PSU and CPU heat - i7/stock fan + Corsair 650TX

[nnm69]

Just upgraded (or rebuilt) my system - running Asus Sabletooth x58, old but fairly good sized aluminum case with 3 Noctua fans - two pointing inside at the hdd assebly and one exhuasting air from the back near the graphics card. Using i7 930 with stock cooler. A few HDD's, single graphics card, 6GB of RAM with individual heatsinks.

Noticed that CPU is running pretty hot - system is not overclocked and doing basic internet browsing movie watching - no games. Also the walls of the Corsair 650TX are hot. Trying to come up with a best plan of action.

1. Opened RMA with Corsair as there is no way to adjust or even take a look at the speed of the PSU fan and I never saw PSU get even warm. I am suspecting a bed sensor that controls fan speed. I saw a number of postings on various forums regarding the heat issue with 650TX.

2. CPU - I am undecided. I could get some thermal paste first and continue using the stock intel cooler. I am thinking that pretreated cooler did not have enough paste on it. I also think that the heat from the PSU located directly above the CPU may be adversely effecting the temp of the CPU. I could also get a whole new CPU fan/cooler since the stock one is not the quietest one around. But good ones are spendy and I already spent more on the upgraded that I initially hoped for.

Questions:

1. Anyone had similar issue with corsair 650TX? I have not dealt with new high powered PSU's and never seen one with fully automatic fan control. My previous PSU had a manual fan control whihc made things alot simpler.

2. Do you guys think that I should start with putting some extra paste between the CPU and the heatsink or does it make more sense to go with another cooler? If so which cooler?

 

[Necromas]

Before doing anything that costs money, try just undervolting the CPU.

I'm using an i7 930 at stock clocks with the stock cooler, and it was getting pretty hot under load, but I was able to reduce the voltage a HUGE amount and still have the system stable under stress test. Reducing the voltage reduced heat plenty and now I don't have to go spend $35 on a cooler.

 

[nnm69]

Before doing anything that costs money, try just undervolting the CPU.

I'm using an i7 930 at stock clocks with the stock cooler, and it was getting pretty hot under load, but I was able to reduce the voltage a HUGE amount and still have the system stable under stress test. Reducing the voltage reduced heat plenty and now I don't have to go spend $35 on a cooler.

I am assuming thats a BIOS setting. Will undervolting effect performance? How much should I undervolt by?

I saw temps spike to almost 80C when working on the machine - mostly web, music, vids.

Also the local shop here sells arctic silver I will give it a shot as well. Still waiting to hear back from Corsair.

 

[saint19]

80C is very hot for not heavy work.

Now u can try uninstall and install the CPU cooler again and be sure that is properly installed.

 

[nnm69]

80C is very hot for not heavy work.

Now u can try uninstall and install the CPU cooler again and be sure that is properly installed.

I agree. I will pick up some compound and reinstall the the stock cooler. Hopefully I will hear back from Corsair soon. I think the PSU at least adds to the problem if not directly causes it.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

I doubt the power supply is the problem. More than likely there is a problem with the cpu heatsink which may not be installed correctly and the thermal compound which may not be applied properly. In addition, the pc case may not have good ventilation, airflow, and cooling capacity.

Here is a link to a recent Tom's Hardware article with useful information about 10 popular cpu heatsinks:

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/lga-1156-heatsink,2535.html

I know the article states Intel LGA 1156 heatsinks but just about all of them are also compatible with Intel LGA 1366 cpu's

Here is a link to a very good web site with more useful information about cpu heatsinks that will help you make an informed decision:

http://www.frostytech.com/top5heatsinks.cfm

You can use the Google embedded search feature at the web site to find more information about heatsinks for specific cpu sockets.