Even more troubling is the situation of overheating Motherboard since fans and heat sinks are constantly cooling it. There might be several reasons, from simple dust accumulation to faulty circuitry, for the excessive temperature rise of Motherboard. But you do not have to worry about it. You can easily fix most of these issues and bring your system back to normal. In this guide, we are going to provide you with the most probable cause for an overheating motherboard and the ways to fix it.
Why is My Motherboard Overheating?
It is quite normal for the processor to heat up. But when you get an alarm that your motherboard’s overheated, it might cause your head to itch. It is very uncommon for a motherboard to overheat. But it is not impossible. There are several causes for it to exceed normal temperature. Let’s look at a few of them.
Dust Build Up
One of the most basic issues is the accumulation of dust over the motherboard. We just clean the casing from the outside and forget that the inner portion might also be contaminated. When the dust stockpiles on the board, it might clog the pores on the heat sink, or prevent the fan to function well. This can result in inefficient cooling and the motherboard might start overheating.
Faulty Fan
Your computer has at least 2 fans to provide a cooling effect even if it is a basic one. One fan is assembled over the processor to cool it down. Another one lies on the back of the casing which lowers the temperature of the whole system as a whole. If the fan at the back is not working properly, then the motherboard can overheat. Faulty wire, improper or loose connection, or a damaged fan can all be the reasons for it.
Lower or Excess Number of Fans
As we mentioned earlier, every system has at least two fans which might not be sufficient. If you are a heavy gamer or use power-hungry programs, then these two fans will not be enough to cool your PC. You will need a casing that can accommodate more fans and all the fans should be functional. Similarly, if the number of fans is excessive and airflow is not managed in a proper way, then it might also result in improper cooling. The cross breeze from each fan might interfere and your motherboard will not receive the required cooling effect.
Heated Room
If you leave in a place with a hotter climate or have a relatively warm room, then you are not the only one to suffer. The fans, how efficient they are, will only circulate hot air back to the motherboard. Hence, the internal components can overheat during use in such conditions causing the Motherboard to increase in temperature.
Overclocking Your Processor
If you love tweaking your system’s setting and have overclocked your PC to make it faster, then it can be the reason for your motherboard’s overheating issue. Your system might not be built to handle the extra effort needed for overclocking. It might cause several parts to raise the temperature, hence causing motherboard to overheat.
Faulty Power Supply Unit
A faulty power supply unit or PSU can cause several problems in a system. It might overheat itself, cause the connectors to get damaged, and raise the temperature of the motherboard. If the connectors are also not in proper health, then it could have short-circuited some parts. This will eventually result not only in overheating but also total damage to the motherboard.
Compact Casing
If you have chosen a smaller casing to accommodate your computer’s hardware, then it can also be the reason for the higher motherboard temperature. A compact casing cannot provide enough circulation of air by a fan. You must have felt a laptop is hotter than a desktop. It is due to its compactness. If you have such a casing, then it can heat up the internal components and hence the motherboard.
Incorrect Reading
If you received the alarm for a higher motherboard temperature from the app on your PC, then it might be just that the program has malfunctioned. The program might have been damaged by some bug and showed incorrect reading.
Damaged Heat Sink or Broken Circuitry
Sometimes, the problem might be bigger than expected. The electronic circuit inside the motherboard could have been damaged. Or, the heat sinks provided in the motherboard might be physically broken. If the thermal padding and paste in the sink are broken and insufficient, then the motherboard is bound to overheat. Now that we have known the cause of the problem, let’s move on toward its detailed solutions.
How Do I Fix An Overheated Motherboard?
As you learned the causes, you must have realized that most of the problems are easily fixable. Your computer just needs a bit of care from you and it can be good as new. We are now going to learn how to fix the motherboard overheating issue without any delay.
Clean Your PC Thoroughly
If you see dust accumulated inside your CPU casing once you open it, then it is now time to clean the system properly. You will find an effective way of cleaning the CPU casing below. I would not recommend doing this process yourself if you are a laptop user. You might cause more damage to it. You should reach out to the nearest service point to clean a laptop. Cleaning clears the pores and help the heat sink and fan work properly and it will prevent your motherboard from heating up. If it does not work, let’s go through another solution.
Replace and Add Optimum Number of Fan
Another cause of overheating motherboard we mentioned earlier was the fault in the cooling fan. If you found that your fan is not working as it should, you need to repair or replace it right away. You will see the process to do it below. While connecting the fan, you should consider your computer use as well. If you are a heavy user, then you have to procure a casing that can accommodate more fans in it. Furthermore, you should also not exceed the fan so that the air from all fans gets jumbled and does not work at all. You should put the fans in such a way that some fans pull the air into the system from one end and remaining blows the air out from the other end. This will create an excellent cooling effect and will help your motherboard cool down. Check if the issue has been resolved.
Maintain Room Temperature and Use Open Area
As we talked about the effect of room temperature, you should not use hot rooms to operate your system. Similarly, your computer requires proper ventilation to function without heating more than the limit. If the room is hot, then the CPU fans will circulate the same hot air and it will cause no difference. If you cannot obtain more fans, then it is better to open both covers of the casing for proper ventilation. So, you can solve the issue by following the instruction below. This will provide supply of cooler air and will eventually cool down your motherboard. We would also recommend using a bigger casing with enough space and more fan accommodation in it instead of a compact one. If you are a laptop user, you should use a hard surface to place its bottom so that airflow can occur properly. You should not use soft surfaces such as a bed to operate the PC. Examine whether the problem has vanished. If not, then let’s move on to another fix.
Stop or Lower Overclocking the System
Overclocking demands a huge amount of power from the system. You should be sure that your PC can handle the requirement of overclocking. If the system is not capable to overclock, then you should revert the settings back to normal. Let’s follow the way to set your settings to default. Inspect if disabling overclocking function prevents the motherboard from overheating.
Change the Power Supply Unit and Damaged Hardware
A faulty PSU can do more harm than good. If you were experiencing a sudden restart or power off in your system along with overheating, you might have a faulty PSU. You should consider changing the Power Supply Unit and replacing it with a good one. Furthermore, you should also change the damaged hardware if replaceable. Please follow the steps to change your PSU. Check to see if the problem is still there.
Change the Thermal Paste
Have you seen the back of your processor? If you are a desktop user, you might have found white paste under the processor or even other hardware. This paste is called the thermal paste which regulates the temperature of the hardware. Your system will be accompanied by such paste from the start. However, it will begin to vanish and your processor or hardware will start to heat. Hence, you should change the thermal paste if such a heating issue occurs. You just need to disconnect the power, disassemble the hardware and apply the paste. For applying the thermal paste to your processor, please follow the procedure below. Run your computer for a while and see if the problem is resolved.
Update Your BIOS Settings
Sometimes the BIOS might have bugs in the version you are using and it might be causing the board to not function well. Your motherboard manufacturers provide updates to fix such bugs and the next update might solve them for you. You should opt for a BIOS update in this situation. But, remind you, updating BIOS is very risky and it can break your PC permanently. However, you do not have to worry. You can find the several safest way to update the BIOS in this comprehensive guide. After you complete the update, ensure the problem has been solved.
Use a Cooler
If the motherboard still heats up more than the threshold, you can always use a cooler or cooling pad for a laptop user. Procure the best cooling pad available in your vicinity and place it under your laptop while working.
Check the Temperature Measuring Application
Are you sure that your motherboard is really overheating? If you are on a desktop, then you can simply touch the motherboard after you get the alarm. However, in laptop, it is quite difficult to know if the board is really overheating. It might be hot the normal amount and the temperature measuring application on your system may have given a false alarm. You should consider seeing if the application is working properly or not. Troubleshoot the app or simply disable and re-enable it. You can also uninstall and re-install the application if your system allows it. Finally, see if the application shows a similar higher temperature or not. If nothing works out, then you probably have broken heat sinks or faulty circuitry or got a damaged product from the seller. If this is the case, you should visit the nearest service center to fix the issue.
title: “Is Your Motherboard Overheating 9 Ways To Fix It” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-12” author: “Robert Padilla”
Even more troubling is the situation of overheating Motherboard since fans and heat sinks are constantly cooling it. There might be several reasons, from simple dust accumulation to faulty circuitry, for the excessive temperature rise of Motherboard. But you do not have to worry about it. You can easily fix most of these issues and bring your system back to normal. In this guide, we are going to provide you with the most probable cause for an overheating motherboard and the ways to fix it.
Why is My Motherboard Overheating?
It is quite normal for the processor to heat up. But when you get an alarm that your motherboard’s overheated, it might cause your head to itch. It is very uncommon for a motherboard to overheat. But it is not impossible. There are several causes for it to exceed normal temperature. Let’s look at a few of them.
Dust Build Up
One of the most basic issues is the accumulation of dust over the motherboard. We just clean the casing from the outside and forget that the inner portion might also be contaminated. When the dust stockpiles on the board, it might clog the pores on the heat sink, or prevent the fan to function well. This can result in inefficient cooling and the motherboard might start overheating.
Faulty Fan
Your computer has at least 2 fans to provide a cooling effect even if it is a basic one. One fan is assembled over the processor to cool it down. Another one lies on the back of the casing which lowers the temperature of the whole system as a whole. If the fan at the back is not working properly, then the motherboard can overheat. Faulty wire, improper or loose connection, or a damaged fan can all be the reasons for it.
Lower or Excess Number of Fans
As we mentioned earlier, every system has at least two fans which might not be sufficient. If you are a heavy gamer or use power-hungry programs, then these two fans will not be enough to cool your PC. You will need a casing that can accommodate more fans and all the fans should be functional. Similarly, if the number of fans is excessive and airflow is not managed in a proper way, then it might also result in improper cooling. The cross breeze from each fan might interfere and your motherboard will not receive the required cooling effect.
Heated Room
If you leave in a place with a hotter climate or have a relatively warm room, then you are not the only one to suffer. The fans, how efficient they are, will only circulate hot air back to the motherboard. Hence, the internal components can overheat during use in such conditions causing the Motherboard to increase in temperature.
Overclocking Your Processor
If you love tweaking your system’s setting and have overclocked your PC to make it faster, then it can be the reason for your motherboard’s overheating issue. Your system might not be built to handle the extra effort needed for overclocking. It might cause several parts to raise the temperature, hence causing motherboard to overheat.
Faulty Power Supply Unit
A faulty power supply unit or PSU can cause several problems in a system. It might overheat itself, cause the connectors to get damaged, and raise the temperature of the motherboard. If the connectors are also not in proper health, then it could have short-circuited some parts. This will eventually result not only in overheating but also total damage to the motherboard.
Compact Casing
If you have chosen a smaller casing to accommodate your computer’s hardware, then it can also be the reason for the higher motherboard temperature. A compact casing cannot provide enough circulation of air by a fan. You must have felt a laptop is hotter than a desktop. It is due to its compactness. If you have such a casing, then it can heat up the internal components and hence the motherboard.
Incorrect Reading
If you received the alarm for a higher motherboard temperature from the app on your PC, then it might be just that the program has malfunctioned. The program might have been damaged by some bug and showed incorrect reading.
Damaged Heat Sink or Broken Circuitry
Sometimes, the problem might be bigger than expected. The electronic circuit inside the motherboard could have been damaged. Or, the heat sinks provided in the motherboard might be physically broken. If the thermal padding and paste in the sink are broken and insufficient, then the motherboard is bound to overheat. Now that we have known the cause of the problem, let’s move on toward its detailed solutions.
How Do I Fix An Overheated Motherboard?
As you learned the causes, you must have realized that most of the problems are easily fixable. Your computer just needs a bit of care from you and it can be good as new. We are now going to learn how to fix the motherboard overheating issue without any delay.
Clean Your PC Thoroughly
If you see dust accumulated inside your CPU casing once you open it, then it is now time to clean the system properly. You will find an effective way of cleaning the CPU casing below. I would not recommend doing this process yourself if you are a laptop user. You might cause more damage to it. You should reach out to the nearest service point to clean a laptop. Cleaning clears the pores and help the heat sink and fan work properly and it will prevent your motherboard from heating up. If it does not work, let’s go through another solution.
Replace and Add Optimum Number of Fan
Another cause of overheating motherboard we mentioned earlier was the fault in the cooling fan. If you found that your fan is not working as it should, you need to repair or replace it right away. You will see the process to do it below. While connecting the fan, you should consider your computer use as well. If you are a heavy user, then you have to procure a casing that can accommodate more fans in it. Furthermore, you should also not exceed the fan so that the air from all fans gets jumbled and does not work at all. You should put the fans in such a way that some fans pull the air into the system from one end and remaining blows the air out from the other end. This will create an excellent cooling effect and will help your motherboard cool down. Check if the issue has been resolved.
Maintain Room Temperature and Use Open Area
As we talked about the effect of room temperature, you should not use hot rooms to operate your system. Similarly, your computer requires proper ventilation to function without heating more than the limit. If the room is hot, then the CPU fans will circulate the same hot air and it will cause no difference. If you cannot obtain more fans, then it is better to open both covers of the casing for proper ventilation. So, you can solve the issue by following the instruction below. This will provide supply of cooler air and will eventually cool down your motherboard. We would also recommend using a bigger casing with enough space and more fan accommodation in it instead of a compact one. If you are a laptop user, you should use a hard surface to place its bottom so that airflow can occur properly. You should not use soft surfaces such as a bed to operate the PC. Examine whether the problem has vanished. If not, then let’s move on to another fix.
Stop or Lower Overclocking the System
Overclocking demands a huge amount of power from the system. You should be sure that your PC can handle the requirement of overclocking. If the system is not capable to overclock, then you should revert the settings back to normal. Let’s follow the way to set your settings to default. Inspect if disabling overclocking function prevents the motherboard from overheating.
Change the Power Supply Unit and Damaged Hardware
A faulty PSU can do more harm than good. If you were experiencing a sudden restart or power off in your system along with overheating, you might have a faulty PSU. You should consider changing the Power Supply Unit and replacing it with a good one. Furthermore, you should also change the damaged hardware if replaceable. Please follow the steps to change your PSU. Check to see if the problem is still there.
Change the Thermal Paste
Have you seen the back of your processor? If you are a desktop user, you might have found white paste under the processor or even other hardware. This paste is called the thermal paste which regulates the temperature of the hardware. Your system will be accompanied by such paste from the start. However, it will begin to vanish and your processor or hardware will start to heat. Hence, you should change the thermal paste if such a heating issue occurs. You just need to disconnect the power, disassemble the hardware and apply the paste. For applying the thermal paste to your processor, please follow the procedure below. Run your computer for a while and see if the problem is resolved.
Update Your BIOS Settings
Sometimes the BIOS might have bugs in the version you are using and it might be causing the board to not function well. Your motherboard manufacturers provide updates to fix such bugs and the next update might solve them for you. You should opt for a BIOS update in this situation. But, remind you, updating BIOS is very risky and it can break your PC permanently. However, you do not have to worry. You can find the several safest way to update the BIOS in this comprehensive guide. After you complete the update, ensure the problem has been solved.
Use a Cooler
If the motherboard still heats up more than the threshold, you can always use a cooler or cooling pad for a laptop user. Procure the best cooling pad available in your vicinity and place it under your laptop while working.
Check the Temperature Measuring Application
Are you sure that your motherboard is really overheating? If you are on a desktop, then you can simply touch the motherboard after you get the alarm. However, in laptop, it is quite difficult to know if the board is really overheating. It might be hot the normal amount and the temperature measuring application on your system may have given a false alarm. You should consider seeing if the application is working properly or not. Troubleshoot the app or simply disable and re-enable it. You can also uninstall and re-install the application if your system allows it. Finally, see if the application shows a similar higher temperature or not. If nothing works out, then you probably have broken heat sinks or faulty circuitry or got a damaged product from the seller. If this is the case, you should visit the nearest service center to fix the issue.
