Question 375 - 220-1101 discussion

The most likely cause of the failure is A. Thermal paste was not used.

Thermal paste, also known as thermal grease or thermal compound, is a substance that is applied between the CPU and the heat sink to improve the heat transfer and cooling of the CPU. Thermal paste fills the gaps and irregularities between the CPU and the heat sink, creating a better contact and reducing the thermal resistance .

According to some web search results , some signs and symptoms of not using thermal paste or using it incorrectly are:

• The CPU overheats and slows down or shuts down to prevent damage

• The CPU fan spins faster and louder to try to cool down the CPU

• The PC performance drops or becomes unstable

• The PC crashes or displays errors or blue screens

To fix this issue, the technician should apply thermal paste properly between the CPU and the heat sink, following these steps :

• Turn off the PC and unplug it from the power source

• Open the PC case and locate the CPU fan and heat sink

• Remove the CPU fan and heat sink from the motherboard

• Clean the surfaces of the CPU and heat sink with a lint-free cloth and alcohol

• Apply a small amount of thermal paste (about the size of a grain of rice) in the center of the CPU

• Reattach the heat sink and CPU fan to the motherboard, making sure they are aligned and secured

• Close the PC case and plug it back to the power source

The GPU needs additional power, the memory is insufficient, or the motherboard is incompatible are not likely causes of the failure, since they would not cause the PC to overheat and shut down after a few minutes. The GPU needs additional power if it has a high power consumption that exceeds the capacity of the power supply or the PCIe slot. The memory is insufficient if it cannot handle the applications or tasks that are running on the PC. The motherboard is incompatible if it does not support the CPU, RAM, or other components that are installed on it. These issues may cause poor performance, errors, or crashes, but not overheating and shutting down.