I've been dealing with overheating issues on my PC for the past few months and have already replaced the power supply, motherboard, and thermal paste. Recently, I reinstalled Windows to fix some driver problems, but since then, my CPU has been overheating and shutting down within just a few minutes of gaming. I also noticed that my CPU fan has a broken blade, but I didn't think that would be a problem. I tried adjusting the power plan, reapplying thermal paste, checking BIOS settings, and reseating components, but nothing seems to work. Here are my specs: 12th Gen Intel Core i5-12400, 16GB DDR4 RAM, and Radeon RX 6500 XT GPU. Any ideas on what might be causing this?
3 Answers
This sounds more like a hardware issue than a software one. If your CPU is shutting down in just a few minutes when under load, it's likely that your cooling isn't functioning properly. Make sure the cooler is mounted securely and check that the fan is spinning and ramping up in speed. Also, double-check that you removed any protective film from the cooler. A broken fan can cause major airflow problems, so it's a good idea to replace that fan before anything else.
I've had my share of trouble with CPU cooler brackets, too. I recommend taking the motherboard out of the case and reattaching the cooler carefully. Test the fit without thermal paste first; if it feels loose, that's going to be a problem. Also, back in the day, thermal paste wasn't as critical as it is now, so make sure you're using a quality paste and not too much of it, as that can create issues too.
It seems a bit odd that you fixed many things but haven't replaced the broken fan blade. That's like fixing the engine of a car but ignoring the flat tire! The broken blade could very well be the root of your overheating problems, especially since you mentioned it was fine until recently.
Yeah, you definitely need to address that fan. If the cooling isn't operating at full capacity, all your other fixes might not make any difference.