I recently had to look at a computer that had started shutting itself down when it was being used for CPU-intensive tasks, in particular playing and editing videos.
The computer was unplugged and pulled out from under the desk, and you could immediately see that there was dust clogging the ventilation holes in the casing, and, once the case was removed, you could also see a build-up of dust inside the computer as well.
With a bit of luck, all that would be required to fix this computer would be a good ol' clean! And so I set about it. Before cleaning a computer yourself, I'd recommend reading at least one of these excellent guides as to how to do the job safely and properly...
- How to clean your computer
- How To Thoroughly Clean Your Dirty Desktop Computer
- How to Clean Your Computer Inside and Out
Once the computer had been thoroughly cleaned, it was switched back on and put through its paces. And that was job done, this particular computer was playing and editing its video files as well as ever.
It was reasonable to surmise that the huge amounts of dust that had accumulated in the computer, particularly on the CPU fan and heatsink, and in the case fans and ventilation holes, had been hindering the cooling of the CPU and causing it to overheat and then shut down.
Prevention is Better than Cure
This type of problem is easily prevented by giving your computer a regular clean. Just how regularly is detrmined, in large part, by the environment in which it is kept. Myself, I do this every four months, and I use my calendar app to remind me.
Even if your computer isn't shutting itself down, poor ventilation and subsequent overheating can cause a loss of performance. Most modern CPUs slow themselves down (known as "throttling") when they sense that they are getting too hot.
Monitoring Your Computer's Temperatures
You can install programs to monitor your computer's vital statistics. On my Linux systems, I use psensor which can show a real-time graph of various measurements, and (more generally usefully) can also issue desktop notifications when certain thresholds are exceeded.