Overheating new build

[horton delmonde]

Jetway MA3-79GDG combo motherboard
Phenom II x3 720
2x2gb DDR3
Galaxy GTX260 896mb (comes as standard with three fans)
Tagan 500w PSU
500gb SATA
4x8cm fans - front 2x intake, rear 2x exhaust (old fans, maybe 5yrs)
Old Mid Tower
Vista 32bit
Not overclocked.

Bios Temps

NB case temp 47c
temp 3 35c (i assume this is CPU)

MyGuard (temp software that came with motherboard)

CPU 44c
Sys temp 75-80c

Speed Fan

GPU 46c
HD0 38c
Core 30c

SIS Sandra

Motherboard 80c

I have had two crashes, one while playing crysis, the other while checking stuff online.

The above temps are not after gaming, but after a restart on a low CPU load.


It is pretty hot where I live, but these crashes/temps are late night, not middle of the day


The motherboard has no fans - all heat sinks.


Faulty motherboard?
Bad motherboard design?
Old fans?
Old case?

The CPU does not seem to be too hot, but the motherboard temp is concerning me.

I don't really have space to put more fans in my current case.

Should I have built a new system with a new case (ie top mounted fan etc)
Replace my tired old fans with new ones? (they are moving, I checked)
I dont want to spend money, but if I have to get a new case, then I will, but I want
to make sure that whatever I spend my cash on will solve the problem.

thanks

 

[hunter315]

Use HW Monitor to check your temps, also i would suggest putting your hand behind one of the exhaust fans, if you cant feel air coming out then you should get new ones, if you do feel air coming out and you dont get second degree burns in under a minute then i would bet on your motherboard temperature sensor being off, if you do then your motherboard temp is accurate so go run your hand under cold water and start looking for a new motherboard.

 

[horton delmonde]

The fans are pumping out air - just not very

 

[horton delmonde]

lets try again. the fans are pumping out air, but I have no idea if they are pumping it strongly enough - it isnt exactly a tornado. And no the air isnt burning me, the case isnt overly hot - nothing feels hot.

But two apps say 80c and it is reseting.

I just read a review of the antec 300 and some guy reckons his sys temp dropped 20-30 degrees when he replaced his 8yr old case with this budget gaming case, does that sound realistic?

 

[neon neophyte]

increase the airflow out of your case. upgrade the rear case fan if you have to.

also, if possible, fix a fan within the case that causes airflow and turbulence on the motherboard, around the heatsinks on your north bridge.

this should go a long way to fixing your problem.

as for the antec 300, it can cause heat build up. its not the most well vented case. i have one.

 

[horton delmonde]

I just left the PC off for about 45mins, turned it on and as soon as it booted it said motherboard temp 72c

Is it possible for a motherboard to hit 72c within 30 seconds of being on, after being turned off for 45mins?

I assume my hand would be warm inside the case at 72c, but I could feel nothing.
Fans are all working.

If the temp sensor was faulty and it wasnt running at 70c+, would it still cause the PC to restart, because it thought it was running at 70c+?

ie. does a PC restart because of the reported temp, even when the temp sensor is faulty and the actual temp is fine?

If the temp is correct and I need cooling, I am in two minds either get a new case designed to take more/bigger fans or try to fit more fans on my existing case - 8cm is as big as I can fit, but are some 8cm fans better than others? I dont need quiet, I just need powerful.

 

[dirtmountain]

I agree with hunter315, first thing i'd do is download CPUID hardware monitor and run it the next few times you use your system.
http://www.cpuid.com/hwmonitor.php

Off the cuff my guess is that your old case/fans just aren't giving you enough airflow and you're getting dead air pockets around your motherboard. Options would be new case fans, add fans if you can or a new case. The Antec300 is a good choice, but it comes with only 2 stock fans, more can be added for better airflow. Look at the Antec300 Illusion that has 2 fans added for a small amount of $$.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811129066

 

[dirtmountain]

Perhaps a spot cool fan.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000I5KSNQ?tag=thejemreport-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=B000I5KSNQ&adid=03HK5GVMZ72WAPSTEFX9&

Good 80mm CFM Rexus fans
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835705019

 

[horton delmonde]

ooops I stayed awake all night trying to fix this - but now its not worth sleeping and the PC shop is open in a few hours.

 

[dirtmountain]

That says it's your NorthBridge with the high temps. (TMPIN1) You could check to see if it's fitted properly. Or add a fan of some type to it (case type fan with clips) or that Antec spot fan ^. Lots of other options, check "Northbridge cooling"

 

[hunter315]

Woah, you need a new PSU ASAP before you blow something up, your 12V hit 14.87V thats a 24% deviation from spec. Thats really bad.

I agree with dirtmountain on spot cooling the northbridge, however also make sure you check the voltage for the northbridge because if it is running to high it will make the northbridge run hot.

 

[horton delmonde]

the heatsink for the northbridge seems to be fitted correctly, there is a tiny amount of movement - but not much.

From the way you said it, I get the feeling a new PSU is a priority?

This PSU is about a week old, is it faulty? or is it just a cheap PSU that performs as well as could be expected for the price?

ie. Should I get my wallet out and buy something better or should I complain to the store and ask for a replacement?

 

[hunter315]

Open up HW monitor and watch that voltage for a bit, try finding something to stress your GPU with to affect the 12volt rail and see if it fluctuates a bunch, it may have been a glitch with HW monitor but maybe not. Tagan isnt a very common PSU brand nor is it a very high quality PSU brand. Try using something like folding@home's GPU client to stress out your GPU so it draws alot from the 12Volt rail, if it drops below about 11.5Volts see if they will let you return it.

From what i can find they dont seem to have PFCs in all their power supplies, which is very bad.

 

[horton delmonde]

I just played crysis and it didn't drop below 11.44 - but after running HW monitor again it peaked at about 14.5

excuse my ignorance, but is this likely to kill my system? do figures like that seem like a faulty PSU or just a cheap PSU?

Ideally they will let me return it and I will get something more stable, but if they don't let me return it should I continue using it or throw it away and buy something better?

If it is just not that great, I dont want to waste money throwing it away, but if it is going to fry things, then I would rather buy a new PSU than a new PC.

 

[mindless728]

don't rely on software to monitor PSU voltages, they can be very wrong a lot, get a digital multimeter and test it yourself