Heatsink only warm to touch at 70C+

[Slappy]

Hi Guys, quick CPU heatsink question.

If I touch the heatsink with the CPU at load and over 70C it's warm but not hot enough to burn me (I can keep my hand there for quite a while). In contrast my graphics card burns me instantly at load.

Is my heatsink not doing it's job correctly or is the fan dispersing the heat before it burns me ?

From what I remember with my old P4 I could not even get near that CPU without 3rd degree burns.

Thanks

 

[beanoslim]

Whats your setup i.e. cpu and heatsink, 70C is pretty warm for some cpu's.

70C is the cpu heat not the heatsink temp so it shouldn't be anywhere near that to touch.

 

[mavroxur]

It sounds like your heat sink is either not seated properly (not making proper contact with the CPU) or it's not transferring heat properly (if it's a heat pipe type cooler, the pipes may have developed a leak and their solution may have evaporated).

 

[Slappy]

The heatsink is an old orb 2 .. it's one solid copper piece so no heatpipes.
While I realise that the 70C is on the CPU it should transfer mos of that heat out ...

 

[beanoslim]

Whats the cpu?

Try re application of thermal paste, with a good clean before.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/methods.html

 

[clarkjd]

I vote for the heat sink not making proper contact. Try re-seating it with new thermal compound.


edit: beat by 10 seconds...