor’s heat sink has detached from the CPU
An abrupt shutdown after heavy utilization is often indicative of an overheating issue. There aren’t many parts that can come loose and bounce around inside of the case, so it’s reasonable to assume that a heat sink may have come loose from a component that needs the cooling.
 |
Want to know more? Watch “Cooling Systems.” A hot computer is an unhappy computer. In this video, you’ll learn show heat sinks, cooling fans, liquid cooling systems, and thermal compound are important to keep our computers running cooler and more efficiently. |