Case Study: PC Kept Crashing After 30 Minutes of Gaming & Streaming — Here's What We Found
“My PC runs great for about 30 minutes… then boom — crashes every time during gaming or streaming.”
That’s exactly what one of our recent customers told us when they booked an on-site diagnostic with REBOOT. Their system was a high-end gaming build, loaded with a powerful CPU and GPU — but it wouldn’t stay stable under load.
Here’s how we diagnosed it, what the real issue was, and how we fixed it for good.
🕵️ The Problem: Crashes After 30 Minutes
Reported Symptoms:
PC boots up fine, no BIOS errors
Games run smoothly for the first 30–40 minutes
Streaming through OBS caused lag spikes, then full system crash
No blue screen — just hard shut-off or reboot
🔍 The Diagnosis (On-Site)
We arrived and ran a full system check on-site:
✅ No malware, driver, or software issues
✅ All temps normal at idle
❌ But under load, the CPU temperature spiked past 95°C within minutes
❌ Fans were running, but airflow was restricted
❌ Thermal paste was dry and poorly applied
Root Cause:
The system was overheating under sustained load, especially while gaming and streaming — which pushed both CPU and GPU usage to max. Once thermal limits were hit, the system would force a shutdown to protect itself.
🔧 The Fix: Full Thermal and Airflow Overhaul
Here’s what we did to bring the system back to life:
✅ Cleaned Out All Dust
Fans, CPU cooler, GPU, filters, and PSU vents were clogged with dust
This was blocking airflow and keeping heat trapped inside the case
✅ Replaced Thermal Paste
The old paste was dry, crusted, and uneven
We cleaned the CPU and re-applied premium thermal compound
✅ Optimized Fan Layout & Cables
Fans were reoriented for better intake/exhaust balance
Cleaned up cable clutter to improve airflow
✅ Ran Burn-In Tests
After service, we ran 1 hour of gaming + OBS streaming at 1080p60
CPU and GPU stayed cool, no crashing or throttling
💡 The Outcome
After the cleaning and thermal paste replacement, the system ran at:
~35°C idle (down from 50°C)
~75°C under full load (down from 95–100°C)
Zero crashes in over an hour of testing
The customer was back to streaming and gaming confidently the same day.
👨🔧 Final Thoughts
If your PC is crashing after 30 minutes of use — especially under load — don’t ignore it. It’s almost always a sign of:
Overheating
Thermal paste failure
Blocked airflow
Or even a failing power supply
At REBOOT, we offer on-site diagnostics and repairs to catch and fix issues like this before they cause long-term damage.
📞 Book your on-site visit today and let us keep your system running cool, stable, and crash-free.