How to Fix Alienware Overheating or Random Shut down Issues

Summary: Resolve overheating and random shutdown issues on your Alienware computer. Know troubleshooting steps, including ventilation tips, BIOS updates, and keep your computer running smoothly. ...

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Instructions

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:

  • 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 BIOS Update Guide

  • 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.

How to Prevent Overheating on Dell Systems

Duration: 00:02:55 (hh:mm:ss)
When available, closed caption (subtitles) language settings can be chosen using the CC icon on this video player.

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Affected Products

Alienware 13, Alienware 13 R3, Alienware 13 R2, Alienware 15, Alienware 15 R3, Alienware 15 R2, Alienware 15 R4, Alienware 17, Alienware Area-51m, Alienware 17 R4, Alienware 17 R2, Alienware 17 R3, Alienware 17 R5 , Alienware Alpha & Alienware Steam Machine, Alienware Area-51 AAT2250, Alienware Area-51 R2, Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R3 and R6, Alienware Area-51 R4 and R5, Alienware Area-51 Threadripper Edition R7, Alienware Area-51m R2, Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R10, Alienware Aurora R11, Alienware Aurora R12, Alienware Aurora R13, Alienware Aurora Ryzen Edition R14, Alienware Aurora R15 AMD, Alienware Aurora R15, Alienware Aurora R16, Alienware Aurora R5, Alienware Aurora R6, Alienware Aurora R7, Alienware Aurora R8, Alienware Aurora R9, Alienware M15, Alienware M15 R2, Alienware M15 R3, Alienware m15 R4, Alienware m15 Ryzen Edition R5, Alienware m15 R6, Alienware m15 R7 AMD, Alienware m15 R7, Alienware m16 R1 AMD, Alienware m16 R1, Alienware m16 R2, Alienware M17, Alienware M17 R2, Alienware M17 R3, Alienware m17 R4, Alienware m17 R5 AMD, Alienware m18 R1 AMD, Alienware m18 R1, Alienware m18 R2, Alienware Alpha R2 & Alienware Steam Machine R2, Alienware x14, Alienware x14 R2, Alienware x15 R1, Alienware x15 R2, Alienware x16 R1, Alienware x16 R2, Alienware x17 R1, Alienware x17 R2, Alienware X51 R2, Alienware X51 R3 ...
Article Properties
Article Number: 000179093
Article Type: How To
Last Modified: 13 Nov 2025
Version:  17
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