Can a CPU get too cold?

[Guest]

I have an intel core 2 duo E6400 at normal clockspeed. When I boot up I get a freeze on POST and I have to restart. I repeat this process 1-5 times(Depending on how much I wait, while it is frozen, for the CPU to heat up). I can get into the BIOS/through the POST as soon as the CPU temp is at 29C and I can run XP as soon as the temp goes to 34C. It takes about 5min for the CPU to get to 34C. Is the CPU too cold or do I perhaps have a different problen on my hands?

 

[MU_Engineer]

CPUs can get "too cold" but the temperatures are impossible to reach indoors and on air or water cooling. I think that AMD's Athlon 64s start to get the "cold bug" at -40 C or so as the material properties of the silicon-on-insulator substrate change enough to hinder normal transistor operation. Intel CPUs just use bulk silicon as their substrate and I've seen people use liquid nitrogen to cool them to -100 C or so.

So you CPU isn't too cold at all. I think you have a different problem on your hands.

 

[jaguarskx]

Your motherboard may be the problem, but it is possible that the power supply is faulty as well.

 

[still_life]

Your motherboard may be the problem, but it is possible that the power supply is faulty as well.

Agreed. Besides, unless you live in open tundra, the CPU starts off at room temperature, which is never too cold.

 

[blade85]

Agreed. Besides, unless you live in open tundra, the CPU starts off at room temperature, which is never too cold.

what is this "room" you speak off?? I live in the great outdoors....and i have a cpu thingi.

 

[Guest]

Ok. Thanks replying everyone.

 

[plankmeister]

I had an almost identical problem many years ago with my Amiga power pack. I had to leave it on for about 10 minutes for it to warm up, then turn it off/on again to boot up normally. Did that for about 3 years until the power pack died completely and got a new one. I will never forget that when I bought the new one I thought I'd been ripped off... It weighed about 25% of the original!

Anyway... Try a different PSU.

 

[eRazor]

I concur. It sounds like a cold solder joint somewhere that needs to warm up before the joint expands enough to get a proper connection.

Since the equipment used to assemble and solder power supplies is far less accurate than what is used for other components, I'd start there.

It's been my experience that the weirdest PC behaviors are generally caused by faulty power (i.e. when you least expect it to be the PSU, it usually is).