DIGIT-ARC read-only archive · snapshot: July 23, 2026

DIGIT-ARC / Hardware / Hardware Q&A

old pc problem

5 posts · originally from https://geek.digit.in/community/threads/old-pc-problem.164591/

B
bong Original post #1
Oct 12, 2012 at 2:40 AM
i have an old pc using pentam-4 2.3 ghz, 256 mb ram 7 years old. it runs fine but it some times just paused,sometime show a overheating message and it keep restarting. cabinet fan is not working so i opened the cab side panel but problem still happends sometimes. i belive it is the problem with the overheating. how much it costs to fix it? what should i do to fix it? replacing the fan? replacing the procy fan?
aloodum
aloodum #2
Oct 12, 2012 at 1:59 PM
^^^ Well for starters, if your are comfortable with dissablembling your cpu and the heat sink/fan that sits on it, then take out the cpu, clean off the fan for the dustand crud , clean off the older thermal paste from both cpu and heatsink, apply a small amount of fresh thermal paste and reseat the cpu alongwith the heatsink.
If you are not comfy with whatever i have mentioned above take it to your local dealer and ask him/or a firend to do the same. They thermal paste that the shopkeepers wil luse is usually a 10-20 rupee satchet. Thats the input cost. What they charge for "servicing: ur pc will depend on their pricing policy and how much you can negotiate.Under no circumstance pay more than 100 bucks ! :p
Incase the cpu hetsink fan is gone, assuming yours is a socket 478 mobo, a replacement heatsink + fan from zebronics will come at around 180 bucks, thats about the best cooler you can get readily in the local shops.

Secondly please clean off the interiors of your pc since now you have this wonderful reason to do so :)
And try to make the interior free of cable chaos :D...

Cheers.
B
bong #3
Oct 12, 2012 at 3:38 PM
so hopefully it can be done in 200 bucks. thanks for the tips. do i need to replace the cabinet fan? as i already told it is stopped working.

and also i have an 17" samsung crt monitor. which is not working properly anymore. it takes time to render picture when i starts computer. sometimes it changes color to red,green,blue-ish screen when i start. after restarting the monitor once or several times it render properly. sometime it just dont want to render anything. what could be the problem? what is the way to fix them?
aloodum
aloodum #4
Oct 12, 2012 at 4:02 PM
^ should be...
regarding cabinet fan, i hope its a normal exhaust fan , yes if possible do replace the same.The 80mm generic fans hardly cost 40-50 bucks at max.

Regarding CRT moniter, I cant comment on what has gone wrong internally. For now you can have a look at the vga cable and observe for any bent pins, slightly moving the vga cable connector at the moniter's end ..Bet i guess the bet will a visit to a decent repair shop.

And yes you can always google around for your symptoms.
d6bmg
d6bmg #5
Oct 12, 2012 at 10:14 PM
Reapply thermal paste around the CPU and get some 80mm fans. :)