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Computer help please - overheating and shutting down?

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teradaterada Frets: 5113
in Off Topic
Hi everyone,

Over the past couple of months my computer has been shutting down by itself, usually after very short bouts of gaming. I'll be maybe 10 minutes in, and then it will just go to a blue screen and say shutting down. If I restart immediately, it will get some way towards booting up and then shut down again by itself.

It is a really beefy computer though, so I'm surprised that it is doing it. At the moment it can't cope with age of empires 3, which is over 10 years old!

The computer is a 2017 alienware 17 inch laptop, with an i7 and gtx1060. 

I did some searching and downloaded HWinfo, which is showing me that my CPU temps look very hot, and have been hitting the high 90's while playing any game. I'm assuming that the computer shuts down when they hit 100, but by the time I boot back up and run HWinfo again the temps have cooled.

Any help would be massively appreciated, this was a crazy expensive laptop and it now seems to be a complete waste of cash.
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Comments

  • wibblewibble Frets: 1097
    First thing I would do is give the vents and fans a clean with a compressed air can or something like a rocket blower eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-GTAA1900-Rocket-Air-Blower/dp/B00017LSPI
    Take it apart for a proper clean.

    Does hwinfo or the bios show fan speeds? Make sure the fans are actually working properly.

    If fans are ok then I would think about applying some decent thermal paste to the heatsinks if  they did a poor job of applying paste (too much or too little)

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  • stickyfiddlestickyfiddle Frets: 26918
    Have you picked up some malware that mining bitcoin (or similar) in the background?
    The Assumptions - UAE party band for all your rock & soul desires
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  • fandangofandango Frets: 2204
    Some things to consider, but start with the fan.

    There’s a little app that can control the fan called Speedfan which should show you what the fans and related temperatures are doing. If the fans are not kicking in automatically, then you can set some parameters to overide the system settings. For an Apple Mac, the equivalent is Macs Fan Control.

    Then check physical connections, remove dust etc.

    If that doesnt work, it could be the motherboard. I had the same problem years ago on a new machine, and after several trips back to the manufacturer, they eventually installed a new motherboard under warranty.
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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10396
    Do you have pets? use the laptop on the bed ? ....you may find even if you don't the heat exchanger will be blocked at the point where it meets the fan. The only way to clean it properly is to separate the 2 parts and clean thoroughly with a small paint brush and a hoover 
    When you put it back together clean off the old paste before cleaning the areas thoroughly before re applying a decent brand of new paste ..... bear in mind the same heat exchanger  can often also touch on the GPU chip and chipset as well .... these often use pads rather than paste and these need to be in good condition to work

    Unfortunately putting an i7 chip and a powerful GPU into a laptop is a stupid idea as the current draw is way too high and everything just gets too hot which leads to the GPU's BGA joints to failing and a premature death to the laptop. Hopefully your's hasn't reached that stage yet but it will if things aren't kept cool enough
    www.2020studios.co.uk 
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  • equalsqlequalsql Frets: 6096
    edited April 2018
    wibble said: 
    First thing I would do is give the vents and fans a clean with a compressed air can or something like a rocket blower eg https://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-GTAA1900-Rocket-Air-Blower/dp/B00017LSPI
    Take it apart for a proper clean.

    Does hwinfo or the bios show fan speeds? Make sure the fans are actually working properly.

    If fans are ok then I would think about applying some decent thermal paste to the heatsinks if  they did a poor job of applying paste (too much or too little)

    This ^^^^
    Sometimes laptops collect so much dust you'd swear the accumulation was a custom filter installed by the manufacturer!

    (pronounced: equal-sequel)   "I suffered for my art.. now it's your turn"
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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4133
    I had a laptop die when one of the fans stopped working. It was on the GPU and didn't show in most usage. Then I played a game and the GPU melted. Which was crap.

    Also another thing it could be is the thermal paste going off between the CPU and cooler. I had this on a desktop machine. My temps were getting higher. Turns out my cooler was slightly loose and the paste had gone off. Re-applied some new paste, tightened the cooler, and all was well again.

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  • Winny_PoohWinny_Pooh Frets: 7763
    Get an aluminium stand that raises the body off the surface. 
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7332
    My Dell suffers from overheating positioned in certain locales and unless that exhaust went is100% clear or the fan not running optimum. So check that. Also, you may want to rethermal paste both your CPU and GPU.

    So after suffering from a de balled GPU circuit from excessive bouts of overheating, I replaced the motherboard and now have my Laptop sitting on a cake rack for added ventilation! Works a charm.

    http://www.ibilimenaje.com/images/productos/7808251.jpg


    <Vintage BOSS Upgrades>
    __________________________________
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113
    Thanks to everyone for the advice.

    Since yesterday I have now removed the bottom panel and removed dust from the fans and vents. Unfortunately it still hasn't resolved the issue.

    I've also copied down a couple of screengrabs taken from the HWinfo screen. Maybe these might help?

    HW info does let me manually alter the fan speed. So I also tried running the CPU fan at full (7000rpm), which has extended the time it takes to get reduce temps, but still with the same eventual fate!

    It is so surprising that a laptop designed specifically for gaming, can't cope with such a basic operation.

    How could I tell if I have picked something up? Would a complete reinstall of windows be a good idea?
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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113










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  • teradaterada Frets: 5113

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  • Emp_FabEmp_Fab Frets: 24260
    It’s possible that with extended periods of high CPU temps you could have dried out the heat sink compound between the CPU and the heat sink.  I see it regularly on servers.  The only fix in this case is disassembly, removal of the heat sink, cleaning it up and fresh compound.  Cheap as chips to do, but if you’re not experienced at laptop disassembly I recommend you try to find a video of how to do it to your particular model or take it to someone who can do it.
    Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on mine.
    Also chips are "Plant-based" no matter how you cook them.
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