CPU overheating problem

taskee · Jan 20, 2014

hi everyone

today my PC started shutting down completely, it did so on 2 occasions, both while running a game. as soon as i turned it on for the 3rd time i ran Core Temp to find that the CPU temperatures are cruising at around 60°C while idling, while running chrome and windows security essentials scan they went higher up to 85°C, at which point i cancled the scan. After a while they went down to around 40-50 but they still often go up to high 60's for no apparent reason.
I've recently (like a month ago) replaced my 550W power supply for a 600W and replaced the CPU fan so i have no clue what could be causing this and i would appreciate any input as how to resolve the issue, any other software i could run to find/fix the issue, anything.

Thanks

specs : amd phenom II x6 1055T (not overclocked)
LC6600 v2.2 600W power supply
4GB ram
amd 770-c45 mobo

edit: right now at "idle" with only chrome running its still going at 45-50°C which i still think is a bit high? or not?
edit: turned on a stream and put it full size and it went to 60°C in a minute or two...

Matejar1997 · Jan 20, 2014

There is something wrong with your cpu, cause if you put the default fans on the cpu, it should be overheating. But if you bought new fans, and its still overheating, it's the cpu's fault. There is not a program that can change this. Save up some money, and buy a new one

MC_K7 · Jan 20, 2014

Did you remove the old paste from the CPU and re-applied new thermal paste? You need to do that every time you change the heatsink.

Here is a good product to remove the old paste:

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arcticlean.htm

You would need to apply the two products on both the CPU and the bottom of the heatsink and make sure there's no trace of the old paste left.

Then you re-apply a little bit of new paste on the CPU and it will spread to the heatsink when you install it. Here is a good paste if you don't have any:

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007

Make sure the heatsink is properly installed and making a good contact (enough pressure) on the CPU otherwise there won't be a heat transfer.

vFMXv · Jan 20, 2014

It could be caused by a virus, try http://www.malwarebytes.org/ its a good program.

MC_K7 · Jan 20, 2014

vFMXv :

No offense, but this really sounds like a hardware issue. Especially since he replaced his heatsink just a month ago and now he gets overheating issues... I would wait for him to answer if he re-applied thermal paste or not. That's really the number one suspect on the list.

vFMXv · Jan 20, 2014

MC_K7 :

I know but I was just suggesting ideas.

Vince120 · Jan 20, 2014

Like MC-K7 said, you should check your current cooler, and it may be sounds a little bit stupid, but did you plug your fan... :3

MC_K7 · Jan 20, 2014

Vince120 :

Nah, this can't be the problem either. Without a fan a CPU will overheat almost instantly in like 10 seconds. He probably won't even have time to type his Windows password that the PC would automatically shutdown.

His temperatures are just higher than usual but the computer is still usable. As I said, it's probably because he didn't remove the old paste and re-applied new one. Or the heatsink is not properly seated and not making good contact with the CPU so the heat transfer is not optimal. Once he fixes that, I'm sure his temperature will drop by at least 20C degrees.

Vince120 · Jan 20, 2014

Could it be possible to have a bad voltage setting in bios?

taskee · Jan 21, 2014

both times the shutdowns happened were when i played league of legends. later yesterday i tried playing left4dead2 and it ran smoothly without problems for a few hours with the temperatures being under or around 50°C. after that i even went and played some more of LoL and the temperature remained that way. today when i started LoL up again it skyrocketed to 90+°C again. i have no clue what is going on. also it seems if i tab out of the game the temperature seems to decline slightly but when i tab back in it goes back to rising. any ideas?

edit: i've exited LoL and let it idle pretty much for the past 10mins and its gone down to 35-40 now

MC_K7 · Jan 21, 2014

taskee :

Some games are more CPU dependent than others so this could easily explain the temperature difference between different games. Your idle temps seem normal, 35-40C is perfectly normal for this CPU I think. I know the X6 1055T tends to run a little hotter than other CPUs, but still, 85-90C under load is too high for my taste. Especially since you installed a new heatsink so I take for granted you picked one that is supposed to be better than what you had previously. So it's the opposite that should happen your temperature should be lower than before. This is why I suggested from the start you re-install your heatsink, make sure it's properly seated. And you never answered my question, did you remove the old thermal paste and re-applied new one?

MC_K7 · Jan 21, 2014

Vince120 :

Yes it's possible. In this case, this would be a good idea to check for a BIOS update and reset it to default settings at the same time.

taskee · Jan 21, 2014

i havent changed the thermal paste and it'll probably the next thing i'll do if this persists. thanks for all the advice and answers everyone

MC_K7 · Jan 21, 2014

taskee :

Unfortunately, the problem WILL persist until you replace it. I really don't think it will get any better. And on the long term you risk damaging your CPU if it keeps overheating all the time.

Remember to always re-apply thermal paste when changing heasink otherwise you're almost certain to run into heat issues. What happens is that the old paste dries and won't make good contact on the new heatsink. This is why you need to remove the old one and re-apply some new paste every time.

If you need to, go back to my fist comment for instructions on how to do it.

By the way, you should have told us from the start you didn't re-apply thermal paste because it was obviously the no.1 suspect on the list. It would have avoided people making other suggestions for nothing. This thread is already up to 13 replies...

Vince120 · Jan 21, 2014

A thermal paste is actually VERY cheap ( about 10 -15$) if you consider that it could save your above 100$ processor

taskee · Feb 6, 2014

hi, i didnt want to make a new thread so im just gonna update this in case anyone will answe.
After a long while i have replaced the thermal paste but it doesnt seem to have affected the overheating issue much.
Under load the temperatures still go around 70°C for certain games and up to 80°C for other. i am no expert nor can i find any definite explanation if this is "normal" or "acceptable" but im guessing its neither (i have a friend who fixes PC's and said that with the modern hardware such high temperatures are not a rare occurence and that i neednt worry that much).
So im basically back to square one, i have no idea if i should continue trying to fix the issue (the shutting down due to overheating is gone for now but im not too fond of the CPU being that hot in general) and how.

thanks for any further suggestions

edit: right now i only have winamp and chrome running at its cruising around 70°C

MC_K7 · Feb 6, 2014

How did you re-apply thermal paste if I may ask? What kind of product did you use to remove the old paste? Did you remove it on both the CPU and underneath the heatsink?

You must also be careful when applying the new paste and not put too much of it because it could have the reversal effect, too much paste could cause overheat because the heat transfer won't be optimal.

Finally, it's also important to make sure the heatsink makes good contact with the CPU and that there is enough pressure and that is seated straight (making even contact).

Take a look at this thread too:

http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/297120-28-phenom-1055t-temps

They mention that the voltage on this CPU might be too high by default, this is something you could tweak in the BIOS.

Speaking of BIOS, it would also be a good idea to flash it with latest version. I've seen some old BIOS causing issues with some CPUs (like not setting the right voltage, or not setting the right fan speed for new CPUs, etc...). This is why you need to keep your BIOS updated because it fixes stability and performance issues your manufacturer finds along the way.

taskee · Feb 7, 2014

Ok i think i might have been sloppy at reapplying the paste the 1st time. I did the following 2 things now :

1) I cleaned and reapplied the paste using the "pea-size" method

2) I turned the CPU fan, before it was set so that it was blowing air INTO the cpu. I've then did some research and googled things a bit to find that it can work both ways, blowing air into the cpu or sucking the hot air out. So i decided to give it a try and turned it around.

Now im not sure if only one of the 2 above worked or just 1 since i did them both at the same time but im getting a lot lower temperatures right now, under 40°C while idle. I'll put it udner load to see how it manages. Thanks for all the advice

edit: it seems to be working fine and even udner stress it stay under 40°C, whatever the problem was i think its resolved now. thanks again for all the input guys

MC_K7 · Feb 7, 2014

Air needs to blow ON the CPU! When the heatsink is assembled the fan is already set to push the air in the right direction, no need to mess with that. I never heard anyone putting the fan in the opposite direction. You need to cool the CPU + Heatsink. If you turn the fan the other way it will not help a lot cooling them...

CPU overheating problem

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