# PC power cuts out suddenly **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 21, 2010, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876 "2010-02-21T16:23:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/21 "2010-02-26T03:08:41Z")
No need for a new heat sink. Just clean the goop off it and spread a fresh layer … and if you’re using Arctic Silver or such, be very careful where you drip/drop it because it is conductive … actually, the thermal paste from Radio Shack is perfectly adequate since you won’t be doing any overclocking. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2010, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/22 "2010-02-26T03:09:40Z")
> [@Askance](#): > > Temperature, dude. Check it before you spend anything else. I don’t know Speccy, mentioned above, but [SPEEDFAN](http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php) is free and reliable in my experience. I would, but I can’t keep the computer on long enough to check it. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/23 "2010-02-27T03:43:01Z")
Okay. Removed heat sink, cleaned off heat sink and processor with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Applied new Ceramique thermal paste to CPU, reseated heat sink… Turned on computer… Fan roars constantly as it did not before. Keyboard lights blink once and then, nothing. I take it this is bad, right? ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/24 "2010-02-27T04:17:40Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Okay. Removed heat sink, cleaned off heat sink and processor with 91% isopropyl alcohol. Applied new Ceramique thermal paste to CPU, reseated heat sink… > > Turned on computer… > > Fan roars constantly as it did not before. Keyboard lights blink once and then, nothing. > > I take it this is bad, right? not good… Do you get any video at all, even just a post or splash screen of some kind? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/25 "2010-02-27T04:32:13Z")
No video at all. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/26 "2010-02-27T11:54:16Z")
As it was for me, the CPU may have been damaged. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/27 "2010-02-27T13:39:41Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > As it was for me, the CPU may have been damaged. I agree. This is exactly how my computer responded when I didn’t realize I didn’t have the CPU plugged all the way in. If yours is plugged in properly, it could very well be broken. Just for curiosity’s sake, I went and looked up your [motherboard](http://www.e4allupgraders.info/dir1/motherboards/socketam2/ecsMCP61SM-GM.shtml), and found the processor slot is Socket AM2. I used Google Products, and found a compatible [AMD Athlon 64 X2 6000+](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16819103772&nm_mc=OTC-Froogle&cm_mmc=OTC-Froogle-_-Processors+-+Desktops-_-AMD-_-19103772) for $55. It’s even at the same wattage (65W) as the AMD Athlon 64 X2 4200+ that you’d be replacing. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/28 "2010-02-27T17:01:29Z")
Would I be better off buying something like [this](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813138178) - a replacement motherboard with a new CPU already seated? I’m just afraid that I’ll manage to break the new CPU and be out the $55 or find out that it wasn’t the processor, but the motherboard, that I broke. ---
**Author:** ![IAmNotSpartacus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@IAmNotSpartacus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IAmNotSpartacus)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/29 "2010-02-27T17:52:40Z")
Just curious, is your motherboard spitting out any POST errors upon bootup from the BIOS? Any beeps or bonks? ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 27, 2010, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/30 "2010-02-27T18:22:38Z")
No, no beeps that I can discern. The three lights on the keyboard blink once the moment I press the power button, but not afterward. The fan immediately goes to full speed and stays there. No video even after a couple of minutes. ---
**Author:** ![SanibelMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e4f/32.png) [@SanibelMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanibelMan)\ **Post date:** [February 28, 2010, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/31 "2010-02-28T00:49:14Z")
Okay, so more stupidity on my end… there was a 4-pin power cable I forgot to reattach to the motherboard. With that on, it behaves as it was before - starting up and then promptly shutting back down. I got into the BIOS and the CPU was steady around 32º. I ran the Windows Memory Test with no problems found. But when I try to get it into Windows, even in Safe Mode, it shuts down before I can do anything. ---
**Author:** ![bogwani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/96bed5/32.png) [@bogwani](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bogwani)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876/32 "2011-10-29T19:51:21Z")
Hey is anyone still following this thread? You ever fix it? I have exact same problem and tried everything except the cpu I don’t have an extra one of those around. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/pc-power-cuts-out-suddenly/529876.md?page=1)