Intel E7400 Overheating @ Stock Speed

[Abydosone]

Hey guys. I recently did a build using an E7400 and a Gigabyte EP45-UD3R. I am using the stock intel heatsink fan and left it at stock speeds.

I followed the directions for installing the stock hsf and checked the tabs on the bottom to make sure they were locked.

The problem first occurred when I tried to run a game with the new graphics card, and it just shut down by itself. I installed speedfan and prime95 to see if it was an overheating problem. Sure enough, after just one minute of prime95 both cores are up to 50 degrees C and then it shuts down.

I am at a loss as to what to do, I have never run into this problem before, course I have never used the stock intel hsf either. Any ideas?

 

[Kraynor]

50c isn't high enough to trigger a shutdown, though the temps could have gone up quicker than coretemp was reading them. Anyway, here's the checklist that everyone gives when it comes to CPU temp issues, with a new addition:

1) Is the heatsink on correctly?
2) Did you apply thermal paste?
3) Did you remember to remove the plastic cover from the bottom of the heatsink? (that's the new one, seen a lot of this in the last couple of weeks)

Best place to start is remove the heatsink, clean off any thermal paste on it and the CPU, reapply a small amount of thermal paste (blob the size of a grain of rice in the centre of the CPU is enough, the heatsink spreads it), and put the heatsink back on making sure it goes on properly.

I'd also recommend getting some 3rd party thermal paste as the paste you get with heatsinks is generally silicon-based and the worst performing of what you can get (with the exception of thermal pads, they're the worst). Most people recommend Arctic Silver, MX-5, or OCZ Freeze.

Add to that a 3rd party heatsink, the intel one is average at best, and changing to a high-perfomance cooler can reduce your temps by 4-5 degrees idle, 10-15 under load.

 

[amdfangirl]

It could be the PSU. Check your BIOS too see if it set to auto-shutdown.

 

[orangegator]

Yeah, 50C on the stock cooler is fine. Probably a problem with your PSU or ram. List all your parts.

 

[Abydosone]

Thanks guys. You know, I did check the bottom of the intel hsf for that plastic but it didn't look like there was some on there. Did I miss something? I used the pre-applied thermal paste.

I do have some leftover AS5 from the upgrade I did to my computer, and that was for a P4 with a Zerotherm CF800 cooler (which works I guess). So I can just pull it off and re-do everything. I also need to re-do cable management as well anyways.

As for the other components, the PSU is a 550W Corsair PSU, 2GB of G.Skill memory, HIS 4850 IceQ4 Turbo, and a NZXT Apollo case.

What would I be checking for on a PSU auto shutdown?

 

[orangegator]

That is a good quality psu. Probably not your problem. Next thing you should do is test your ram with memtest86+.

 

[amdfangirl]

A side point, you could lower your temps buy appling AS5, just in case its a temp sensor issue.

 

[Abydosone]

I applied some AS5, but I think I used too much. I put a pea size drop on the processor and set the HSF down and secured it. I know it clicked in this time because I checked. Ran memtest86 and both sticks passed.

Ran Prime95 again and both core temps hit 52C - 55C and stabilized. Fan speed 1600 - 1680 rpm. This is under full 100% cpu load on both cores. Oddly enough, the heatsink itself is actually very very cool, not even warm when I touch it after 4 mins if Prime95, which makes me wonder if there is too much TP or if it still is not seated properly.

Are those temps and cpu temp ok? This is using coretemp AND speedfan. Both have the same readings.

Computer runs prime95 without crashing, however when I run Oblivion it crashes about 3 mins into it. Have not tested with another game yet. I would also like to point out that CoreTemp reads the cpu clock speed at 2.2ghz and this is a 2.8ghz processor. I know there is energy saver running to lower the speed, however it stays there even at 100% cpu load.

 

[Abydosone]

A reinstall of Oblivion to remove the mods seemed to stop the crashes, and the temp is hovering around 41C during the game.

Any ideas on why it reaches 55C at 100% load? My P4 prescott @ 3ghz runs at 60C with an aftermarket cooler. 55C for a 45nm core seems really high. This is with the stock cooler. Did I put too much thermal paste on?

 

[Abydosone]

It was working fine for a while now, and just last night it shut itself off and will not turn back on now. Either PSU or the CPU got too hot again. I am considering calling Intel to ask them why they bundle such shitty heatsinks with their processors.

I don't know where to go from here, I am clueless. I know I installed the HSF correctly this time, I put enough TP on and not too much. Any ideas?

 

[core i7 ownage]

Mmm. Strange but it can be graphic card that is over heating. Try check mobo's temp and compare it to with mods installed. And compare it to prime95 too.

 

[Abydosone]

Prime 95 was stable and cpu temps hovered at 55C when I checked it last. The PC won't even boot past the opening Gigabyte screen. It just shuts off after that screen shows. Graphics card is HIS 4850 IceQ Turbo, Corsair 550VX PSU. Mobo temp was around 36C when prime 95 was running on 100% load. The computer crashed after a 2 hr gaming session last night, hasn't been able to boot since.

 

[core i7 ownage]

It must be cpu and heatsink, so U send it to newegg and get another new back,

 

[Abydosone]

So frustrating.

 

[Abydosone]

I obviously have no idea how to build a computer. Using the stock heatsink with the stock thermal paste should not break the computer. I pushed on the pins and heard it click and saw the little black piece sticking through and the clear part was locked.

Second build ever and I still can't get it right.

 

[core i7 ownage]

Calm down, it's not your fault. It's company's fault for too lazy to produce exact same parts at all times. So, It's time for you given up and given to Newegg and got another new one.

 

[Abydosone]

So I think it is a problem with the PSU. The PC will not even power on now. It lights up for 3 seconds and then shuts off. CPU fan spins, PSU fan starts to spin and it shuts off. Tried pulling it out and only connected HDD power, MB power, CPU power and GPU power. Same thing.

Can I narrow this down to a faulty PSU? It is a Corsair 550W VX, others on Newegg have reported shutdowns as well in their reviews. This would explain the shutdowns earlier when I thought the CPU was overheating during prime95 with the stock TP on.

Do you think I am correct? I would RMA the unit then.

 

[Abydosone]

90% sure on this one. I had an old linux box laying around here and so I disconnected that PSU in that machine and plugged the cables in from the suspected faulty PSU and sure enough, it started to power on and shut off.

 

[core i7 ownage]

RMA that unit. If PSU comes back then test it if it works and if cpu are overheating or not. If it did then RMA cpu and heatsink.

 

[Abydosone]

Quick question if anyone can answer. What is the bottom of a E7400 heatsink supposed to look like? All mine is really is just a direct contact with the fins. Unlike the E8400 heatsink, there is no shiny contact plate, it is just rough and flat. Is that how it is supposed to be?

 

[otibmaG]

i got the same cooler that you said the cpu is direct to the aluminum, was really disappointing when I saw it.

something similar happens to me with the temps but the sistem works fine.
my E7400 temps are
with 2.66GHz and the sock cooler
46ºC on coretemp and realtemp
and with everest are 51ºC
the temps are taken doing nothing on the pc
that´s so f#cking hot for doing nothing

i think that i use a lot of thermal compound (the one that come with the thermaltake ruby orb of a friend mine)
maybe i overdid it

this in the first time that i put a processor maybe i did something wrong http ???

that or i got the worst e7400 that i ever seen, So please help

i´m from Venezuela and I painfully can write with sense in English Since you can realize
but i understand all without any problem

 

[zachattack]

when you say your computer lights up and then shuts off after 3 sec does it show anything on the screen like the logo and then shuts off?

gigabyte mobos tend to do this alot and need to be RMA

 

[vnew20c]

I have also just bought a e7400 with heating problems (52c in idle?) and am very dissappointed. I think it is unlikely that we have all incorrectly applied the stock heatsink.

I am even more dissappointed because I was hoping to overclock this cpu, but it is overheating at 2.8Ghz when I used to be able to get my lot older (and cheaper) e4400 to overclock up to 3.2Ghz.

If it isn't funny enough ending up with a slower cpu, I have also bought the new 9600gt graphics card but I didn't realise it was the energy efficient one that is much slower and doesn't even take advantage of my 650w psu. Why on earth would anyone intentionally pay for a 9600Gt that has been underclocked to save electricity?

I have wasted so much money lately on crap components.........

 

[alikum]

I own both an E7400 and an E4600 and I can say that E4600 runs much cooler than the E7400. When both are at stock (speed and heatsink), E7400 idles at 42C whereas E4600 idles at 33C. When overclocked, the E7400 is pushed to 3.5GHz using Zalman CNPS9700-LED at 58C under load. E4600 is pushed to 3.0GHz using Zalman CNPS9300-LED and it loads at only 45C. It's strange because E7xxx is a 45nm chip which should run considerably cooler but doesn't.

 

[djbdodgy]

Hi I just did a build with E7500 and the same thing happened to me; the pc worked on and off then later wouldnt boot, except for a quick spin from the psu. I tried everything, but the one thing i did not realize being a noob pc builder, was that I did not use those little brass screws to lift the motherboard from the case, which made it shortcircuit. Please check your pc becoz im sure that is the problem.