My Motherboard's Going to Explode

[xfluux]

Hey Tom's Hardware,

I just recently built a computer (first one) and I'm concerned about my current temperatures.

Specs:
Case: NZXT Hush
CPU: Intel i7-930
GPU: MSI Geforce GTX-460 1GB
Motherboard: ASUS Sabertooth X58
Memory: G.Skill 6GB Triple Channel (3 x 2 GB)
PSU: Corsair CMPSU-650TX (650W)
HD: Samsung 1TB 7200 RPM
Cooling: Corsair Cooling Hydro Series H50


Idle I run around CPU: 65 C, NB: 70 C, MB: 75 C, and GPU: 40 C.

When gaming I run around CPU: 70 C, NB: 75 C, MB: 81 C, and GPU: 79 C.

Being my first time building a computer and not knowing much, I am really concerned about my current temperatures (especially while gaming because my temperature monitor flashes sirens when it hits a certain temperature (the NB and MB siren)). What should I do? my CPU seems somewhat fine (I heard that you should keep it below 85 C) but my NB and MB are going high.

Do you know the temperatures I should be at?

Currently my case has 2 fans and my PSU has one. Both case fans point inward and the PSU is going outward. I am currently not OC'd but plan to in the future after I resolve this temperature issue.

Any suggestions or comments?

Thanks.

 

[xfluux]

No offense taken.

I'm using the stock thermal compound that comes with the hydro.

Are the temps too high?

 

[davcon]

Sounds to me like you improperly installed the fan.
Since the case has a top mount psu i would assume that didn't help.
http://blog.corsair.com/?p=3575
I would also check if the cpu mounting system is properly locked.

 

[jaquith]

Welcome Newcomer!

The only temp that caught my attention was the CPU; it suggests poor cooling/airflow/improper installation of fan/compound. The NB is always hot; it is spec'd to go to 105C. The GPU under-load will be 70-80C+.

In addition, if you mounted the pump to the CPU_FAN on the MOBO then you "should" get in the BIOS and run the CPU_FAN @ 100%, and change the BIOS alarm temp to 80C. Further, if you are sucking case heated air through the H50 RAD then you're running it backwards. Next, if you install the H50 in push/pull: 1. make certain they are all in one direction {fan -> RAD -> fan not fan -> RAD <- fan -it happened}, 2, the fans MUST be identical!

My assumption too is your case IN_CFM > OUT_CFM; the correct way is IN_CFM < OUT_CFM {negative pressure}. To test this pull the side panel off {after making the changes above} and run Prime95 for 30 minutes {quit if CPU temp > 80C}.

Post back. Good Luck!

 

[xfluux]

Hey Davcon,

sorry, I am unfamiliar with the CPU mounting system.

you mean when i put in the CPU on my motherboard?

do you think its cause my case that's causing all the heat?

 

[jaquith]

^read my post above...

 

[davcon]

Hey Davcon,

sorry, I am unfamiliar with the CPU mounting system.

you mean when i put in the CPU on my motherboard?

do you think its cause my case that's causing all the heat?

Nope i mean the Corsair cooling plate that locks to the mounting bracket.
Is it secured properly?
Did you use the proper Intel bushings?
Ideally you want the fan on the outside/back of your case intaking air.
The fan has arrows on it.

 

[xfluux]

Hey jaquith,

Thanks for the very detailed reply--first time posting on Tom's Hardware and already finding it a great community.

Do the NB and MB temps really go that high? My PC Probe (ASUS temperature monitor) went crazy when the NB and MB went this high. Maybe the threshold on my PC Probe was too low.

I installed the H50 correctly, but with only one fan--both the fan and radiator are inside and the fan is pushing outside air into the case (outside air -> fan -> radiator).

And I'm sorry, I am unfamiliar with IN_CFM and OUT_CFM, may you clarify? I will run the Prime95 and see what happens.

do you think my temperatures are high because of the case? I have only 2 fans facing inward with the psu as the exhaust fan.

Thanks for your replies! learning a lot here

 

[xfluux]

Nope i mean the Corsair cooling plate that locks to the mounting bracket.
Is it secured properly?
Did you use the proper Intel bushings?
Ideally you want the fan on the outside/back of your case intaking air.
The fan has arrows on it.

Yeah, definitely secured properly. I was watching the youtube video corsair made while i was putting it on. i screwed the screws pretty tightly but i will definitely double check the bushings.

My fan right now is in the inside, should i move it out? or maybe I can use my stock fan (that came with my chassis) and put that one outside facing inward also.

 

[davcon]

Yeah, definitely secured properly. I was watching the youtube video corsair made while i was putting it on. i screwed the screws pretty tightly but i will definitely double check the bushings.

My fan right now is in the inside, should i move it out? or maybe I can use my stock fan (that came with my chassis) and put that one outside facing inward also.

jaquith's post covered the fan orientation very well.
Note using identical matched fans for push/pull.
As already stated you want the Corsair outside of your case until you buy another identical Corsair or two matched sets of another make(Scythe/Thermalright etc.)

 

[jaquith]

Do the NB and MB temps really go that high? My PC Probe (ASUS temperature monitor) went crazy when the NB and MB went this high. Maybe the threshold on my PC Probe was too low.

YES, NB Tcase_max 105°C - http://www.intel.com/assets/pdf/designguide/e8501-306749.pdf

I installed the H50 correctly, but with only one fan--both the fan and radiator are inside and the fan is pushing outside air into the case (outside air -> fan -> radiator).

Correct.

And I'm sorry, I am unfamiliar with IN_CFM and OUT_CFM, may you clarify? I will run the Prime95 and see what happens.

CFM = Cubic Feet / Minute; measurement of airflow. You want more air going out of you case than into it while maintaining the least turbulent direction(s) {i.e. pull air in front/side -> push air out back/top}

do you think my temperatures are high because of the case? I have only 2 fans facing inward with the psu as the exhaust fan.

^YES - 100%; pull the case side off and run the tests as I described.

Example airflow:

 

[xfluux]

jaquith's post covered the fan orientation very well.
Note using identical matched fans for push/pull.
As already stated you want the Corsair outside of your case until you buy another identical Corsair or two matched sets of another make(Scythe/Thermalright etc.)

I will go buy another corsair fan as soon as i can.

Ill let you know how it goes

Thank you again for your help

 

[xfluux]

YES, NB Tcase_max 105°C - http://www.intel.com/assets/pdf/designguide/e8501-306749.pdf

Correct.

CFM = Cubic Feet / Minute; measurement of airflow. You want more air going out of you case than into it while maintaining the least turbulent direction(s) {i.e. pull air in front/side -> push air out back/top}

^YES - 100%; pull the case side off and run the tests as I described.

Example airflow:
http://www.theschierers.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/case_airflow.jpg

Im running the tests now. I will get back to you when i am complete.

again, thank you for your time

 

[jaquith]

^My guess is that you will have better results. You cannot have all that air blowing into a confined space; like ~wrapping in a blanket.

 

[xfluux]

Hey guys,

Alright, so I ran some tests, and I ran into some problems along the way.

First off, the temperature where I am at is around 17 C (62 F); it may be a little hotter cause I am indoors, but where I live I dont have heaters or anything turned on, so I estimate it is around 18-20 C right now in my room.

I ran 3 different test cases:

1. Idle (closed chassis):
CPU: 45 C
MB: 46 C
NB: 63 C
GPU: 34 C
CPU Fan: 680 RPM
Chassis Fan: 1080 RPM (the H50 connects to this Chassis fan 3 pin connector)

2. Prime95 (30 min; closed chassis; In-place large FFTs w/ 8 threads):
CPU: 72 C
MB: 55 C
NB: 77 C
GPU: 34 C
CPU Fan: 1687 RPM
Chassis Fan: 1259 RPM (again, the H50 connects to this Chassis fan 3 pin connector)

3. Prime95 (20 min; open chassis (both sides open); In-place large FFTs w/ 8 threads):
CPU: 75 C
MB: 42 C
NB: 70 C
GPU: 32 C
CPU Fan: 1704 RPM
Chassis Fan: 0 RPM (again, the H50 connects to this Chassis fan 3 pin connector)

As you probably noticed, the Chassis Fan in the last test case is shown as 0 RPM. While i was testing, I finished both the first 2 test cases, then got onto the third. I ran Prime95 (open chassis) for about an hour until the MB temp displayed 1 C ~ 2 C. This was definitely odd. So i installed SpeedFan to double check; and sure enough, SpeedFan also displayed 1~2 C for the MB.

I then restarted the computer thinking maybe something just went wrong with the program.

I ran the 3rd test again, and after about 10 minutes, the Chassis Fan displayed 0 RPM. I am unsure what is going wrong, except that maybe my motherboard is defective (all my parts are brand new, got it about a week ago).

Another thing I noticed was that my Chassis fan (the real chassis fan connected to my case and blowing air into the case) is only connected through the power supply. There is no connector where I can connect the frontal fan onto the motherboard to check the speeds or change them--so it just runs at it's own speed.

Another thing i noticed which may or may not be of concern is that at times (maybe every 5 minutes) my browser would lag (maybe i am scrolling down, then it freezes the browser for a second). It may be because my internet is slow right now, but the internet speed should not lag it.

I would definitely appreciate your inputs to this matter. Thank you again in advance for all your help in resolving my issue.

I am attaching a few pictures of my computer to help give a better visual understanding of my computer. hope to hear back soon

 

[jaquith]

Well I've never seen the H50 mounted upside down so I don't know?? The HU001 is a small cramped case for a i7 930 + GTX 460, and has no side or top vents...

I would mount the H50 to the CPU_FAN and in the BIOS run it at 100% ALWAYS versus the CASE_FAN connection.

Run the tests with a small fan, if you have one {house fan} blowing into the open CPU side. Looking at it - it's screaming to me that it's trapping all of the heat towards the top and locking it in. Your case has inadequate ventilation for the components.

If you could, I would exchange the case for a CM 690 II Advanced {same price but it is a "Kick-Ass" case - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811119216&cm_re=cm_690ii-_-11-119-216-_-Product

 

[andrern2000]

Where do you live? Even with casing open on both sides your cpu still runs 75 C on load?

 

[xfluux]

Where do you live? Even with casing open on both sides your cpu still runs 75 C on load?

hey, I live in california. it was a pretty cold day when i took these tests, im not sure why i got these numbers, maybe my ventilation is not that great.

i got the spotcool by antec and faced it at my NB and now im getting better temps.

idle:
CPU: 46 C
MB: 48 C
NB: 51 C

although they are lower, i would expect them to be lower so i plan to get 2 more fans and maybe reseat the hydro series with better thermal paste, any brands u recommend?

Thanks for your reply!

 

[jaquith]

Scythe or Delta, Delta have to be on a controller - they are leaf blowers. The circulation is the issue.

 

[dean_10]

Hi there, I have the same watercooler running on a 680i board and E6700 heavy overclock. I also have another system Asus P6t se with full watercooled i7 920 heavy o/clock.
One of the problems using watercooling instead of a normal heatsink and fan is the air from the CPU fan does not cool the north bridge as it would normally as such your north bridge temps are a little high.
When running my 680i with watercooled and no northbridge fan, temps for northbridge were in the 80-90 deg C. The board was still stable at this temp however if I left it this high it would effect how long the board lasted. Northbridge temp below 60 deg C should be what you are aiming for.
The watercooler you have is excellent at cooling most processors however it is not that good for the processor you have. It only has a small Rad with minimal water which heats quickly.
If you are still going to use it then draw air in at the back of the case and blow out at the front drawing old air over the RAD and into the case. Usually the air coming out isn't that hot anyway. Run the fan on the Rad at max at all times, its better than different piches as temp changes. Don't bother adding another fan to the Rad it only will change temp by about 2 deg C. Waste of time and more noise!!
Take the unit back off the CPU. Clean off thermal paste. Clean copper plate and CPU with alcohol or similar. Now the good part. The copper plate on the H50 will not be that flat. Usually low spot in the middle. This means the outside will be touching the CPU not the middle where it is required. Get a clean oil stone. Stone the copper base plate flat with the roughest side first. Use a circle motion with the stone. You will see the outside touching first. When nearly flat use the smooth side of the stone.
The 1366 processor has a large surface area and is difficult to get any heatsink or waterblock to sit correctly. I also stone the processor flat as well they are usually the same. One important thing though. Make sure no debree falls into the socket. Care must be taken. This will also invaladate the warranty on the CPU!!! Its up to you. Try the H50 first see what you think. Use arctic silver 5, with stoned faces very thin layer. Ensure both parts are thouroughly cleaned first.
My north bridge temps were similar to yours on my P6t se. I added a 120mm fan in the side of my p180 and added an acrilic (home made) funnel to blow directly onto the north bridge.
Overclocked at 4G, northbridge runs below 50 deg C. Processor runs at 60ish full load, 38 idle. ( this is with proper, expensive watercooled setup )
Add a 120 fan in side of case if you can so its in the midle of the northbridge. Run this at about 1000rpm. Blow into case. Noctua make good ones!
Would not worry too much about graphics card temp, although side fan will help.
Hope this helps.
Deano

 

[xfluux]

Scythe or Delta, Delta have to be on a controller - they are leaf blowers. The circulation is the issue.

hey jaquith,

i got the scythe fan, they are quiet and good. thanks for the recommendation!

 

[jaquith]

Cool - and I hope Cool too!

 

[xfluux]

Hi there, I have the same watercooler running on a 680i board and E6700 heavy overclock. I also have another system Asus P6t se with full watercooled i7 920 heavy o/clock.
One of the problems using watercooling instead of a normal heatsink and fan is the air from the CPU fan does not cool the north bridge as it would normally as such your north bridge temps are a little high.
When running my 680i with watercooled and no northbridge fan, temps for northbridge were in the 80-90 deg C. The board was still stable at this temp however if I left it this high it would effect how long the board lasted. Northbridge temp below 60 deg C should be what you are aiming for.
The watercooler you have is excellent at cooling most processors however it is not that good for the processor you have. It only has a small Rad with minimal water which heats quickly.
If you are still going to use it then draw air in at the back of the case and blow out at the front drawing old air over the RAD and into the case. Usually the air coming out isn't that hot anyway. Run the fan on the Rad at max at all times, its better than different piches as temp changes. Don't bother adding another fan to the Rad it only will change temp by about 2 deg C. Waste of time and more noise!!
Take the unit back off the CPU. Clean off thermal paste. Clean copper plate and CPU with alcohol or similar. Now the good part. The copper plate on the H50 will not be that flat. Usually low spot in the middle. This means the outside will be touching the CPU not the middle where it is required. Get a clean oil stone. Stone the copper base plate flat with the roughest side first. Use a circle motion with the stone. You will see the outside touching first. When nearly flat use the smooth side of the stone.
The 1366 processor has a large surface area and is difficult to get any heatsink or waterblock to sit correctly. I also stone the processor flat as well they are usually the same. One important thing though. Make sure no debree falls into the socket. Care must be taken. This will also invaladate the warranty on the CPU!!! Its up to you. Try the H50 first see what you think. Use arctic silver 5, with stoned faces very thin layer. Ensure both parts are thouroughly cleaned first.
My north bridge temps were similar to yours on my P6t se. I added a 120mm fan in the side of my p180 and added an acrilic (home made) funnel to blow directly onto the north bridge.
Overclocked at 4G, northbridge runs below 50 deg C. Processor runs at 60ish full load, 38 idle. ( this is with proper, expensive watercooled setup )
Add a 120 fan in side of case if you can so its in the midle of the northbridge. Run this at about 1000rpm. Blow into case. Noctua make good ones!
Would not worry too much about graphics card temp, although side fan will help.
Hope this helps.
Deano

hey Deano,

Thanks for your reply! it seems you have experience with the h50 and that's great. I took your recommendation of changing the thermal paste to AS5, and it was pretty good (hopefully i put it on correctly--and put enough of it).

thanks for the advice with the stone, but i think ill pass on that for now, this is my first computer and i dont want to mess it up. but in the future i will look into stoning the CPU and copper plate.

and you are right, i also dont think the H50 is good enough for the processor i have. i thought it would bring my temperatures down to 30c, but right now its idling (well im doing web browsing, word doc, etc) at CPU 51c, MB 49c, and NB 55c (after the changes i made, which ill post down below!)

thanks again for your input.

 

[xfluux]

I would like to thank everyone for helping me out. i've been working on my computer for a few days.

right now i have a few web browsers open and word documents, and my temperatures are: CPU: 51c, MB: 49c, and NB: 55c--but it is currently pretty hot where i am (~27c-30c).

first, i added an Antec spotcool pointing toward the NB running at high speed.

second, i put the corsair fan (~1200 rpm) in the front of my case facing inward.

third, i bought 2 scythe (1200 rpm) fans around the H50 using the push/pull method. the fans are used as the exhaust.

fourth, i took an antec fan my brother gave me and put it where the CD drives are supposed to be facing toward the MB (for some extra air circulation).

lastly, i reseated the NB heatsink and H50 with Artic Silver 5 (yesterday, i heard it takes a few days to cultivate).

although my temperatures aren't as low as i would like them, they are definitely better than what i had before.

Thank you all for your inputs. feel free to recommend anything else! i want to overclock one day, but before that i would like to get my temperatures as low as possible (preferably ~30c).

thanks again!

 

[dean_10]

I am glad you are happier with your setup. The only reason I suggested a 120mm fan on the side case is because the small ones that attach directly to the northbridge run at high rpm. These sometimes wine after awhile which can be very hard to live with.

One other thing, I've not read all the threads but if you enable speed step this will reduce the idle temps quite abit. It will reduce the multiplier so the CPU frequency will come down when there is little load on the processor. This can also adjust the CPU voltage and save power / electric. I tend to disable this when overclocking. I have also noticed problems with it enabled on socket 775 boards while playing HD video. Voices sometimes don't match screen. This is much better hower with 1366.

All the best

Deano