A mechanical engineer's PC has started randomly shutting off whenever the engineer attempts to render a design. The mechanical engineer states that the PC has worked for three years without issue. Whi

Question

Options

• AListen for POST beeps when turning on the PC: POST (Power-On Self-Test) beeps can
• BCheck if the computer is overheating: Rendering is a CPU- and GPU-intensive task that
• CRun chkdsk.
• DReinstall the operating system.
• ECheck if the graphics card is compatible with the motherboard.
• FReplace the HDD.

• A
  84% (58)
• C
  9% (6)
• D
  1% (1)
• E
  3% (2)
• F
  3% (2)

Explanation

Rendering is an extremely CPU- and GPU-intensive workload. After three years, thermal paste dries out, heatsink fins collect dust, and fans can degrade, all causing overheating. Random shutdown under load is a classic thermal protection response - the CPU or GPU throttles and eventually shuts down to prevent damage. Checking for overheating (B) directly addresses the most probable cause. Listening for POST beeps (A) at startup can reveal hardware faults (RAM, GPU, CPU) flagged by the BIOS, providing diagnostic codes without further tools. Running chkdsk (C), reinstalling the OS (D), and replacing the HDD (F) address storage/software issues unrelated to load-triggered shutdowns. Checking GPU/motherboard compatibility (E) is irrelevant since the system worked fine for three years.

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