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Difficulty: EasyMotherboard, RAM, CPU, and Power Issues

A desktop computer powers on normally and operates smoothly during light administrative tasks. However, whenever a technician runs a heavy processor benchmark, system performance slows down dramatically and the CPU cooling fan accelerates to maximum speed. Hardware monitoring software shows CPU temperatures exceeding 90∘C90^\circ\text{C} while clock speeds decrease. Which of the following is the most likely cause of this behavior?

  1. Thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has degraded or the heatsink is improperly seated.Answer
  2. B
    The operating system boot files are corrupted and misinterpreting POST codes.
  3. C
    System RAM modules are populated in single-channel mode instead of dual-channel mode.
  4. D
    The desktop motherboard is incorrectly configured with SO-DIMM RAM modules.

Answer

Thermal paste between the CPU and heatsink has degraded or the heatsink is improperly seated.
When thermal paste degrades or the CPU heatsink becomes unseated, heat cannot effectively transfer away from the processor. Under load, the CPU reaches thermal safety thresholds and automatically throttles its clock speed while pushing fan speeds to maximum to prevent physical damage.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the observed hardware symptoms.
The CPU temperature spikes under load, fan speed maxes out, and processor clock speed drops.
Modern CPUs perform automatic thermal throttling (reducing clock frequency) to prevent permanent hardware damage when thermal limits are crossed.
2
Identify the primary cooling component failure.
Heat is unable to dissipate from the processor integrated heat spreader to the heatsink fins.
Degraded thermal compound or incomplete contact between the heatsink base and CPU package isolates heat at the CPU die.

Key Concept

CPU Thermal Throttling and Heat Dissipation
Estimated Time:1m 0s
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Topics

Motherboard, RAM, CPU, and Power Issues

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