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When the paste dries!

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My computer was working fine enough. All was going well for it. Suddenly it began to freeze without a warning. With the help of my friend I came to figure out the source of the problem - overheating of the CPU. Now there are a number of reasons that can trigger this particular problem. In my case the CPU was fine, so the culprit was most likely drying up of the heatsink compound that is present in between the CPU and the heatsink.
These are actually conductor that transfer the excess heat of the CPU to the heatsink which dissipates the heat using the fans. So all I had to do was apply a fresh coat of heatsink compound to the CPU top and also on the heatsink surface and I was set. My machine was fixed and the CPU was cooled.

Why does the paste dry up?
Well, actually in dry conditions or due to prolonged use, the paste dries up reducing to powder, when it gives way leaving the heatsink separated from the CPU. So the CPU heats pretty fast and there is a risk of component overheating, irreversible damage etc. So it is important to fix this issue as soon as possible. And that's what I did.

What are the symptoms?
Your system will freeze for no apparent reason. Simple. No error message should pop up as it is not a software issue. The CPU overheats and to protect it the BIOS freezes the system as a kind of warning.

What to do?
Just open up the cabinet, open the heatsink, apply the heatsink compound to the CPU surface and the heatsink surface and you should be fine. Refit the heatsink and the system should work fine.

Note : While applying the coat of paste on the CPU make sure you apply it evenly, and please only apply it to the external surface of the CPU only. You DON'T need to detach the CPU from the socket. Apply the paste where you will find a white powdery substance present.

Disclaimer : If, in the process of fixing your PC, you end up destroying your machine, or blasting your block, don't blame me, I provided this information absolutely as-is and you follow absolutely at your own risk and discretion.

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