# Tech Advice Needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Shift518 Off Topic\ **Created:** [December 18, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852 "2011-12-18T16:19:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bwe45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bwe45](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bwe45)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/1 "2011-12-18T16:19:08Z")
Alright so ive been having issues with my laptop as of the past couple days, I can use the laptop for any other things besides gaming, any sort of gaming whether it be sims WoW any steam game etc causes the laptop to shut itself off after about 10-15 minutes of playing. my hunch is that theres an issue with the graphics card under load, but Im not 100% certain on that. I know some of you guys know computers and was just looking for some advice on that since im fairly inexperienced when it comes to the hardware aspect of PCs. ---
**Author:** ![99FRC](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/99frc/32/6335_2.png) [@99FRC](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/99FRC)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:30pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/2 "2011-12-18T16:30:56Z")
Sounds like your CPU is shot. Run a CPU burn in test. If you dont know what that is, its a test that puts the cpu under load for a period of time. If the system turns off during the test, you have your answer. ---
**Author:** ![bwe45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bwe45](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bwe45)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 4:34pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/3 "2011-12-18T16:34:32Z")
> [@Who here works at localnet?](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/who-here-works-at-localnet/47240/110): > > Sounds like your CPU is shot. Run a CPU burn in test. If you dont know what that is, its a test that puts the cpu under load for a period of time. If the system turns off during the test, you have your answer. Ill give it a shot, thanks man. just being hardware illiterate, if the CPU is shot, what should be my next course of action from there? ---
**Author:** ![99FRC](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/99frc/32/6335_2.png) [@99FRC](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/99FRC)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:36pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/4 "2011-12-18T17:36:06Z")
Beig that you are into gaming, what are your system specs? ---
**Author:** ![HudsonFalcon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/hudsonfalcon/32/6460_2.png) [@HudsonFalcon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HudsonFalcon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/5 "2011-12-18T17:37:00Z")
Are you getting any blue screen crashes? ---
**Author:** ![imported\_hybrdthry91](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/imported_hybrdthry91/32/6315_2.png) [@imported\_hybrdthry91](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/imported_hybrdthry91)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/6 "2011-12-18T17:46:02Z")
I would guess that something is overheating, the cpu or gpu if its separate. Like already stated run a load test on them. ---
**Author:** ![bwe45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bwe45](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bwe45)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/7 "2011-12-18T17:46:18Z")
> [@Welding class](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/welding-class/47282/13): > > Are you getting any blue screen crashes? none that are actual bsods, had 2 like modified ones, they were blue screen but not your typical blue screen, just did like a dump or something then restarted the computer, that was after rebooting though. ran the test, had no issues, computer didnt shut off during it. the part that confuses me is it does it through any game i play but nothing else seems to trigger it. ---
**Author:** ![HudsonFalcon](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/hudsonfalcon/32/6460_2.png) [@HudsonFalcon](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/HudsonFalcon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 5:56pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/8 "2011-12-18T17:56:32Z")
It sounds like an overheating issue to me but you can try several easy things to try and fix the issue. -Blow it out with some canned air -See if there are any new drivers available -Make sure your laptop has the minimum required specs for the games you’re running. -When you’re gaming make sure the exhaust fan isn’t blocked -Run Malwarebytes & CCleaner ---
**Author:** ![bwe45](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/77aa72/32.png) [@bwe45](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/bwe45)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/9 "2011-12-18T18:21:44Z")
> [@Adam Carolla on the new "top gear"](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/adam-carolla-on-the-new-top-gear/47327/7): > > It sounds like an overheating issue to me but you can try several easy things to try and fix the issue. > > -Blow it out with some canned air > -See if there are any new drivers available > -Make sure your laptop has the minimum required specs for the games you’re running. > -When you’re gaming make sure the exhaust fan isn’t blocked > -Run Malwarebytes & CCleaner thats what im beginning to think, im gonna clean it out and see what happens from there, at this point im just using it for general stuff and avoiding the games for a little bit to make sure its nothing ---
**Author:** ![Shady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6de8d8/32.png) [@Shady](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Shady)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2011, 5:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/tech-advice-needed/261852/10 "2011-12-19T05:37:24Z")
Also agreeing that its heat related. Take a canned of compressed air, or if you have an air compressor even better, canned air hardly blows hard enough. Turn the laptop over and if possible put a toothpick or something ridgid enough in the vent for the fan to keep it from spinning. Then blow the hell out of the heatsink etc Chances are you have a few dust bunnies blocking airflow Also remember with laptops, keep it on a flat hard surface, if you have them on your lap or on a pillow or something that can take up space it can block the vent from pulling air through that passage. Oh and FWIW it could be memory too, generally it will fail much sooner, but I have seen RAM fail and cause random crashed after longer periods 15-30 minutes