Problem with heat

[kikote2002]

recently my computer was heating up a lot. yestarday it dies all of a sudden. a have a few questions:
- what are the chances that what blew was the power supply? the pentium? the motherboard?
- what are the chances that the rest of the components, in particular the hard drive, are damaged?
- if i have to buy a new motherboard/pentium, any recommendations for a better cooling strategy?

Thanks!

 

[endyen]

Yes. If we knew a bit more about your system it would be helpful. A short anywhere in your system could net the same effect. The power supply is a good place to start. If you have a 350 watt name brand power supply in your system it may not be the problem. Try a new psu if you think that's the problem. If that doesn't fix you up, get back to us with your full system specs.

 

[xeenrecoil]

Heya kikote;

Well my friend it looks like you could use some advice on a few things.

Lets start with computer matenance.
About once a month you need to visually inspect your hardware making sure it is free of dust, and well flat out grit.
Specifically check the CPU fan and heatsink unit, if it is dirty clean it.
If you have dust on your hardware blow it out with canned air.
Check your power supply, specifically the fan, make sure it is clear of dust and grit.
Grit has a tendancy to build up on your fan blades and cooling fins, this is caused by humidity, if you live in a high humidity area then you will need to clean your fan and heatsink more often then if you live in a dry climate because the dust will stick causing buildup of grit, dust normally isnt a problem with heat buildup, its grit that is the problem.
However you dont want alot of dust on your harware either because it can help increase static electricity.

I hope i have helped.

XeeN