[SOLVED] CPU Temperature help

[Cmp™]

So, today, my desktop was running poorly and I rebooted it to see what was up. First thing I see when the screen turns on again is something about temperature issues, so when I get to my main screen, I open up CoreTemp.

All four cores were running at 105 C. I don't even overclock anything on my machine.

I immediately turned off my machine and looked some stuff up on my phone and the first recommendation what I originally thought to do. Check the Thermal Paste. Sure enough, it was nearly burnt up. Luckily, I had my tube of Antec Diamond Compound and I replace the paste. On startup, it was back down to 50ish. Now, it's creeping back up to the 80s.

I cleaned out the dust, I changed the paste, my cables are reasonably managed and I confirmed in the BIOS that I'm not set to overclock anything, so I have no idea what is causing the high temps.

CPU: Intel Core i7-3770K 3.5GHz Quad-Core Processor
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

Any ideas? I'd rather not have to buy a new CPU, but I don't want to roast this one either.

 

[DarkPaladinPrime]

I has similar problems with my laptop which was resolved with the purchase of a cooling fan mount however since you have desktop It's probably not as an easy fix. I did however have the same problem with my old desktop so I might be able to help with your pickle.
Did you recently upgrade any parts on your pc? If yes are you certain that your power supply can give sufficient power to your new parts?
A temporary "redneck" fix that worked for me quite well could be taking off the access door (panel, maintenance door thing whatever you call it) and sticking a good house fan next to it and let it run whenever you need it to. It worked great for my desktop until I replaced with my new laptop.
I imagine you want to keep your desktop so some digging around in your hardware would be your best bit. Hope this helped.

 

[nb]

You're not using that much watts.. I'm using 20 watts and my average core temp is around 40 degrees celsius. Possibly Core Temp is broken/faulty? Try uninstalling RC5, and get RC6, which is what I have.

EDIT: If you're thinking that 105 degrees is what your core temps are at, thats not what the Tj Max is. (Unless you didn't take a screenshot of when the cores were at 105 degrees.)
Tj max = Junction Temperature Max.
When the max. temp. is reached, your computer would automatically shut off.

^ This is my Core Temp, if you want to compare an idle computer to yours. :)

 

[OG buckshot jr]

I've seen this with closed-loop coolers. Check to ensure the the pump (it's embedded into the cpu block) is running well - whichever fan header it's plugged into must be running at the highest setting to ensure the pump has enough power to generate a good water flow.

Second thing I've noticed with closed-loop coolers is that the clips/pins/whatever that hold the block to the chip are nothing short of garbage. It may look like good contact but it's not, hence you're barely touching.

1. Verify which fan header the pump is plugged into (not the fan, the other one) and max it in bios.

You can hold one of the plastic tubes and feel for a good water flow.

2. While your computer is on and you're watching core temp, push the block down very firmly and hold it - you should see your Temps drop a lot.

Hopefully either of the two above will sort you out.

Lemme know.

 

[Cmp™]

DarkPaladin, no new parts in over a year, but the problem came up yesterday. Thanks though.

Newb, it said 105 C for the cores. Considering I couldn't even switch Chrome tabs smoothly, I think it's a bit more than a possibly faulty program. Thanks though.

BJ, I'll give your methods a try today, thanks for the ideas.

 

[Nick]

Also, I guess its worth mentioning that the thermal paste layer should be as thin as possible. if you applied too much it will do the exact opposite.

 

[Cmp™]

Interesting. I noticed the Antec Diamond was really hard to spread around with the spreader they included. I may try reapplying it if the above methods don't work.

 

[Cmp™]

I tried holding the cooler down and it didn't affect the temperature at all. In fact, I could feel it heating up in my hand. That's bad, right?

 

[OG buckshot jr]

I tried holding the cooler down and it didn't affect the temperature at all. In fact, I could feel it heating up in my hand. That's bad, right?

Well, any excess heat is, yes, especially with little no load (stuff running) happening.

Edit: did you hold a pipe and verify water is flowing properly? Also, tighten the fuck out of the block's screws while watching the Temps. Don't kill it, but tighten them good to see if any change.

The lack of thermal paste alone would not warrant such an increase of Temps. Something else is amiss, here. Install cpu-z and ensure no funky voltage is going on (I don't trust coretemp's voltage reading).

Do you have any overclock software like evga, Asus etc installed?

 

[Nick]

Interesting. I noticed the Antec Diamond was really hard to spread around with the spreader they included. I may try reapplying it if the above methods don't work.

The paste is designed to fill in the tiny gaps and imperfections between the two metal surfaces to enhance heat transfer, since technology cant create two perfectly smooth surfaces. It transfers heat better than air, but if too much is applied it reduces the heat transfer between the metal its self. When I applied mine (antec diamond) I actually used a flathead screwdriver, squeezing out only a tiny bead, smaller than bb/grian of rice. and spread it out/scrape off excess as much as possible.

If you haven't done so, before applying you should clean it with rubbing alcohol and a cotton swab.

 

[OG buckshot jr]

I agree with nick, however don't use a screwdriver, and it still wouldn't cause such temperatures. Even if you took the heat sink off a normal chip shouldn't get to 80C with no load.

To me, this is now a cooler that's not making contact, a dead pump (no water movement), a virus or other software causing fucked up load.

 

[Nick]

I agree with nick, however don't use a screwdriver, and it still wouldn't cause such temperatures. Even if you took the heat sink off a normal chip shouldn't get to 80C with no load.

To me, this is now a cooler that's not making contact, a dead pump (no water movement), a virus or other software causing fucked up load.

Agreed, with all the stuff being said about paste, it shouldn't reach such a high temp due to incorrect paste application.

There are simply too many factors that could cause this and you will have to test them out. Start with hardware.

 

[Cmp™]

My motherboard runs Asus, but I've checked my settings and none of them are set to overclock. I'll check the pipes next.

Question: should the fan on the back of the case be blowing cool air out? That's not a problem, is it?

 

[Nick]

My motherboard runs Asus, but I've checked my settings and none of them are set to overclock. I'll check the pipes next.

Question: should the fan on the back of the case be blowing cool air out? That's not a problem, is it?

Is the rear fan the one connected to the closed loop liquid cooling system?

 

[OG buckshot jr]

My motherboard runs Asus, but I've checked my settings and none of them are set to overclock. I'll check the pipes next.

Question: should the fan on the back of the case be blowing cool air out? That's not a problem, is it?

Irrelevant at this point. There is a huge issue here causing your massively high temps.

- uninstall asus software/all monitoring/fan software etc. only leave core temp and CPU-z and the like
- revert to stock bios and ensure pump fan header is maxed out
- unscrew and rescrew the CPU block (don't have to take it off, just loosen and retighten)
- ensure pump has good flow and you can feel the water moving at a decent rate, check for leaks
- scan the shit out of your computer for viruses, spyware etc.

Remember, you didn't add hardware or change settings, so something changed drastically, this isn't about a fan.

 

[Gatherix]

Reset BIOS settings, boot into a Linux live OS, and measure the temps there. Normal temps would point pretty clearly to a software issue, high temps a hardware issue. Then work from there. Could save you a lot of time.

 

[Cmp™]

This is what the BIOS says.

Irrelevant at this point. There is a huge issue here causing your massively high temps.

- uninstall asus software/all monitoring/fan software etc. only leave core temp and CPU-z and the like
- revert to stock bios and ensure pump fan header is maxed out
- unscrew and rescrew the CPU block (don't have to take it off, just loosen and retighten)
- ensure pump has good flow and you can feel the water moving at a decent rate, check for leaks
- scan the shit out of your computer for viruses, spyware etc.

Remember, you didn't add hardware or change settings, so something changed drastically, this isn't about a fan.

I have no external monitoring software apart from CoreTemp. I'll check CPU-Z in a bit, but I also have a lot of schoolwork to get done.
Not sure how to revert the BIOS or how to check the fan settings in the stock BIOS.
Will do.
The pipes are pretty thick, but I didn't really feel any flow.
Will do.

 

[Nick]

This is what the BIOS says.

I have no external monitoring software apart from CoreTemp. I'll check CPU-Z in a bit, but I also have a lot of schoolwork to get done.
Not sure how to revert the BIOS or how to check the fan settings in the stock BIOS.
Will do.
The pipes are pretty thick, but I didn't really feel any flow.
Will do.

Which liquid cooler do you have? I owned several corsair ones and never felt any water flow. Could be because the tubes are too ticks

 

[Cmp™]

CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler

 

[47]

soudns like the cooler crapped out. like bj said, prolly a dead pump