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Processor Overheating

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:05 pm
by DDVX
Hey guys,
I recently built my first computer using Tech Report's system guide. Here is my build:

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z77-V LK
Processor: Intel Core i5-3570K
Storage: SAMSUNG 830 Series
Western Digital Black 1TB
Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 8GB
Video Card: GeForce GTX 670
Case: Corsair Obsidian 650D
Power Supply: Corsair HX650W
Aftermarket Cooling: COOLER MASTER Hyper 212 120mm Fan

No major problems so far, and all of my games are running very smoothly. However, whenever I am gaming, I am having trouble with my processor getting too hot (70 Deg C, that should be considered too hot correct?), while the rest of my system stays very cool (graphics card never breaks 40 deg C). I know the processor typically is one of the hottest items on a computer, but with my aftermarket cooling I thought it would be lower than that. Sometimes I feel the need to lower the graphics not because it is straining my graphics card or hiccuping, but because my CPU is getting too hot. I should mention that while idling it is at standard 30ish deg C temperatures.

I have my aftermarket fan on top of it, oriented to blow out the back grating, with Arctic Silver thermal paste beneath it. I applied just enough to cover the surface and tried to get all air bubbles out. Am I blowing this problem out of proportion or do I have something incorrectly wired? I don't want to shorten the life of my processor significantly right out of the box.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:15 pm
by just brew it!
That does seem a bit high given the TDP of that CPU and the aftermarket cooler you are using.

Does the fan speed ramp up as expected when the CPU starts to heat up? Maybe the solution is as simple as tweaking the fan control settings in the BIOS.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:25 pm
by DDVX
The Chassis fans that I have connected definitely speed up. I have them set on Turbo in the BIOS and watch their speeds with CPUID. I'm not sure how to tell if the actual Coolermaster CPU fan speeds up. I also feel the air coming out of the computer and it is typically very cool.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 9:32 pm
by just brew it!
DDVX wrote:
The Chassis fans that I have connected definitely speed up. I have them set on Turbo in the BIOS and watch their speeds with CPUID. I'm not sure how to tell if the actual Coolermaster CPU fan speeds up. I also feel the air coming out of the computer and it is typically very cool.

OK, so you've got decent case airflow then.

You don't have fan speed monitoring software installed for the CPU fan? You may want to try downloading a copy of SpeedFan...

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:01 pm
by DDVX
Thanks for the tip. I've attached a screenshot of CPUID and Speedfan side by side. I notice two things.

1) CPUID is consistently showing 10 Deg C higher than SpeedFan.
2) CPUID also shows significantly higher fan speeds for the chassis fans.

I have MS afterburner, my BIOS, and now Speedfan. How do I know which one has priority? By the way, I have a game running in the background, which is why the temps are a little higher.

EDIT: However, now that I have been playing Borderlands for a few, I can see that my graphics card is getting up to 51, which I wouldn't expect would be too ridiculously high but still higher than I thought.

Image

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 6:59 am
by ronch
I've also had experience with Intel chips running a bit too hot, given their low TDPs (65w). The CPUs in question are a Core i3-2100 and an i3-2120, both of which I built this year. Both are around 60C at IDLE (!), and at load they get higher than that. These aren't my computers so I really can't remember, but compared to my Phenom II (which has a 125w TDP), the i3 chips seemed a bit too hot. My Phenom II idles a around 32C and goes up to around 48C at load, so I don't know whether Intel simply bundles crappy coolers with their CPUs or Intel's thermal characteristics are hyped all the way up. Take note that my AMD PC doesn't have anything too fancy to cool it: just 2 fans blowing air out of the case and the stock CPU heatsink. Perhaps your best bet is to first make sure the CPU cooler is seated properly. If that doesn't work, perhaps you should get a better cooler and see how it works out.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 7:25 am
by vargis14
Check to see if your heatsink is making good contact with the cpu by looking at the paste spread pattern. Also make sure your CPU cooler fan is connected to the correct fan header......and physically feel the heatsink for looseness and temperature when it states it is at 70 c . The heatsink should be very warm if not hot to the touch.

I have 2 i3 2120 series chips and 60c at idle is way way too high. Both of mine with avc coolers"basically a slightly bigger intel cooler with a built on cpu intake tube" They both idle at 30c and at load do not even come near 60c they top off at 50 max and that is with the fans at 1200-1400rpms...they max around 5500 rpms and make a heck of a racket.
I personally have not tried a push pin intel cooler on my pcs since they were both prebuilt with the heatsinks i currently have. I do have a intel cooler that came with my i3 2125 cpu and comparison it is slightly lighter them my current coolers. Plus my current coolers screw down.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 8:42 am
by MadManOriginal
Just to make sure on this, you say "I have my aftermarket fan on top of it, oriented to blow out the back grating," Is the fan on the CPU heatsink oriented to push air into the heatsink fins, or pull air through them? It should be placed and oriented to push air into the heatsink fins and then out the back of the case.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 9:10 am
by Arclight
Watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSq_xbxsm7Q
or other installation videos and redo the installation. If you are running at stock speed then 70 degrees Celsius while gaming with a CM 212 is def too high. Hope you didn't forget to take the plastic cover off or something. Maybe it left some glue or w/e

Direct heat transfer pipes need usually a bit more thermal interface material to close the gaps, watch a few videos on what is the most efficient application method for that kind of heatsink.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:02 am
by just brew it!
ronch wrote:
... If that doesn't work, perhaps you should get a better cooler and see how it works out.

He's got a pretty good one already.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 10:25 am
by Walkintarget
Hope its not the old thermal paste plastic cover that ships on the underside of the HSF still in place :wink:

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Sat Nov 03, 2012 4:55 pm
by DPete27
+1 make sure you took the clear plastic film off the bottom of the heatsink. It's on there to prevent the base from getting scratched, but you DEFINETLY need to remove it before placing it on top of your CPU.

The GPU is usually the hottest component. Depending on the cooler, 70C or above isn't unheard of under load.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 1:00 am
by DDVX
Hey guys, just got back around to checking the thread again. To be clear, my heatsink fan sucks open air from within the case through the heatsink and then out the back, as you said it should be. I did remove and reapply the thermal paste on the processor itself, but I'll check the bottom of the heatsink for plastic, as i don't remember taking any off (but I also inspected it before I installed it and don't remember there being any). I also will do a skin test under load to make sure the heatsink is actually absorbing the heat (and also will check the seating on top of the processor). I also double checked that my CPU fan is correctly connected to my motherboard CPU fan slot. I'll repeat back what I find from your suggestions. Thank all of you!

EDIT: I took off the Cooler Master this morning and the plastic was not on. I checked the video you guys linked to make sure I was installing it correctly and reattached it afterwards, making sure it was lined up with enough paste but not too much. The only thing I have left to do is to get it really hot again and feel the heatsink with my fan. Not sure what else to do. I have speedfan, MS afterburner, CPUID, and my BIOS all monitoring and setting fan speeds so I feel like I might get some interference between programs. The only other thing I can think of is to just manually set really high fan speeds to combat it.

EDIT 2: Also, how hot should I expect the heatsink to be? I upped the heat to around 55 Deg C for a couple minutes and it was not noticeably warm.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Mon Nov 05, 2012 10:45 pm
by DDVX
I reapplied thermal paste after looking more into it and applied less than I previously had. Since then, my average CPU temperature under heavy load is 50 Deg C, which is obviously much better. I didn't think I had been applying it too thick but apparently I was wrong. From what I can tell this is a reasonable temperature to play at without long term negative effects. Please tell me if I am wrong! And thank you everyone for the help.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 1:32 am
by Arclight
50 degrees Celsius is pretty good under load, the 3570K Tcase is 67.4°C. If you want to improve it even more check out reviews for various thermal interface materials, there are some out there that can make a real difference (but not huge, 5 degrees is about as much as you could gain if you started off with a generic TIM, but that's still a good gain).

Also look into undervolting articles for that chip since it seems that it is able to undervolt a overclock a little at the same time.

Re: Processor Overheating

Posted: Tue Nov 06, 2012 8:25 am
by morphine
DDVX wrote:
I reapplied thermal paste after looking more into it and applied less than I previously had. Since then, my average CPU temperature under heavy load is 50 Deg C, which is obviously much better. I didn't think I had been applying it too thick but apparently I was wrong. From what I can tell this is a reasonable temperature to play at without long term negative effects. Please tell me if I am wrong! And thank you everyone for the help.

Q: How much thermal past should I use?

A: You should almost make out the CPU lettering under it.