220-1101 Question 393
Single answerRandom shutdownA user reports that their desktop PC shuts down unexpectedly after 15 to 20 minutes of video editing or gaming, but it runs for hours when only browsing the web. The technician confirms the issue occurs only under heavy load. The system powers back on normally after sitting for a few minutes. Which component should the technician investigate FIRST?
- A
CPU cooling system, including the heatsink fan and thermal contact
- B
Display cable connection between the PC and monitor
- C
Keyboard driver settings in the operating system
- D
Printer power-saving configuration
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: A
Explanation
The key clue is that the shutdown happens only during high-performance tasks and the system works again after a short cooldown period. That pattern aligns most closely with overheating, especially at the CPU cooling assembly in a desktop system. A CompTIA A+ candidate should recognize load-related shutdowns as a common symptom of thermal protection mechanisms or, less commonly, power delivery issues. Best practice is to first inspect cooling: check for dust buildup, failed fans, poor airflow, improper heatsink seating, and degraded thermal interface material. After cooling is verified, a technician could continue with stress testing and temperature monitoring, and then evaluate the power supply if needed. This approach aligns with standard hardware troubleshooting methodology: identify the symptoms, establish a likely cause based on the pattern, test the most probable cause first, and proceed from there.
- A. Correct.
This is the best answer. A shutdown that occurs specifically during gaming or video editing strongly suggests overheating under load. In a desktop, the first hardware area to inspect is the CPU cooling system: verify that the heatsink is properly seated, the fan is spinning, airflow is not blocked by dust, and thermal paste or thermal contact has not failed. The fact that the system runs again after cooling down is a classic overheating symptom.
- B. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. A bad display cable can cause flickering, signal loss, or a blank screen, but it would not typically cause the entire PC to power off under heavy processing load. Someone might choose this because the problem appears while using graphically intensive applications, but the symptom is a full shutdown, not just loss of video output.
- C. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Keyboard driver settings do not cause a PC to shut down after sustained high CPU or GPU activity. This distractor targets the misconception that any software or driver issue could explain random shutdowns, but the load-dependent pattern points much more directly to a thermal or power-related hardware issue.
- D. Incorrect.
This is incorrect. Printer power-saving settings affect the printer, not the desktop computer's stability. This option is plausible only as a general peripheral setting, but it has no meaningful relationship to a system shutting down during intensive local workloads.