Help, PC keeps freezing

[simonmd]

For no apparent reason, my PC keeps 'freezing'. Everything stops, display looks normal, the mouse pointer is on the screen exactly as it was but nothing will work, Ctrl+Alt+Del, Windows key, etc. The only way to get it going is by pressing the main reset button on the tower and rebooting. My display drivers are upto date and there are no viruses or spyware detected, any ideas?

[zeberdee]

Hi are you sure the CPU fan is working?

[simonmd]

Solved now, heat was the problem. Asked the same question on another forum and someone suggested checking the heatsink behind the fan for dust. Apparently this is a common problem when the CPU overheats and of course, it's working pretty hard when FS9's running!

Took the fan off the CPU and it was jammed full with dust and fluff. Nearly all the cooling fins were blocked. Cleared it out and have been on for over four hours without any glitches with FS9 running.  Happy bunny now!;D

To all reading this, i'd get your panels off and check yours.

[ctjoyce]

WARNING TO ALL!

When you take off your heatsink did you notice all the grey or white stuff on your sink and processer? That stuff is called thermal paste. Whenever you take off your sink that stuff needs to be replaced, and if you dont your not going to get correct heat transfer between the CPU and heatsink.

Cheers
Cameron

[simonmd]

Fortuneately, I didn't take it off. Just removed the fan and cleaed out the cooling fins on the H/S itself.

[Delta_]

If you can't remove your fan like me (because it is screwed in so tight), then a cotton wool bud stick, that is slightly damp works really well.

[ctjoyce]

Compressed air is also good for getting the dust off the heatsink.

Not its not. I just pushes the dust further into the sink, and also can blow it into RAM, PCI slots etc. Compressed air (PC Duster Gas) should only be used blowing from the bottom of the sink outward with the sink out of the PC.

Cheers
Cameron

[kipman725]

Best way of cleaning a heatsink is not to get it dirty in the first place by using a tight as a filter on the intake fan and keeping slight positive airflow in the case and not having more powerfull fans than are needed.

[ctjoyce]

Best way of cleaning a heatsink is not to get it dirty in the first place by using a tight as a filter on the intake fan and keeping slight positive airflow in the case and not having more powerfull fans than are needed.

Again not true. A front intake fan with a high CFM can do wonders for cooling the video card and your hard drives.
The rear intake fan should also match or excede the CFM of the intake. You want the airflow to be a very strong stream over your CPU / GPU and Chipset. As for those of us with windows, have your window fan a lower CFM (20~30 is fine) and have that blow out.

Cheers
Cameron

[Ivan]

my airflow is the following

Case and board: H700A bigtower with the early front panel connector (USB 1.1 and audio, no firewire), A8N-SLI board

Fan Spaces: one in the front, two at the back (above the connectors),  one on the right side behind the mobo chassis and another two behind the harddisk rack.

Intakes: some mesh grille at the back, both sideplates have perforations and the front has a bottom intake where the unlock handle for the plastic front thing is.

Current usage:
2x 8cm behind the harddisk rack. The outtake temperature gets to the same level as the PSU output, and sometimes higher. The air routing to these goes over the memory sticks as the PSU is right underneath

1x 8cm on the rear Mobo frame. this one came with the case. there is space for another one, that is closed with a piece of plastic
1x 8cm on the front position. Gets dirty quick...
And the big fan that is in my PSU

Temperatures
Average inside on near idle: 30C
Harddisks (2 of them in a rack that fits 4): around 25C but will go to 30 or so when having to work.
GPU (Asus EN6800 with ASUS designed cooler): 40C idle
CPU (AMD Athlon 3500+): around 35C idle, Cool-and-quiet enabled

And for the record... this one has NEVER overheated. Only time the CPU temp got in the red was when i had the cooler the wrong way around (didn't check if the ZIF handle cutout was on the right side). That processor survived and is now used in my development machine after having served well for some 2 years.