I recently built a PC with my dad, and I'm running into a strange issue. When I power it on, the monitor displays the BIOS for a few minutes before the whole system shuts down unexpectedly. I'm noticing that my chassis fan speeds are listed as N/A. I think it might be because I connected all three chassis fans using a splitter on a single header. My concern is that something might be overheating, which would trigger an automatic shutdown to protect the components. But is it even possible for the CPU to overheat just 20 seconds after powering on, especially while only in the BIOS? I'm quite new to PC building, so I'd appreciate any advice without being too harsh! If you need more details, just let me know.
3 Answers
You can typically check the CPU temperature while in the BIOS. Is it climbing quickly? If so, that’s a sign your cooler isn’t working properly. However, if it just shows as N/A, that might indicate a fan issue.
Your specs look like they should work fine together. Just make sure the cooler is connected correctly to the motherboard. Sometimes those connections can be a bit tricky. If you're uncertain about the other components, like the RAM, check to see if they’re seated properly in their slots—this can also lead to shutdowns.
I hope I didn’t mess up anything since we threw away the packaging!
It sounds like your CPU fan might be the culprit. Did you remove any protective plastic from the cooler? Also, you should check if the cooler is mounted properly—good contact is crucial for cooling. That could potentially be causing your CPU to overheat and shut down your system.
I did peel off the plastic on the liquid cooler. I'll ask my dad to help me tighten the mount, thanks!
My BIOS says the temperature is at 101°F. Is that normal?