ASIC miner overheating: a quick checklist

A starter checklist for a miner running hot or throttling: airflow, fans, dust, ambient temperature and thermal paste.

By Niel· 1 min read
Dark four-blade fan shape on a light background

Outline. Replace it with your own steps and check them against the miner model’s documentation.

Heat is the quiet killer of mining hardware. A miner that runs hot loses hashrate first and chips later.

Airflow and environment

  • Confirm the intake and exhaust sides are not blocked or recirculating hot air
  • Check the room temperature against the manufacturer’s stated range

Fans

  • Check every fan spins and reports a sensible speed in the miner’s status page
  • Replace any fan that is noisy, slow or stopped

Dust and thermal contact

  • Clean dust from heatsinks and fan grills with the miner unplugged
  • Look for dry or cracked thermal paste if a single board runs hotter than its neighbours

Log it

Note the temperatures before and after each change so you can see what actually helped.

Safety first: unplug the miner and let it cool before opening it, and never open a power supply unless you are trained to. Repairing a miner may void its warranty.