Troubleshooting Overheating or Thermal Issues on Intel® NUC
Content Type: Troubleshooting | Article ID: 000033327 | Last Reviewed: 02/07/2025
Support Knowledge Base
Caution | If you see smoke or sense a burning smell from your Intel® NUC, disconnect all power cables and contact Intel Customer Support for assistance. |
Overheating or thermal issues in an Intel® NUC can cause the following symptoms:
- The Intel NUC turns off randomly for no apparent reason.
- Windows blue screen errors (BSOD).
- Processor thermal trip errors.
- Temperatures appear too high on the Performance Monitor pane in BIOS Setup.
- Temperature monitoring software reports high temperatures.
When troubleshooting, always follow these basic recommendations first:
- Update to the latest BIOS version for your Intel NUC.
- Load BIOS defaults:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
- Press F9 to load defaults.
- Press F10 to save and exit BIOS Setup.
- Place the Intel NUC in a well-ventilated area.
- Check for obstructions around the Intel NUC's air vents.
- Try different fan control settings in BIOS:
- Press F2 during boot to enter BIOS Setup.
- Go to Advanced > Cooling.
- In the CPU Fan Header pane, experiment with setting Fan Control Mode to Balanced and Cool.
- Press F10 to save and exit BIOS Setup.
Refer to the table below for additional troubleshooting tips and useful information.
| What are you seeing? | How to fix it. |
| WARNING: Processor Thermal Trip error during boot. | Follow the basic recommendations above. Clear the event log:
|
| Fan doesn't spin | Check the fan RPM in BIOS:
If the RPM is zero, check if something is preventing the fan from spinning. If the fan is not blocked, contact Customer Support using the link below. |
If you've tried all the steps listed above and your Intel NUC still has overheating or thermal issues, click Contact Support below to find the support options for your region. Be ready to explain the steps you tried.