CPU Overheating After New Cooler install

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

Hello everyone.

I know this question has been asked a lot over the years on this forum and I hate to bother you all but I haven't been able to find a solution. I have searched many forums and tried many possible solutions. Nothing seems to be working.

Anyway, the problem I am having is that my AMD FX 8320 (3.79 GHz) is overheating and forcing my PC to shutdown after I installed a Silverstone Argon AR06. I have been running my FX 8320 with the stock cooler for about 5 years. I never had issues with it, so I figured it wasn't a problem. However, after doing some research on aftermarket coolers and their benefits, I decided to get one and I choose the AR06 for its low profile and positive reviews. After I installed the new cooler, I immediately tried to overclock the CPU. I downloaded AMD overdrive and overclocked the CPU to 4.3 GHz. I ran the benchmark for Deus Ex Mankind Divided and my PC shutdown about two minutes into the benchmark. After that, I played with the overclock setting and brought it down to 4.0 and 3.9 Ghz respectively. My PC would still shut off after 10+ minutes of gaming and everytime the CPU felt very hot, it was painful to touch. Eventually, I decided to stop overclocking altogether. I reset my motherboard settings to their defaults and manually maxed out the fans.

This seemed to have fixed the problem for awhile. However, after playing Overwatch for 2 hours straight, my PC shutdown again. This was when I started looking for solutions online. The first thing I did was reinstall the heatsink to make sure it was mounted properly and that I had the right amount of thermal paste. After I reinstalled it, everything seemed to be working fine. AMD overdrive had the thermal margin reading at 36.5 to 41.0 degrees C at idle, 25 to 18 degrees under heavy load. My motherboard bios had the temperature at 55 degrees C in idle on average. I played games for about four hours straight and had zero issues. Later that day, I tried playing Deus Ex again and this time I tried overclocking again, but I only did it to 4.0 Ghz. After about an hour of gaming, my PC shutdown again and the CPU was super hot once more.

I figured I might have a faulty cooler so I swapped it with my brother's AR06. I had bought him the exact same cooler for his PC and it seemed to be working for him just fine. He has an AMD FX 6500 (4.2Ghz). We swapped the coolers, made sure it was mounted right and put the ideal amount of thermal paste. I tried playing Deus EX again, no overclock, default bios settings and my PC shutdown again after 20 minutes. My brother suggested my CPU voltage was too high but I checked the bios and the voltage was at 1.35 and from my understanding anything below 1.5 is good.

I'm out of solutions guys. Any help would be very much appreciated.

My PC Specs:

Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth 990FX R2.0
CPU: AMD FX 8320 3.79 GHz
GPU: ASUS DUAL GTX 1060 6GB
Power supply: Corsair CS650M 650W 80 Plus Gold
CPU Cooler: Silverstone Argon AR06

Thanks again.

Karadjgne · Oct 2, 2016

How's the airflow in the case? Best cooler available won't be worth anything without sufficient airflow as case temps will force saturation of the coolers ability to transfer heat.

CountMike · Oct 2, 2016

That cooler doesn't look any better than original, stock cooler. May even be worse.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

I have a Thermaltake Commander MS-I case with three fans. The rear fan is the stock fan that came with the case. I have a Corsair AF120 at the top and bottom of the case. The bottom fan is blowing in and the top is blowing out. I clean it up regularly and thoroughly. I've had this setup for years without issues. The only difference is that I had louder and less efficient Cooler Master fans prior to the Corsairs.

I doubt the heatsink is worse than the stock cooler. The AR06 has excellent reviews including on this site, all of which said it is a significant step up from the stock cooler. However, I will try reinstalling the stock cooler later today. That is really the last solution I can try right now.

CountMike · Oct 2, 2016

It's same size and configuration as stock cooler (2 heat pipes) but with better and bigger fan. That processor deserves no less than CM 212Evo or something in that class.

Karadjgne · Oct 2, 2016

Sometimes things get lost in translation. The 8320/6500 is a 125w TDP cpu. Replacing its stock cooler with a 130w TDP cooler is a small step up, it's also much quieter than the amd stock cooler. Imagine using that 130w cooler on a @70w TDP Intel cpu. That would be a considerable step up over the 80w TDP stock cooler. So what may apply to Intel doesn't always apply to amd.

CountMike · Oct 2, 2016

Most of times those ratings are also optimistic to say at least and no two of same processors produce same amount of heat. Throw in that mix various conditions they have to work under, like case ventilation, workloads, paste etc. and it all ends up like not much scientific thing.
One thing I have learned is if you want good cooling and quiet to, overdo it by a good margin.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

Update:
I reinstalled the stock cooler and my PC seems to be working fine now. It is a lot louder and performance in games seems to have decreased a little, but it hasn't turned off after 3 hours of playing Deus Ex Mankind Divided.

I'm still not sure what the problem seems to be. The AR06 I bought has four heat pipes, not two, and is a good deal bigger than the stock cooler. Even if it is a small step up from the stock, technically it should still be better. Also, it doesn't make sense why my slightly less efficient stock cooler doesn't overheat and why the exact same AR06 works on my brother's AMD FX 6500 with the exact same motherboard configuration with no issues. I think there is an underlying issue I'm missing.

Regardless, I guess I need a different cooler. Any suggestions for good cooler that isn't too expensive but smaller than the 212evo? I believe the evo is too big for my case, or at least it would be a very tight fit and I don't have lowprofile RAM. The reason I went with the arc is because it fit my case perfectly. I haven't seen any other CPU coolers that are small and affordable with good reviews.

CountMike · Oct 2, 2016

http://www.lc-power.com/en/product/power-supplies/lc-cc-120/ is few mm lower than 212evo and a bit better. 18'W TDP.
http://noctua.at/en/nh-c12p-se14.html is also cooler parallel to MB and one of best for smaller spaces. Take a look at other Noctua coolers, they are some of the best in business.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

So, to be an efficient cooler for my FX 8320, I need a minimum of 130W TDP right?

madmatt30 · Oct 2, 2016

The argon is only rated at 95w.
Its not as good as the stock amd cooler , its just lower rpm & quieter.
The amd coolers just use a brute force 4000rpm fan ,its a dirty & noisy way to dobthings but it works.

The argon was not a practical buy , its designed for low power /low profile builds for silence - not for what you're doing.

There are a mtotide of cheap coolers that will run an 8320 at stock easily but you need to spend more for overclocking.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

I'm not really interested in overclocking anymore. I just want a cooler that will be more efficient and much quieter than the stock cooler and preferably compact like the Argon AR06 and Cryorig C7. I don't have a lot of room in my case so size is a factor.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

Okay guys, I'm looking at the Cryorig H7 http://www.cryorig.com/h7_us.php. It is a little big for my liking but smaller, quieter and cooler than the 212evo. It costs about $40 which is only $5 more than the AR06. It has 140 TDP.

What do you all think?

madmatt30 · Oct 2, 2016

The h7 is a great cooler & a good choice.
Should you rather want a down blower the same as the argon then this phanteks will do the job too.

http://pcpartpicker.com/product/8t648d/phanteks-cpu-cooler-phtc12lsbk

Frank_T1000 · Oct 2, 2016

Thanks a lot guys. It sucks that I had to learn this the hard and costly way but at least I'll know more for future reference. Thanks again!

Karadjgne · Oct 2, 2016

You'll want to over cool. The cpu is 125w. Add anywhere upto another 100w or so for OC. So you'll be best served by coolers with at least a 200w capacity. Thats a hyper212 X, the EVO is only 180w. Since you have limited case height you'll need coolers with a max height of @150mm,which negates coolers like the hyper212 since it's 160mm. Also negates the Noctua D14, Phanteks ph-tc12pe etc. So bigger towers are out, but the horizontal Noctua C 12/14 would work great.

For any OC application, the Cryorig H7 is as small as I'd go.

madmatt30 · Oct 3, 2016

^ the h7 is actually slight better than the evo irregardless of its smaller footprint.
Better fin layout & a better fan are the reasons there.

If you did want to overclock with it 4.3/4.4 is absolutely doable while still keeping temps around 60c under load.
At stock with decent case cooling I doubt you'll see temps coming out of the 50's on an 8320.
Its a very good choice & probably the best sub 150mm tower there is.

Frank_T1000 · Oct 13, 2016

Quick update:

I bought the Cryorig H7, installed it and its working wonders. It's a little big but it fits in my case and is whisper quiet. I also improved the air flow in my case by adding an additional intake fan. The PC is running very cool and I have an average idle temperature of about 29 degrees C. No overclock, but I might reconsider it again.

Thanks a ton guys! I really appreciated the help from all of you. Thanks again!

CPU Overheating After New Cooler install

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