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Subject: Overheating effecting ram?
By: Robinaldo (IP: 70.56.193.*)
Written on: 29-06-2005 04:03

I had some overheating problems recently - I have a 2.8 ghz P4, the compy would shut down on hot days, and eventually I had to use a desk fan blowing into the case to keep it from shutting down even when doing simple tasks. Playing games became impossible as it slowed to a crawl.

So, I bought a new Heatsink (Thermaltake, with the red fan) and installed it. Got a nice thin layer of thermal goo and everything. The old heatsink was horribly caked with dust, that seemed to be part of the problem. After installing the new sink, the computer would start up slightly - the CPU and Power supply fan would turn on, but the computer wouldn't start, not even beeping. I thought that perhaps I had jarred my RAM while installing the Heatsink (happened once before when installing a HD, had to replace the RAM) I went to the store and tried to return my RAM, they said it worked. I then thought I must have somehow ruined my processor in changing the heatsink... Then I tried putting the RAM in another slot. The computer started up fine then, and the performance was fast and terrific as it had ever been.

But now, the computer case is very hot, the air inside feels like it could be a good 80-95 degrees F, and I fear that it may start happening again. Even worse, I'm wondering if maybe it wasn't a CPU overheat that was causing the sluggish performance, but a RAM overheat. It would make sense, games ran so slow trying to move between rooms in a FPS or the Sims 2. I'm wondering if it could be that the constant heat burned out the RAM slot my RAM was in, and if this heat continues, that it could easily burn out the one its in now, requiring a new motherboard..

Judging by the advice given to other users, I'm guessing I should get an additional case fan to help blow out, or to blow fresh air in. I have yet to check what my BIOS says the CPU heat is after a lot of use, but I'll add that to this post soon.

Also, could I get an opinion on RAM heatsinks? I've seen them around the internet and I'm wondering if it would help protect my RAM from this happening again.

Thank you!
Robinaldo

Replies:

By: Robinaldo (IP: 70.56.193.*)
Written on: 29-06-2005 05:45

CPU Temp was good (58C), but the case temp was about the same as the CPU temp, though I don't know how accurate the meters are... The room was getting hot and the metal of the case was almost skin-burning.

By: Robinaldo (IP: 70.56.193.*)
Written on: 30-06-2005 16:19

I've installed a new case fan, quiet but powerful, and it syphons off the heat really well. I think my compy's gonna be okay, but I haven't retested tested the RAM slot... I imagine it's broken, because the slow performance occured even at startup without any heating...

By: davcefai (IP: 80.71.102.*)
Written on: 10-07-2005 21:47

There are a some things you need to check:
1. Somewhere towards the front of the case there should be air inlet vents. Are they clogged with dust?
2. Are all your slots at the back of the case closed? If not, blank them as air will flow in from there rather than from the front slots.
3. Examine the position of the ribbon cables. Do they allow easy airflow across the case. If necessary reroute them.

Essentially, look at the system and work out how the air is flowing. See case cooling article on this site.