How to Fix Alienware Overheating or Random Shut down Issues

What you must know about overheating

The computer can become warm to the touch during usage.

• Using for longer than 10-15 minutes

• Watching a DVD/Blu-ray

• Streaming online video

• Using Flash Content

• Playing video games

• Using near a heat source or in a hot environment

Symptoms experienced if the computer is overheating:

• Random shutdowns or reboots

• The computer locks up or stops responding

• Fans constantly run at high speed

• Slow performance

• The computer is too hot to touch

Troubleshooting overheating symptoms

You can try these troubleshooting steps to reduce the overheating on your computer:

• Ensure that the computer is in a well-ventilated area

• Use laptops on flat surfaces to improve airflow. Hard table tops are recommended and avoid using any type of cloth or any other soft material under the laptop

• For desktop computers, ensure that there is enough clearance around the computer to allow the air to flow. If the computer is in an enclosure, try to move it to a more ventilated area for testing.  Reference these articles for additional guidance if needed:

  • Resolving a High Temperature or Overheating Issue on Alienware Laptops Purchased After 2016
  • How to Troubleshoot Overheating, Shutdown, or Thermal Issue on a Dell Computer

• Check that the air vents are clean and that there is nothing obstructing them. See General Maintenance For Maintaining Your Dell Computer for instructions on how to clean your computer

• Update your system BIOS to the latest available in the Dell Support Site

  Note: To learn more about updating the BIOS on a Dell computer, see the Dell knowledge base article Dell BIOS Updates

• You can reset your BIOS settings to undo any changes that could be causing the computer to overheat. See How to restore the BIOS (System Setup) defaults on a Dell Product

• Disable NVIDIA G SYNC and run a stress test using SupportAssist. Click here to run the CPU stress test when you are ready.

  Disable NVIDIA G-SYNC and Run CPU Stress Test

  Duration: 00:01:37 (hh:mm:ss)
  When available, closed caption (subtitles) language settings can be chosen using the CC icon on this video player.

• Once completed (and if no errors were found),click here to run the video stress test.

  How to test your Video Card in SupportAssist

  Duration: 00:00:36 (hh:mm:ss)
  When available, closed caption (subtitles) language settings can be chosen using the CC icon on this video player.

Back to Top