CPU Overheating suddenly

[meleseDESIGN]

Regular motherboard temps used to be 30° in IDLE till 50° if system is Full-Loaded.

Does the heatsink sits tight on the CPU and all 4 clips are locked in place?
How´s the FSB settings and CPU clock? Maybe it´s overclocked and you didn´t noticed it?

[rranney]

FSB and CPU are at stock speeds, just double checked.

The heatsink is tight on the CPU and all 4 clips are locked. How much play is there supposed to be in the clips? One of the clips wiggles slightly more than the others...I'll unscrew and relock that clip to see if anything changes...

[meleseDESIGN]

Actually it shouldn´t even wiggle slightly.
The barbed hook of the clips must be in the hole first before you push the pivot down to final lock the clip. Is the hook in the hole you push the pivot hard till it clicks.

[imashination]

With your description, re-fitting the heatsink would be my first port of call. there should be no movement in it at all, heatsinks are almost without fail; clipped or latched to the motherboard with more force than darth vader on a bad day.

Remember, a tiny amount of goop, about a 1 cent coin's worth at most.

Also check the fans are blowing into the heat sink, not out.

[rranney]

Fans are blowing into the heat sink. Check.

One clip is certainly loose, and I am trying to reattach it... I think the pin is locked but the plastic wedge isn't through the mobo. Hard to do with it all in the case, but I really don't want to disassemble my entire rig just to reattach one lousy push pin.

I know you're supposed to support the back side of the mobo when you install the heatsink. Am I in danger of pushing to hard and cracking the mobo if it's still in the case?

[meleseDESIGN]

Am I in danger of pushing to hard and cracking the mobo if it's still in the case?

Sure it can go damaged, but it shouldn´t happen if you do it the right way.
Use a flash light if you can´t see what you´re doing.

[KyletGaines]

If you can snap down the fan that would be great. Since your case was extra cruddy and the heatsink was not fastened down correctly it may be worth your time to take off the heatsink/fan clean off the thermal grease from the heatsink and fan, and apply new compound.

[biliousfrog]

... but I really don't want to disassemble my entire rig just to reattach one lousy push pin.


That one lousy pin is likely the cause of your problems and could result in a fried CPU and Mobo...is it really such an effort?

...also, is your case so crammed with gear that there's no airflow to keep it cool? You want to make sure, as much as possible, that there's cool air being drawn through the case, over the CPU and then sucked out. If you've got a bunch of HD's warming the air first, a nest of cables blocking the current of air and RAM, Mobo and graphics card all warming the air around the CPU you're looking at a sure-fire way of overheating the system...especially with a case that's designed primarily to be quiet and isn't very thermally efficient.

[imashination]

I know you're supposed to support the back side of the mobo when you install the heatsink. Am I in danger of pushing to hard and cracking the mobo if it's still in the case?

If youve never done it before, the first time you attach a heatsink will indeed feel like youre about to snap the whole thing in half. Keep pushing ;-)

[rranney]

damn, I just watched some Intel stock heatsink install videos and it looks like they barely touch it and it pops in.

This one peg is giving me trouble. I think I'm going to just take the whole thing out, scrap the old thermal paste off, apply some Arctic Silver, and try getting the HSF back on.

Btw, I've read/seen several different procedures on how to apply thermal paste: 1) spread a pea-sized amount yourself with a business card until very thin, 2) apply a grain of rice sized amount and let the HSF spread it when you place it on the CPU...

So what is the best way? Also, what is the appropriate manner in which to remove the old thermal paste?

Thanks guys! Still learning about all the do-it-yourself procedures.

[meleseDESIGN]

Option 2 is the easiest and probably the best way to apply the TP, so do it like that.
To remove the old TP use a paper towel, hanky or a piece of cloth.

For the HSF: watch out that you don´t damage the plastic wedge at pushing. Maybe it´s broken allready and because that it doesn´t holds the HSF anymore?

[rranney]

Just got some Arctic Silver 5... going to take off the heatsink and reattach with new paste. Stay tuned...

[Johnpv]

I've also found dust build up on the heatsink the fan is blowing on can screw up its efficiency. I didn't clean my one system for about 2 years and noticed the idle temp was a lot higher, I went in and cleaned out all the dust on everything and it dropped back to where it should have been.

[rranney]

So it turns out one of my push pegs is slightly looser than the others. After rehearsing taking the HSF on and off, I noticed that while pushing down, it had a tendency to lock prematurely. I learned to fasten this peg first.

I removed the heatsink, and then the old thermal paste with some Q-tips. I'm not sure what old thermal paste is supposed to look like, but I attached an image (felt like slightly dry clay, a little brittle). I cleaned the surface of both the heatsink and CPU with some isopropyl 91% rubbing alcohol, and then wiped each surface with a lens cloth to remove lint/dust. I reapplied thermal paste (Arctic Silver 5) in a thin vertical line the way the instructions recommend on their website, and reattached the HSF. Reboot.

Bootup idle temp: 42C, right around where a quad core should be w/ the stock HSF. I ran a render from maya and my top temp was 65C under full load.

However after the render finished, it now idles around 51C. While I think that's still a bit warm, at least I'm not frying my CPU anymore in the 80s-100s.

I believe my problem is solved for now (unless you guys disagree). I may invest in a better cooler in the near future, but for now I need to get back to work!

[rranney]

er, manage attachments won't let me upload that .jpg for some reason... I try to upload and nothing happens. It just says no file chosen...weird

I will try to post it throughout the day.

[rranney]

Here we go. Set up a photobucket account instead of dealing w/ attachments... Will someone with experienced eyes tell me if this is what thermal paste is supposed to look like after 2 yrs?

http://i737.photobucket.com/albums/xx17/rranney/CG%20Talk/HSFremove.jpg

[imashination]

Looks absolutely fine

[rranney]

Alright great! So it was entirely that loose pin after all, though I'm sure I'll benefit from the silver paste a couple degrees.

Thanks for your help everyone! Case closed.

[PanzerMKZ]

Ok it seems like I am the only one that is bothered by the fact you repeatedly said core2 duo heatsink on your core 2 quad. But then again I am bothered by the fact you don't have an aftermarket heatsink on that quad. I would check into something either heatpipe or say a swiftech skt775 cooler. I want my full load to be as near room temp as possible.



Panzer

[Srek]

It's the correct heatsink, the one shipped with and for the Core2Duos is half the thickness than the one he showed.
Stock Core2Duo heatsink (http://www.connect.in.com/intel-stock/photos-1-1-1-b9676d5ce47d1169e20041be665a4cb7.html)

Cheers
Björn

[rranney]

I have been researching better heatsinks... some of them are HUGE!

Does anyone have suggestions for a Core2Quad socket? There are so many out there...

[PanzerMKZ]

I would suggest the switech MCX775-V. It is a normal heatsink. The bottom is FLAT. And you can decide on which fan you will put on it. For more info on different setups you can check out silentpcreview and some of the overclocking forums. Also check out heatpipes.


Also you might want to do temp testing in one month. Takes a bit for AS5 to break in.
Panzer

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