Cores running hot at ~100C, but overall CPU is low?

faridfxx

Commendable
Dec 15, 2016
4
0
1,510
Here's a screenshot from Open Hardware Monitor. Check the max values (under video rendering). Core temps rise up to 99-100C, but overall CPU rarely goes high. Other programs' reports are similar. What's going on?

nSCtObD.jpg


I run it on stock settings mostly. I did try OC'ing to 3.4gHz and it worked fine apart from the above issue (also, idle temps rose about +10-15C).
 
Solution
faridfxx,

Have you tried Real Temp or Core Temp to cross-check your Core temperatures against Open Hardware Monitor?

Throttle temperature for your i7 930 is 100C, so your Core temperatures are reaching Throttle temperature. This means it's likely that when you remounted your cooler, you somehow inadvertently introduced a contact problem.

Don't get stuck on CPU temperature; here's why:

Intel desktop processors have temperatures for each "Core", plus a temperature for the entire "CPU", so Quad Cores have five temperatures. Core temperatures are measured at the heat sources near the transistor "junctions" inside each of the Cores. CPU temperature is instead a single measurement on top of the CPU's "Case" or "Integrated Heat...

breek

Honorable
Jan 4, 2013
68
0
10,660
Heyo Farid.
Based on the fact your CPU core temps are going so high my first thought is lack of thermal paste or dead/dust clogged CPU fan. If you can confirm neither of these are the case, you could be overvolting your CPU, especially if you had OC'd. I would recommend checking your thermal paste. You have an older CPU so it's very likely the thermal paste has dried up and is doing a poor job at this point. I'm going to include the steps for GPU thermal paste/pad changes as well.
Things you will need to change thermal paste/pads for CPU and GPU: isopropyl alcohol (70%+), lint free cotton swab (coffee filter, paper towel, etc.), thermal paste (non-conductive preferably) (You will have to buy some if you're using the stock cooler. Aftermarket coolers tend to come packaged with a tube of paste.), thermal pads (GPU ONLY), screw driver and sorting tray (GPU ONLY).

CPU: Remove your cooler and clean up the cooler and CPU with your alcohol and paper towel (or equivalent). With all of the thermal paste removed, give it another once over with alcohol and be sure not to leave any residue (finger oils) or dust on either surface. Throw a dab of thermal paste on the middle of the CPU (Enough that it will spread across the CPU; not too little!). The heat sink should spread the paste and remove any air bubbles. At this point, make sure no paste is dripping over the CPU and onto your motherboard. Clean up any that is and honestly I would recommend you redo the entire process to make sure it's cleaned properly with the heat sink removed. This is should be all you need.

GPU: Keeping track of their assigned locations, remove all visible screws. Carefully pull the cooler off. If there is resistance, you can try to wiggle it slightly. As with any form of suction, they will often slide around much easier than pulling apart and sometimes you can break the air seal by doing this. Again, slightly. Don't force the cooler around as you risk damaging components with the heat sinks. Once it starts to come loose, make sure you disconnect the fan from the PCB (GPU board; equivalent to motherboard) so as to not tear the solder points from the PCB or damage the connectors in any other way. At this point (depending on your GPU's age), visually inspect the thermal pads you should find scattered around the card. Leave the pads where they are or set them aside (Keep in mind exactly where they go. Some have different thickness!) if necessary. If any of these pads tear while removing the cooler I would recommend you buy new pads before reinstalling (SOMETHING TO DO BEFORE HAND). Just like with a CPU, at this point you can clean the GPU socket and heat sink. Once again, apply NON-CONDUCTIVE thermal paste (be generous). Reapply the thermal pads (old and new), reconnect the fan, and reseat the cooler shroud onto the card. Screw everything back together.

This should give you an idea of what you're doing. It's always a good idea to use non-conductive thermal paste so you have a safety net if any paste gets where it shouldn't be.
 

breek

Honorable
Jan 4, 2013
68
0
10,660
As I completely forgot to elaborate on overvolting, this can happen when you push an overclock too far. As you probably know, the higher voltage you put into the CPU, the higher the temps will be. If you are unsure about any adjustments you made, you should enter your BIOS and reset to default settings. This is a simple change you can make without having to remove any heatsinks and change any thermal paste.
 

faridfxx

Commendable
Dec 15, 2016
4
0
1,510
thanks, all of you!

I forgot to mention that before OC-ing attempt I installed a new videocard. And meanwhile I removed the cooler (which is a GlacialTech UFO), cleaned it up, applied a small layer of new thermal paste and reseated it on the CPU.

If you take a closer look at the screenshot, you can see that voltages are within normal operation. In fact, the BIOS settings are set to NORMAL (instead of AUTO).

The question still remain though.. why are the core temperatures so high, yet the package temperature is so low at the same time?
 

breek

Honorable
Jan 4, 2013
68
0
10,660
That's one groovy looking cooler!

Were you running into any stability issues? Crashes? I'm curious if the temperatures are being read incorrectly. Can you check using CPU-Z or another program? It does seem odd that the temperatures are doubled on the cores. Again, check with a second program to confirm. Has this been a persistent issue? An unknown issue until now? An undiagnosed, but known, issue for some time? Could you give me an idea of how much thermal paste you used? You seem like you know what you're doing but I just want to be sure too little wasn't used. It's much easier to use too little than too much.
 

CompuTronix

Intel Master
Moderator
faridfxx,

Have you tried Real Temp or Core Temp to cross-check your Core temperatures against Open Hardware Monitor?

Throttle temperature for your i7 930 is 100C, so your Core temperatures are reaching Throttle temperature. This means it's likely that when you remounted your cooler, you somehow inadvertently introduced a contact problem.

Don't get stuck on CPU temperature; here's why:

Intel desktop processors have temperatures for each "Core", plus a temperature for the entire "CPU", so Quad Cores have five temperatures. Core temperatures are measured at the heat sources near the transistor "junctions" inside each of the Cores. CPU temperature is instead a single measurement on top of the CPU's "Case" or "Integrated Heat Spreader" where the cooler is seated, not in close proximity to the heat sources.

CPU temperature is a factory only measurement from a laboratory "thermocouple" used for Intel's "Tcase" Thermal Specification, so Tcase is CPU temperature, not Core temperature. Core temperatures should be 5C higher than CPU temperature due to differences in the proximity of sensors to heat sources. This means that on a properly functioning and calibrated Socket 1366 system, Core temperatures and CPU temperature should scale up and down together, with Core temperatures always 5C higher than CPU temperature.

The Digital Thermal Sensors (DTS) within the Cores used for measuring Core temperatures are factory calibrated by Intel, which are typically quite accurate. However, Legacy Core 2 Socket 775 and Previous (1st) Generation Core i Socket 1366 processors use a single Analog Thermal Diode centered under the Cores to substitute for a laboratory thermocouple. The Analog value is converted to Digital (A to D) by the motherboard's Super I/O (Input / Output) chip, then is calibrated to look-up tables coded into BIOS. Accuracy can vary greatly with BIOS updates. For these processors, BIOS or CPU temperature may not be accurate.

Your i7 930 is a Previous (1st) Generation Core i Socket 1366 processor, so in this instance, your CPU temperature is grossly inaccurate. If it doesn't scale up and down with Core temperature as decribed above, then your CPU temperature is not functioning properly. If you're not running the latest BIOS, then sometimes a flash update can correct CPU temperature inaccuracies.

Processors for Sockets 115x and 2011 no longer use an Analog Thermal Diode, but instead use the hottest Core as CPU temperature. This is shown in BIOS, and on some recent motherboards is displayed on the two digit "debug" display. For these processors, CPU temperature is the "hottest Core", which is "Package" temperature.

For the present, I recommend that you just ignore the inaccurate CPU temperature, as it's of little relevance. Your immediate concern is why your Core temperatures are reaching Throttle temperature. I would focus on revisiting your last physical actions, which were the steps involved in remounting your cooler.

Also, you should read this Sticky: Intel Temperature Guide - http://www.tomshardware.com/forum/id-1800828/intel-temperature-guide.html

CT :sol:
 
Solution

100626976

Reputable
Jan 13, 2016
5
0
4,510
I agree with breek, though i hate it for he already gave all possible resolution to solve your problem. LOL
* Just so in case that you've checked everything breek mentioned, we can conclude that there is a possible fault on your motherboard. Faulty capacitors that may be overvolting the processor (even if it's not needed) thus causing the brain to generate more heat. I assemble desktops as a living and encountered this one time. Though not reaching 90-100c, it was 80-92c. Replaced motherboard and processor started running on idle temp
 

CompuTronix

Intel Master
Moderator
100626976,

The screenshot shows Vcore is only at 1.216, while Core temperatures are pegged at 100C Throttle temperature. Maximum recommended Vcore for 45 nanometer processors is 1.400, so he's well under that voltage.

Also shown is the processor frequency at 2.93GHz, which is slightly above it's default frequency of 2.8GHz. The i7 930's were often overclocked to 4.4GHz using a 200MHz FSB and a maximum 22x multiplier: http://ark.intel.com/products/41447/Intel-Core-i7-930-Processor-8M-Cache-2_80-GHz-4_80-GTs-Intel-QPI

Since faridfxx pointed out in his second post that Core temperatures changed after remounting the cooler, the problem appears to point toward the cooler remount, which was the last action performed.

CT :sol: