My new PC is overheating! How do I fix it?
Asked by
TechieTurtle27
I recently built my first PC, and I'm experiencing serious overheating issues with the CPU. After turning it on and installing Windows, the system keeps shutting down. At first, I didn't realize it was due to the CPU, but after touching it, I found that both the CPU and heat sink were extremely hot. Every time I start the PC, the CPU temperatures rise until it shuts off, even before I open any games—just browsing the internet causes the shutdowns. I've already re-applied thermal paste and checked that the AIO fans are working, and the pump seems operational too, so I'm unsure what's going on. I'm just using the thermal paste that came with the cooler. Am I applying it wrong? Do I need to get better paste, replace the cooler, or could it be a wiring issue? Here are the specs: CPU: AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D, Cooler: Thermalright Frozen Warframe ULTRA, Mobo: Gigabyte B850 EAGLE WIFI7, and more. Any advice would be appreciated!
Answers
It’s important to check if your cooler is mounted correctly. CPUs can feel hot under light loads, which is normal, but overheating can still occur. How far do you get during startup before it crashes? Are you monitoring the temps in the BIOS?
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Did you accidentally leave the plastic film on the bottom of the CPU cooler? Also, make sure the CPU fan is connected properly to the right fan port. Sometimes that’s an easy fix for overheating issues.
FreshBuildMaster: I went back to check, and it turns out I had the fan in the correct port but wasn't plugged in all the way. I missed a pin—thank goodness it wasn’t a costly mistake!
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Make sure to check your BIOS to see the temperature readings, fan speeds, etc. Also, it's a good idea to have your GPU in the top slot for optimum performance.
TechieTurtle27: I'm confused about the slots on my motherboard. It's in the PCIEX1_1 slot right now. Any guidance on where else it should go?
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GamerGuru92: I found out that the cooler wasn’t fully plugged in correctly—I missed a pin! Thanks for the pointers!