Hi All,

I have a E5470 that overheats when under heavy load and shuts down.  The laptop is about 5 years old. This issue has become increasingly common.  It used to happen once in a while but not happens every time the system is under heavy load.  The fan speeds up as expected but after a couple of minutes, the system overheats and shuts down.  I have cleaned the fan and the exhaust vents but that did not help.  I have temporarily solved the problem by editing the power plan and setting the maximum process state to 85%.  The speed decrease is not really noticeable, however, I would like to resolve the issue.  

The fan is working and the speed does change depending on load but I don't think it is blowing as much air as it used to.  Do fans blow less air as they get older?  Would replacing the fan help?

Thanks in advance for your assistance

Gary