Just because GRM is easier than searching, (pc content)

Friend of mine is have some trouble with her computer, walked her through a few steps earlier, and this is what I've got so far.

AMD Athalon, (SP?) 2.1 ghz 1 gig ram dell box/mo-bo

After 15 min of playing music through lime-wire, her processer usage goes to about 60-70 percent, and it goes into thermal shutdown after another 5-10 min of this. Windows xp OS. I had her replace the cooling fan on the cpu, as I just figured it was going, bad after all this time. but it's still doing it. any other thoughts? I'm at a loss.

What do you mean processor usage goes to 60-70%? Do you mean in Task Manager Limewire is pegged at 60-70%? Any idea what temps are being pegged before shutdown, generally that number has to be pretty damn high to cause a shut down. Athlons are max rated anywhere from 70-90 degrees C.

wow it's shutting down at 180f, I did get her to install a monitor to tell me that much, yeah, in task manager, it's showing 60-70% use after about 15 min or so.

Does it peg to that number with other applications? BIOS update probably won't help if its heatsink or dead fan. If you have a spare heatsink laying around swap one in.

Have her download Google Chrome or Firefox and try running the same program in the other browser.

I am having the exact same issue running certain sites with the latest Firefox updates. I have to run Facebook on Chrome but most other items will work on FF

autoxrs wrote: Does it peg to that number with other applications? BIOS update probably won't help if its heatsink or dead fan. If you have a spare heatsink laying around swap one in.

Brand new fan and heatsink, I'm stuck on this one, unless her cpu is bad.

John Brown wrote: Have her download Google Chrome or Firefox and try running the same program in the other browser. I am having the exact same issue running certain sites with the latest Firefox updates. I have to run Facebook on Chrome but most other items will work on FF

good old lime wire is a stand alone program, for dl'ng files and such, and it's what she uses to play her music, super important to her.

could it be a virus? Not really pc knoledgable but my last one died becaus of it.

Spinout007 wrote: her processer usage goes to about 60-70 percent, and it goes into thermal shutdown after another 5-10 min of this.

You should be able to look at the processes tab and tell us what is using that 60-70%.

Limewire makes it easy to download viruses onto your computer. I'd do some scanning with malwarebytes / avast / avg / your security software here.

Spinout007 wrote: lime-wire

Kia_racer wrote: could it be a virus? Not really pc knoledgable but my last one died becaus of it.

I think yes. Get rid of limewire. Nothing but viruses.

I think the issue is that it's going into thermal shutdown. Anything else is secondary. You should be able to max out a CPU and still provide about 50% more cooling than it needs to stay within its thermal limits.

You say that a new heatsink was installed. When it was installed, was the thermal goop replaced? Did it have a thermal pad that was removed? Is it possible that the heatsink has a thermal pad AND the CPU has a thermal pad?

Is your friend in G'ville, too? I'd be willing to take a gander at the computer for a 6 pack of Sam Adams. Any parts can be bought locally in G'ville for not a whole lot more than NewEgg.

Installing a heatsink without cleaning the CPU properly can produce those symptoms, as VanillaSky says.

I'd also check if the inside of the computer is dusty, it might not be the CPU that's the culprit - I've had a box shut down after a few minutes because the PSU fan had seized. Same thermal shutdown symptoms, different cause. And of course a CPU running at 60%-70% draws more current than one vaguely idling.

yeah, I am guessing an issue with the new heatsink/thermal paste.

Pull the CPU, carefully clean all the crap off both the cpu & the heat sink, get something like arctic silver and carefully apply.

Arctic Silver is so early 2000s (yes, I've got a tube as well).

Oh, and make sure you only put a little on - a lot of people put far too much compound on, which then acts as an insulator.

VanillaSky wrote: I think the issue is that it's going into thermal shutdown. Anything else is secondary. You should be able to max out a CPU and still provide about 50% more cooling than it needs to stay within its thermal limits. You say that a new heatsink was installed. When it was installed, was the thermal goop replaced? Did it have a thermal pad that was removed? Is it possible that the heatsink has a thermal pad AND the CPU has a thermal pad? Is your friend in G'ville, too? I'd be willing to take a gander at the computer for a 6 pack of Sam Adams. Any parts can be bought locally in G'ville for not a whole lot more than NewEgg.

worthington springs, I can prob snag her machine, in the next few days, and swing it by you. I dunno if she wiped the old off, but it had some on the bottom of the heatsink already.

Back when I used to borrow software from other people I had issues with utorrent. When it was going through specific routers it would bounce processor load to the point that the machine was useless. Something about it opening ports for traffic flow and then not being able to properly handle all that data. The overheating could be related to goop on the processor, power supply heat, or bridge fan failure which is not always separately monitored from the cpu fan.

It's either the heatsink/fan or the PSU.

93celicaGT2 wrote: It's either the heatsink/fan or the PSU.

+1 even a computer running at 100% load all the time (like when you're running a game) shouldn't go into thermal shutdown.

are they still AT/ATX or is there a new standard for PSU's? That's another one that has me wondering.

Make sure the case fan is running as well: mine died last year, causing overheating in a closed case. I now run with the side off and a small fan blowing in with no ill effects.

In reply to Spinout007:

There's ATX 20 pin, ATX 20+4 pin, ATX 24 pin, and ATX 24+4 pin. Most are designed in such a way that they are pretty much universal these days.

horry crap! man I've been outta the loop on this stuff way too long. I'm wondering if the old 450w PSU I've got sitting at the house, will be enough or even plug into her machine.