SOLVED: transcoding crashes windows cpu

[TheDreadPirate]

I do think you should consider re-pasting the thermal paste on that CPU. The fact that the CPU temps are around 50*C in a lower power state is concerning.

[botbooks]

You wouldn't happen to know which one I would need do you?

[use7]

This computer seems to be a laptop? It may be non-trivial to do the repasting of your cpu, and you may want to take it into a shop (attempting to shield me/others as this isn't a general 'tech support' forum and yadda yadda). But before repasting I'd do a few checks to see if you actually need to:

1) What is this computer/laptop sitting on? Is the surface a 'hard top' (aka can air get to the intake vents?) If possible you may be able to grab yourself some sort of 'cooling/fan pad' to rest it on that may help direct extra air past the heatsink(s)?

2a) What is the condition of the heat sink? (make sure there isn't dust/etc. in the fins, a can of computer duster is a pretty easy way of blowing out the fins and can drastically reduce temps)

2b) Is the heatsink fan spinning/can you adjust the fan curves? This one can be manufacturer-specific; but there's usually tools available to keep track of fan speeds and modify them. You can try to increase the fan speed earlier (at lower temps) to reduce the package temps. If the computer/fan is old enough the fan may have siezed and no longer spins freely (can also be blocked by dust, see point 2a). With a fan pad you can sometimes get away without needing the computer's fan spinning (depending on the make of your laptop replacing the heatsink fan can be easier than repasting the cpu... and can also be equal to or more challenging depending how the manufacturer stacked everything into the case)

3) Where do you keep your computer? If in an enclosed area, or if it is positioned near heat sources (other electronics/amplifiers/heating vents/etc.) you may want to consider moving it to a more open area if available. Or if you can't move it, you may be able to get a desk fan (or sim) to direct extra air in the vicinity of the computer so that there's more fresh air.

(these are the points that I immediatly thought of, there may be other factors that people chime in with) but if the computer is getting cool/fresh air, and able to exhaust said air (and the temps still aren't improved) then I'd look at doing a repaste. Usually any thermal paste will be fine (any local computer building/fixing store should carry some, if possible I'd run by them that this is what you're attempting to do and see if they have a recommendation). To do the teardown, I'd recommend looking for a teardown video on YT (or sim.) for your brand of computer to see how to get down to the cpu.