Overheating CPU Troubleshooting

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RabbitsTachi

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Mar 27, 2014
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Hello,

I've haven't had a problem with overheating before, but now that I've started playing a new game I do.

Within an hour, the temp hit 90 C (according to Speccy). I cleaned my computer which helped, except now it stays around 75 C and peaks to 90 C. Within minutes after quitting the program, the temp drops to 60 C which is the temp normally. The motherboard is around 40 C baseline.

This is a prebuilt so I'm not sure what the problem is.

It's a:
4 core AMD A8/A10
Godavari 28nm Technology

When I opened the case, the CPU had a heatsink and a fan both.

Any ideas?

Thank you.

 
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You probably need a better heat sink and fan and possibly better case cooling. Pre-built systems often cut corners on parts where they can as margins tend to be slim. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find that the heat sink and fan on your CPU is not the appropriate size for the job.

The ambient temperature in the room the PC is running in can make quite a bit of difference. Hotter environments require better heat sink and fan assemblies.

APUs such as what you have, because they have the graphics integrated into the CPU, run hotter than CPUs without integrated graphics. They just need better thermal solutions than what a CPU alone would require when running graphics intensive tasks such as gaming.

Whether your CPU is good for gaming...
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Dan425811923

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May 14, 2015
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90c isn't that bad, download realtemp and if it shows up as 90c on it you might wanna repaste or get a better cooler
 
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dudio

dudio

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60c idle and 90c under load doesn't sound very good to me!
Have you blown the dust out of the system? Do you know how to do that?
That would be my first step, and then I'd try reapplying thermalpaste.
What CPU cooler is it? Did it come with the CPU?
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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The processor is rated up to about 73°C, so yes, 90°C is very bad.

The processor should be throttling to prevent getting too hot, but that doesn't always work if cooling is especially poor.

If you have never cleaned the heat sink and fan that is installed on the processor, it's could be in dire need of cleaning now. That's usually the culprit for a CPU that went from not overheating initially, to overheating, over the course of years of usage.

60°C is way too high for an idle temperature. It should be closer to 40°C. The only reason I would ever accept worse idle temperatures would be if you were using a passive cooler, or you had very excessive ambient temperatures.

If you remove the CPU cooler for cleaning, make sure you clean off the old thermal interface material (TIM) and replace it properly with new TIM. If you've been using the machine for a few years without service, it may be time to remove and replace the TIM anyway.

If you use any compressed air to blow dust and debris from the CPU heat sink and fan, make sure you do not allow the fan to spin at high speeds due to the pressurized air. Computer fan bearings can be damaged by over revving them, so just hold it in place before cleaning.
 
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RabbitsTachi

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Thank you for the reply. I cleaned out the dust as best I could with canned air and a wooden toothpick. I need a torx screwdriver to remove the fan and sink to give a deep clean so I'll be buying one this weekend.

It's a prebuilt so everything came with.

Is there an easy instruction guide for the thermal paste? Should I use a certain kind? I worry if I mess up, I'll really be in trouble.
 
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RabbitsTachi

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Thank you for the reply. Yes, everything else idles at 30 to 40. I'm buying a torx screwdriver on the weekend to give the sink and fan a good clean. By TIM, do you mean the thermal paste?

Is there an easy instruction guide for the thermal paste? Should I use a certain kind? I worry if I mess up, I'll really be in trouble.
 
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dudio

dudio

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Check this article !
Also includes video showing paste application techniques.

https://www.gamingfactors.com/best-thermal-paste-2017/

 
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bigpinkdragon286

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By TIM (Thermal Interface Material) I mean, whatever material is used to facilitate the thermal interface. This can be paste, yes, but stock coolers from Intel and AMD often use a soft, wax based pad that come pre-applied to the base of the heat sink.

I wouldn't worry too much about the actual thermal paste you buy. It will all do the job, provided you apply it correctly. Here's a link for the instructions on Tom's for getting a good application:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cooling-air-pressure-heatsink,3058-9.html
 
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RabbitsTachi

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Hey guys! I replaced the paste with Arctic Silver 5 and have noticed a marked difference. Thank you!

Now it idles at 40 C and rises to 65 C with web browsing and the like.

The problem is that when gaming it still jumps up to 80 C.

I downloaded HW Monitor and it says the max for my CPU (AMD A8/A10) is 70 C so 80 is clearly a problem.

I'm thinking either my CPU isn't good enough for gaming or I need a cooler instead of a heatsink.

What do you think?
 
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bigpinkdragon286

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You probably need a better heat sink and fan and possibly better case cooling. Pre-built systems often cut corners on parts where they can as margins tend to be slim. It wouldn't surprise me at all to find that the heat sink and fan on your CPU is not the appropriate size for the job.

The ambient temperature in the room the PC is running in can make quite a bit of difference. Hotter environments require better heat sink and fan assemblies.

APUs such as what you have, because they have the graphics integrated into the CPU, run hotter than CPUs without integrated graphics. They just need better thermal solutions than what a CPU alone would require when running graphics intensive tasks such as gaming.

Whether your CPU is good for gaming or not isn't really the issue. The issue as far as I can see, is that your PC has an inadequate thermal solution. It's not removing enough heat from the PC to operate within safe limits.

Perhaps try running with the side panel off of the case, until you can improve the cooling of the PC.
 
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