Did the power cut ruin your precious moment?
No, power seems right!
Then what caused this?
But, this happens a lot when your CPU gets too much hot.
But dont worry, it happens for some reason.
I will explain why your PC shut down when it overheated too much in this article.
Should you Shutdown an Overheated CPU?
Yes, an overheated CPU can shut down itself automatically and its a good thing.
All the modern CPUs are implemented with fail-safe functions by the manufacturers.
This feature is a blessing for the CPUs.
It saves your penny from buying another processor.
So, fail-safe helps to prevent your CPU from this throw in of accident to happen.
It lowers the clock speed to fix the thermal issue.
So, If your pc shut down when its overheated too much then dont worry its a good thing.
Why does Overheating Force CPU to shutdown?
But as years goes by CPU manufacturers improved their CPUs a lot.
The fail-safe feature is one of them.
This feature force the CPU to shut down immediately if its sensor detects too much heat is generated.
As you know, Heat is the main reason for lowering the CPU performance.
When your CPU strikes the highest temp for it then it is forced to shut down.
It occurred to save the CPU from getting permanent damage.
So, at which level of temperature a CPU can shutdown itself?
Lets dive deep into it.
If your CPU is overheated you may see performance drop.
CPU temperature depends on ambient room temperature.
Its considered to be safe a temperature.
You will have to end some tasks when you see your CPU is at 80 degrees celsius.
But an overall idle temp for a CPU is between 30-40 degrees.
While you are gaming, then your CPU temperature can be reached from 70 to 80 degrees celsius.
But if you notice the temperature exceeds this limit then you should go for a decent cooler.
But AMD Ryzen latest gen 3 architecture base APU has a safety feature against high temperature.
It shut itself down to prevent permanent damage.
So, gamers are now heading more to the AMDs APU than Intels CPU.
So, Overheating can shutdown your CPU forcibly because of the fail-safe feature.
Go through ourextended guide on CPU temperatureto know more about it.
Why does a CPU Overheat?
While gaming you may see your CPU temperature increasing at a skyrockets speed.
This same can happen while you are video editing or rendering videos, Developing or rendering games.
So, what cause this overheating?
Suppose, you are working with multiple heavy apps at a time.
Then CPU usage will be high.
High CPU usage can overheat the CPU because it has to handle tons of programs and execute them.
To handle this massive workload CPU usage became high.
Sometimes faulty CPU cooler can be the reason.
If heat can not be blown out from the CPU then it gets hot.
A faulty CPU cooler with a damaged fan cant cool down the CPU effectively.
So, a faulty motherboard can heat up a CPU or even fry it.
As a gamer, you should often overclock your CPU and GPU.
Another reason can be the lack of airflow into the case.
If your casings air vent is filled with dirt then airflow cant be passed appropriately.
Air is a must to cool down the CPU.
Misconfiguration of the intake and exhaust fan can imbalance the airflow.
If exhaust fans exceed the number of intake fans then it can overheat the CPU.
The stock cooler is not good enough to cool down the CPU.
Aftermarket coolers like tower air coolers with two or three fans or liquid coolers are the best in class.
Try not to overclock the CPU too much.Overclocking the CPU frequently can damage the processor.
It also produces too much heat.
If you continue to run your CPU with high temp then it will degrade more quickly than it should.
Ensure balanced airflow inside the casing.
Keep your dust filter dirt-free.
make a run at install multiple intake fans if your case supports it.
But keep in mind exhaust fan should not exceed the intake fan.
When your CPU is in high usage then take a stab at minimize or close heavy apps.
Heavy workloads at a time stress the CPU and cause high usage.
Know the limits of the CPU and how much workload it can handle.
Additionally, always keep an eye onhow hot your CPU is running.
A faulty CPU will not pass the stress test.
If it fails the test then its time to change the CPU.
FAQs
What is the Fail-Safe feature in a CPU?
Fail-safe can lower the clock rate or can shut down the CPU if it gets too hot.
Can overheat fry the CPU?
Yes, it can but it depends on some factors.
But modern gen CPUs are designed with fail-safe functions which will prevent the CPU from frying up.
But if fail-safe failed to do its job then can fry the CPU.
At which degrees of temp a CPU can shutdown?
But it depends on how the fail-safe features are implemented on it and how much stress it can take.
Wrapping Up
So, an overheating CPU is a headache for every user.
It can reduce overall systems performance.
Too much heat can damage not only the CPU but other components also.
I think you get all the points and the reasons behind shutdown when a CPU overheated much.