CPU running at 84 degrees idle?

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lukasic2

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Nov 10, 2011
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My 2 year old pc has started running into problems during the last month.There were some mini-freezes that lasted for around 2-3 seconds and that's pretty much all.Two days ago my PC just froze and did not want to unfreeze so i pressed the restart button,and it just shut down without restarting,and didn't give out any video output and the keyboard/mouse didn't work when i turned it on.I then opened the PC and noticed the cpu fan was a bit dusty,np i cleaned that up.PC still didn't want to turn on.I then changed the places of the RAM sticks and pressed memOK( i highly doubt this did anything,probably the PC sitting there cooled it down).The PC then turned on and gave a CPU overheat error.I turned the PC off and took it down to the basement and left it there during the day.I turned the PC on and now it's running at 84 degrees celsius when idle(was 72 degrees yesterday) and speedfan also says that my AUX is at 60 degrees.The hell is wrong with my PC?Did the thermal paste dry up?I don't even know how to replace that,i have no experience whatsoever with CPUs.Please help me out here,my processor cost me way too much at the time to let it die now.

Configuration:
Windows 7 64-bit
intel i5 2500k
ASUS P8H67 motherboard
2x4 GB DDR3 1333 mhz
2x4 GB DDR3 1600 mhz (motherboard maximum is 1333 mhz so yeah)
GTX 560 Ti
 
Solution
npsgaming
It sounds like the thermal paste is your problem. As others have mentioned rubbing alcohol is a good choice to remove the old paste.

This is the method I use to make sure it cleans properly and you don't damage the surface (on the CPU or the heatsink)

1. use a dry paper towel to gently scrape any excess or solidified clumps off
2. with a clean paper towel add a small amount of rubbing (also called isopropyl) alcohol and gently wipe the remaining paste away
3. continue wiping until no visible trace of the paste remains and the surface appears clean
4. apply alcohol to another clean paper towel and run it over the thermal surfaces again to polish and remove any remaining residue
5. wait 2 or 3 minutes to ensure the surfaces are...
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laviniuc

laviniuc

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Nov 29, 2013
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no worries, the cpu won't die (most of the time) it will stop before reaching temperatures that can physically damage it.

to reapply paste you need to clean the old with a clean tissue / alcohol solution (as pure as you have) and reapply a small amount of paste and reseat the cooler. more details here:
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-heat-sink-heat-spreader,3600.html
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/thermal-paste-performance-benchmark,3616.html

if the fan is not spinning at all it could be that it broke, you can find a replacement in any pc shop should be just a few dollars. or get a new cooler completely (for example a cm 212 evo)
 
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lukasic2

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Nov 10, 2011
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I'd rather keep replacing the paste as a final resort..Yes the cpu fan is spinning.Theres also a fan on my PC case(a fan that blows directly on the gpu though,its on the side not behind the case).I'll take the cpu fan and heatsink out right now to check whats up under although the lat time i did it there were no issues...
 
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DeathAndPain

DeathAndPain

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Jul 12, 2013
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Well if you take the CPU heat sink off, then you MUST replace the thermal grease. Thermal grease is single-use stuff. It will never spread properly again if you take off the heat sink. You need to wipe CPU and heat sink clean (I mean really clean, using stuff like isopropyl alcohol or, even better, chloroform) and then apply a dot of fresh thermal grease on the center of the CPU before putting the heat sink back in place.

Make sure your heat sink does not have a thermal pad instead of thermal grease. If it has, it is even more important to properly and completely remove it and replace it with thermal grease. But do not use a screwdriver or anything else that could scratch the surface of your heat sink. Your fingernails are ok though.
 
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npsgaming

npsgaming

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Mar 31, 2009
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It sounds like the thermal paste is your problem. As others have mentioned rubbing alcohol is a good choice to remove the old paste.

This is the method I use to make sure it cleans properly and you don't damage the surface (on the CPU or the heatsink)

1. use a dry paper towel to gently scrape any excess or solidified clumps off
2. with a clean paper towel add a small amount of rubbing (also called isopropyl) alcohol and gently wipe the remaining paste away
3. continue wiping until no visible trace of the paste remains and the surface appears clean
4. apply alcohol to another clean paper towel and run it over the thermal surfaces again to polish and remove any remaining residue
5. wait 2 or 3 minutes to ensure the surfaces are completely dry and clean
6. apply a SMALL drop of paste to the center of the CPU. The pressure between thermal transfer plates will spread it for you in due time.
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7. lower your cooler down onto the cpu evenly and apply a little pressure before clamping/screwing it into place.
8. tighten your cooler onto the cpu/board and wait a few minutes before powering on
9. power the system on and boot to BIOS. check the hardware monitor/ health tab and observe cpu temps here before booting into Windows or another OS.


Thermal paste can take some time to set as well so temperatures may be erratic at first before finally settling to a "true idle" temperature.
 
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