CPU over heating?

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LayLow1

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May 10, 2010
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Hello All.
i-7 930 here running stock. A few days ago my computer has been restarting when I am gaming. I did memtest for 12 hours no errors. I check heat of CPU and GPU. My GPU was running at 117C So I went and replaced it with a 660GTX (was a HD5770). Still was restarting. I used Prime95 to test my cpu temp and it got all the way to 88C. Idle it is at 47C. This is way to hot right? The only thing I can think of that is making my computer restart when gaming is the CPU is getting to hot or my PSU is going bad. I have a ASETEK 510LC 120MM WATERCOOLER.

So should I replace the PSU with a good brand or get rid of the watercooler and get a good cpu fan?

Thoughts Thank You
 
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hapkido

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47C idle temp for a stand-alone water cooler seems really high. Re-seat the block, applying new TIM and making sure it's attached with even pressure.

Also, 117C is WAY too hot for a GPU. Thermal max is probably in the 100C neighborhood.

I'd also look at your case airflow, especially in the summer months where your ambient temperature is probably quite a bit higher if you don't have the AC on all the time. Blow out all the dust you can (including the PSU and any filters), and clean the fans if they're caked in dust. Make sure you have sufficient exhaust as well. Usually it's more important to have more fans blowing out of the case than blowing in. For example, if you have one fan, make it exhaust. If you have three, make one intake and two exhaust. The down side is your case will accumulate more dust this way, but that's not an issue if you clean it, and getting the hot air out of the case is more important than bring cool air in.
 
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drtoast

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Really? I thought standard practise was a positive pressure system that kept dust out and cooled more efficiently due to thicker air?
 
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hapkido

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Positive pressure does help keep your system cleaner, but you run the risk of not getting the hot air out. Heat moves from hot to cold, so your primary concern is getting hot air out, or the hot air in your case will make all the cool intake air hot as well. The optimal balance is equal for both intake and exhaust, but that's hard to manage, so it's better to error on the side of exhaust. Also, having more exhaust will help eliminate hot air pockets.

I have 2 x 120mm (front and side) intake fans and 120mm (back) + 2 x 140mm (top) exhaust fans. I have no problem keeping my crossfire 5850s and overclocked i5-2500k relatively cool, even on hot days with the AC off. And I only have to clean my case a couple times a year.
 
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drtoast

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And yet having more exhausts makes the air thinner, allowing it to carry less heat. I'm actually vaguely interested to know where the tipping point of the physics of heat transfers benefits are beaten by sheer volume of air moved?
 
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LayLow1

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question

To see if my water cooler was working I took off the fan and let the radiator just sit there. I noticed a 1c change. went from 45 idle to 46 idle.
Pretty much shows my cooler is broke right?
 
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drtoast

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And trying to use fans to remove it faster than the other fans draw it in doesnt cause a low pressure? Thats what negative pressure is. Its a negative gradient in pressure from outside the case to inside the case.

Thinner air = less air present to remove heat from the system.
 
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hapkido

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You're over-thinking this -- and using confusing terminology. Air from outside the case wants to come through vents/gaps to equalize the pressure. There is no "thin" air caused from the slight negative pressure. Air gets thin (less dense) when it gets hot. Hot air also heats up cooler air to make it hot. If you don't deal with the hot air, eventually all of the air inside the case is much, much hotter than outside the case.

If you could eventually remove all the air from the case -- you can't, but let's assume you can -- yes, convection would stop happening because there would be no medium for the heatsinks to transfer heat to. This is a problem for electronics in space that can only radiate heat away, but won't happen in your home.
 
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