Why is my CPU overheating? Computer had been serviced 4 times.

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TheFrisb

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May 29, 2014
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Hello guys. So i have this problem. I had asked about it before on tomshardware but I am going to ask now providing more information. So, my pc has been overheating since april 2014. First it was the gpu. I had a warrant and they put in a better one and i only payed 30-40 euros. Now, i am sure my cpu is overheating. Since my cpu started overheating the pc has been to service 2 times. First they changed the psu, and the last time they changed lots of parts in my pc. But still i have serious problems. My cpu only overheats while playing video games.

Here are my computer specs:

Graphics Card: Nvidia Geforce GTX 760

CPU: Intel Core i7 4770 3.40 Ghz

PSU: Golden Field 450ALA 450W

MotherBoard: I don't know how to get the name of the model, sorry :) If you can tell me how i will try to.

RAM: 8.00 GB

Now, my CPU temps:

Just sitting around with nothing open ( please note they are in celsius) :

Minimum Maximum
Core 1 : 35 36

Core 2: 35 38

Core 3: 36 38

Core 4: 36 38

------------------------------------------------------------------------

But after playing a game for let's say 15 minutes or even less:

Core 1: 84

Core 2: 82

Core 3: 83

Core 4: 78

(Please note those temperatures are in Celsius)

My room is not hot at all. It is infact quite, let's say, normal.

I will provide some pictures from how my pc looks with the side opened.

http://postimg.org/gallery/23acs17ea/f1b26d96


Thanks in advance :)
 
Solution
nukemaster
My first guess would be too much dust in the cooler. Intel's cooler performs very bad when dusty.

An improperly mounted cooler also can cause this and worse.

The power supply is certainly not doing you any favors and I would be recommended to get something better.

While as much 12 volt rail as possible is preferred it is important to know that the 5 and 3.3 are generated from that 12 volt rail(on almost all modern power supplies).

While company A may list a 450 watt power supply with 32 amps on the 12 volt rail and company B may list a 450 watt power supply with 37 amps @ 12 volts, depending on the system it may not make a difference.

Remember that the full power supply is rated for 450 watts(total output) so if you have a 50...
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DHFF

DHFF

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go into your bios and look for settings labeled as "Turbo" make sure any Turbo settings are disabled. a lot of times motherboards come with the turbo enabled by default and this automatically overclock your system.

The last system I build for my son was running at 70c when idle, I disabled the turbo and its now running at 40-45c when idle. It makes that much of a difference.
 
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migronesien

migronesien

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Jun 3, 2015
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It's possible that stock coolers give up after a few years. Mine did the same.
Just buy an aftermarket cooler and you should be totally fine.
You dont need to spend lots for money for high end coolers since you cant OC your CPU anyway just get a good mid budget one like the Cooler Master EVO 212. Alot of people got it and seem to like it alot. Good price/performance.
 
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DHFF

DHFF

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The CM 212 is an awesome cooler but make sure your case is large enough. the 212 is pretty large. you need at least 160mm from the CPU base to the Side of the case.
However if you are running the sytem at stock speeds you really shouldn't need an aftermarket. If the system is not defaulted with the turbos on then I agree with checking the stock cooler, if its several years old then the thermal paste that it came with could have dried up.
 
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norseman4

norseman4

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Has the CPU cooler been removed during any of this servicing, if it has, was the thermal paste completely removed and new paste added?

Even if it hasn't been removed, I'm actually thinking that the fan on the cooler isn't operating correctly, or (and I think this might be more likely) the thermal paste is starting to break down. Either of these is the reason the CPU coolers 'break down'.

A less likely scenario is that the 4770's internal contact with the heat-spreader is starting to break-down. (4770's had a poor heat-spreader implementation anyway, from what I hear)

Check your installed cooler first. If the fan operation seems to be good, remove the cooler, thoroughly remove the old thermal compound from both the CPU and cooler with a lint-free cloth and isopropyl alcohol, reapply new compound and re-attach the cooler. (Or a replacement) Obviously you will need new compound before going this route.

Many youtube videos exist showing the process of replacing a CPU cooler.
 
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Karadjgne

Karadjgne

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Disabling cpu turbo can help.
Having sufficient airflow will help, that means an intake and an exhaust fan at minimum.
Disabling hyperthreading. For the most part, you'll not see any difference, an i7 is simply an i5 that can handle 2 threads per core. If your apps don't use 5+ threads, the hyperthreading just adds heat.
Voltage. Some motherboards will allow you to down clock or change vcore voltages. Intel cpu stock voltages are deliberately set pretty high and for most this is considerable over Volts, if you can notch it back some, 0.1v maybe, this'll drop temps.
Stock coolers aren't great, sufficient, but not great. Any decent aftermarket cooler would lower load temps. There are many coolers that bite, being actually worse than stock, so be careful in this decision. No impulse buys.
The 'updated' psu is awful. For a gtx760 a decent 500w would be better. Not only would it be more reliable, but the outputs would be better, load would be cleaner so fan volume would be negligible.
Thermal paste. Any will work, should be done at least every other year, and done correctly. Just don't use the liquid metal stuff.
 
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DHFF

DHFF

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If you are re-applying the paste yourself and this is your first time doing such a thing, avoid the urge to put too much. this is very common for beginners. I was the poster child for this when I first started. you only need a tiny drop in the center of the CPU then secure the Heat sink, the pressure from the sink and the heat from the CPU will cause the paste to spread naturally.
 
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MarkW

MarkW

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That is a junk power supply. And that is being nice.

A 450 watt power supply should have about 37 amps on the +12 volt rail. Best I can tell on the Golden Field blurry pictures, it looks like it says 14 amps. So that most likely also means that the power being delivered to your system has very high ripple, and is most likely out of spec for a power supply of its stated capacity.
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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My first guess would be too much dust in the cooler. Intel's cooler performs very bad when dusty.

An improperly mounted cooler also can cause this and worse.

The power supply is certainly not doing you any favors and I would be recommended to get something better.

While as much 12 volt rail as possible is preferred it is important to know that the 5 and 3.3 are generated from that 12 volt rail(on almost all modern power supplies).

While company A may list a 450 watt power supply with 32 amps on the 12 volt rail and company B may list a 450 watt power supply with 37 amps @ 12 volts, depending on the system it may not make a difference.

Remember that the full power supply is rated for 450 watts(total output) so if you have a 50 watt load on the 5 and 3.3 volt rails you have a bit over(if they take losses into consideration) 50 watts less on your 12 volt rail. You still do not want 14 amps @ 12 volts(that is 168 watts)

The real problem here is that at one point the 3.3 and 5 volt lines had been the primary power source for power hungry parts(CPU's and video cards). As time went on and parts needed more current, using 3.3 and 5 volts was phased out because the wires would be much larger and switching regulators like those on your board and video card work a bit better(higher efficiency) with higher input voltage.

To get 150 watts at 3.3 volts it would take about 45 amps(Wire to carry this current would be bigger than what power a full room of hardware).
to get 150 watts at 5 volts it would take 30 amps(this most likely requires wire larger than your room as well.).
to get 150 watts at 12 volts it takes 12.5 amps(Now this we can do without booster cables)

This forced a change to power supply design. 12 volts was now the rail that did most of the work and power supply makers had to adapt to this.

As efficiency became more important and even law in many areas, the use of DC-DC converters to get the lower rails off a large 12 volt rail became the best way to have the best of all worlds. High efficiency and Compatibility with devices that needed a bit more 5 or 3.3 volts current(just takes it from the 12 volt rail). Things like full range input and power factor correction also became standard for many power supplies.
 
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TheFrisb

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May 29, 2014
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Thank you all for posting such thorough answers. I will do my best to check for dust, check the cooler if they are operating correctly, and as you've all suggested probably i will change my psu. Thank you so much for helping me out :))) I will reply to some comments who asked for more information in a few hours because im pretty busy :)
 
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nukemaster

nukemaster

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Even if you swap the power supply, you may still need to address cooling issues. the board regulation should keep a certain amount of bad power(ripple or slightly higher or lower voltage) in check.

I think you still have a heat issue either way(just that we also get to see that power supply is not seem to be a goodmatch to the system), but I do not want the power supply to kill the system in the future either.

Keep us posted on how the troubleshooting goes.

Also it would be interesting to see the power supply label(can you get a picture of it?) to see just what it is supposed to deliver.
 
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