Why Does WoW Keep Overheating on My New Computer?

Source of the Heat

• The processors in your computer, both the central processing unit and the graphics processing unit, channel electricity through them to perform their calculations and do your computer's work. During this process, the components of the processors heat up from the current running through them. The harder the processors work, the hotter they will get. Rendering 3-D graphics on your screen is one of the most-intensive tasks your computer can perform. Therefore, playing 3-D games like "World of Warcraft" can cause the processors to radiate quite a bit of heat.

Physical Cooling

• All computers give off heat when they are turned on. However, too much heat can damage computer components. To help keep the heat under dangerous levels, computers have fans inside to blow heat out and away from critical parts. These fans can speed up and slow down, depending on how hot your computer gets. Your computer's software can also throttle down your processors so they stop working so hard until they can cool off. During one of these moments, you might notice "World of Warcraft" begin to stutter or have slower frame rates.

Game Settings

• "World of Warcraft" allows you to customize the video settings for the game. This means you can configure certain features like how far in the distance you can see, how detailed shadows appears, or how much ground foliage shows up in the scene. Increasing these features make the game look more realistic, but it can cause the processors to work harder, thereby making the computer hotter. Turning down some features might decrease the realism, but they can improve game performance and reduce the excess heat your computer generates.

Solutions

• Taking certain precautions can help reduce heat, prolong the life of your computer, and improve the smoothness of your "World of Warcraft" experience. Ensure that the vents on your computer are free from lint and are not obstructed to allow the air to flow freely from the fans. If you are using a laptop, place it on a hard surface instead of your lap or a bed and use a cooling pad. Lower the video settings in "World of Warcraft" until you achieve a configuration that doesn't overheat your computer. If necessary, lower the resolution of your computer monitor, which will decrease the load on your graphics processing unit.