Computer (ICT equipment) heat related problems

Areas where excessive heat is produced

1. PSU
2. Processor
3. RAM
4. Chip-set
5. AGP
6. General heating problems inside and outside of PC case
1. PSU
Symptoms
Computer starts up very slowly
Computer freezes prior to loading OS
Computer loads OS and freezes immediately
Computer start-up loads OS but everything works extremely slow
Noisy PSU fan
Rattling PSU fan
Excessive heat at the rear of PC
Probable Causes
PSU fan not rotating at all
PSU fan rotating with lesser RPM(revolutions per minute)
PSU fan rotating normally but entire PSU is full of dust hence the cooling efficiency is
highly lowered
Remedies
Replace PSU with a replica one
Blow out the dust from the PSU unit
Lubricate PSU fan with WD40 to remove the debris
Apply silicon grease to the fan shaft
2. Processor
Symptoms
Computer freezes
Computer restarts without warning and would not turn on immediately until after a while
Computer never starts
Computer starts very very slowly
Probable causes
There are three causes for the processor overheating
Worn out thermal compound
-dried up hence no proper heat transfer to the heat sink
In-properly mounted processor cooling system
- spring mount screws not fixed properly
Blocked fins
- Dust has totally blocked air flow in the cooling fins
Fan related problems
- Not rotating to full RPM
1

- Fully stopped working

- Not connected or partially connected to the motherboard
- For a BIOS/Processor controlled fan, PC will not start if processor cooling fan
is not rotating.
Another problem is the thermister failure, this happens rarely. The processor temperature
control is done by PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) thermister. Once the heat
reaches the preset value the thermister will shutdown the PC immediately. A certain time
will be required to allow the cooling back to below preset temperature otherwise the PC
will not start
Remedies
Re-apply thermal compound
Lubricate and apply silicon grease to the fan shaft
Blow out the dust from the cooling fins
in the case of failed thermister, then replace motherboard
Fix mounting screws properly
3. RAM
Symptoms
No display
Blue Screen of Dearth
Blank screen after POST and BIOS
Applications runs very slowly or not opens at all
OS freezing
Probable causes
overheating RAM module
Remedy/solution/cure
Feel and replace overheating RAM module
If slot damaged replace motherboard or use other slots
4.Chip-set
Symptoms
No display or erratic display
Extremely slow in loading OS
Freezes OS
Drives don't work
Probable causes
Overheating North-bridge chip-set
Overheated south bridge chip-set
Remedies/solution/cure
For north-bridge chip-set replace its cooling system or replace motherboard
For south bridge chip-set replace motherboard
5. AGP
Symptoms
No display other functions of computer OK
Probable causes
AGP (Accelerated Graphic Port) overheated
2

AGP GPU (Graphic Processing Unit) cooling system not working

AGP RAM overheating
Remedies/Solution/Cure
Replace AGP
Perform preventive maintenance on the AGP cooling system.
Use inbuilt video card
6. General heating problems
In many cases the vent holes (blocks) and the case cooling fan (looses RPM) tend to loose
efficiency due long operation of the PC without Preventive Maintenance. This will result into
overheating inside the PC. The performance of the PC will be reduced and in some cases
electronic components such as capacitors will swell.
Generally the computer operating temperature ranges between 50 C to 80 C if it rises above
this value then the errors of these sort will appear, memory error, HDD read write error, video
problems and many more problems.
In general electronic components life depends entirely on its operating temperature such that a
little rise in temperature results in drastic fall of component life, where as a little temperature
fall from its normal operating temperature will extend the component life drastically.
Conclusion
In conclusion it is highly recommended that the computers (ICT equipment) be kept in a cool working
temperature, this in turn will result into reliability, longevity and good return of enterprise investment.