CPU running too hot. What is to blame?

[RyBest]

Unsure of what is relevant...

My computer:
Asus M2N-E Motherboard
Xion II Case
Antec Truepower 2.0 550 Watt PSU
AMD Phenom II x4 940 CPU (OEM chip, I'm using the stock fan and heatsink that came with my AMD Athlon 64 x2 3800, which is propably the problem.)
This is all the parts that seem relevant

On to my problem... My Cpu Idles between 55 and 58 degrees celsius, when running games it gets as high as 70. (According to Coretemp and Speedfan which I trust to be accurate). I have cleaned out all the dust, updated my BIOS. Checked BIOS to make sure sensor was correct.. upon startup CPU is 25 degrees and slowly rises to around 50. I have reapplied termal paste, Arctic Silver Ceramique, twice now using 70% rubbing alcohol to clean off the old paste from the cpu and heatsink. I have taken the side panel off, but the temperature did not decrease, all the fans seem to be in working condition. So I'm pretty sure its the heatsink, but I'm not a computer expert so before money is put out for a new heatsink, it would be nice to know that the heatsink is the problem... Any input is appreciated.

Thanks

 

[RyBest]

Also if it is the heatsink, which heatsinks would suffice as a replacement?

 

[kajabla]

You may have applied the thermal compound badly. I like to use this as a guide:
http://benchmarkreviews.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=170&Itemid=1&limit=1&limitstart=5
If you do replace the heatsink, which would certainly help, you don't need to spend a lot of money. My $25 Xigmatek SD963 works great.

 

[das_stig]

Pay the £20 and get a Hyper212+.

 

[jsc]

Idle temps are too high, especially if you are at stock speeds. That contributes to high load temps.

Causes: heatsink installed improperly, thermal compound applied incorrectly, cramped case blocking airflow, inadequate air flow through case, case fans installed improperly, high ambient air temps, high tides, phase of the moon. OK, I'm kidding about the last two.

 

[RyBest]

Hmm... I tidied up the cables a bit and the temperature has dropped about 4 to 6 degrees. It is a mess of cables that I have no idea what to do with. When I touch the heatsink near the cpu it is fairly hot/warm but as I move up it progressively gets colder... All the case fans are blowing air the correct way to the best of my knowledge. I will be checking the tides and phase of the moon to see if it has any affect on the temperature.

 

[RyBest]

I will post a picture later today when I can get my hands on a camera.

 

[RyBest]

I have more information, I unplugged my computer, and put significant pressure on the heatsink, I got it from slightly cool to fairly warm. The heatsink uses a locking a mechanism. Does this not provide enough pressure onto the cpu? Or was it my installation of the heatsink/ application of thermal paste? I have read two different ways to apply thermal paste, the first I applied a small amount and spread it across the cpu in a thin layer, the second time I put a small dot in the middle of the cpu as shown on arctic silvers tutorial.

Rethinking this, the heatsinks increase in temperature could be due to the fan not spinning.. >.>

 

[popatim]

The second method is the preferred method.
The thermal limit of the Athlon 64 x2 3800 is 71C
How do you have ther retention lever? If I remember right you moved it from the open position (horizontal) to the straight up position to lock it down. Moving all the way over to the other horizontal position allowed it to be slightly loose but its been a long time since I've played with an A64...

 

[hunter315]

Depending on which Athlon 64 X2 3800+ it was it was either an 89, 62, or 45W processor, regardless, the heatsink it shipped with is not meant to dissipate the amount of heat that a PII 940 can pump out under load. Im pretty sure it doesnt matter how well you apply your thermal paste or improve airflow in your case, your heatsink simply cannot dissipate the power fast enough. Something like the Hyper 212+ would help you significantly.

 

[RyBest]

The second method is the preferred method.
The thermal limit of the Athlon 64 x2 3800 is 71C
How do you have ther retention lever? If I remember right you moved it from the open position (horizontal) to the straight up position to lock it down. Moving all the way over to the other horizontal position allowed it to be slightly loose but its been a long time since I've played with an A64...

Im using the fan and heatsink which came with the Athlon 64 x2 3800

Open position is also horizontal, It flips 180 degrees into locked position which is what I have it in.

 

[RyBest]

Okay thanks everyone for your suggestions and help, I will order the Hyper 212+ and let you know if my heat problem has been fixed.

 

[RyBest]

Depending on which Athlon 64 X2 3800+ it was it was either an 89, 62, or 45W processor, regardless, the heatsink it shipped with is not meant to dissipate the amount of heat that a PII 940 can pump out under load. Im pretty sure it doesnt matter how well you apply your thermal paste or improve airflow in your case, your heatsink simply cannot dissipate the power fast enough. Something like the Hyper 212+ would help you significantly.

The hyper 212+ will fit in my case, right?

 

[hunter315]

The Xion II is the same width as the Antec 300 so it should fit, it seems really close but there is about 0.25" of clearance between my side panel and the top of the heatpipes, im not sure if your side panel fan is directly over your CPU, if it is they might interfere. Someone with that case may be able to give you a more definitive answer.

 

[RyBest]

The fan is not over the cpu, so its safe to say it will fit?

 

[Pearlmam]

Try setting your computer horizontal to have gravity on your side to ensure a flush connection between the heat sink and the cpu. Also, check your voltages. Do you have the cpu voltage set on auto?? Maybe your mobo is cranking the voltage up too high. Use CPU-Z or the bios to check what voltage your mother board is applying. I am unfamiliar with your CPU so I'm not sure what is high. Then start lowing the voltages. If you need help doing this just let us know.

 

[RyBest]

It's at 1.12V

 

[Pearlmam]

That seems pretty good to me. It's got to be the heatsink/airflow. Good luck with the hyper 212

 

[jaguarskx]

I recently had a similar issue with the CPU temp in my HTPC. I have an Intel E6600 CPU running at stock speed with a Tuniq Tower to cool it. The E6600 was used in my primary PC from 2006 to 2008 when I decided to upgrade to the Q9450.

I knew the E6600 should be about 45C when idle and about 56C when encoding video. I was getting 60C idle and 80C under load recently. It turned out that the thermal paste has basically dried out and turned to powder. I typically use Arctic Silver 5, but I decided to try the thermal paste that came with the Tuniq Tower.

The lesson I learned is that while the Tuniq Tower is a great cooler, the Tuniq TX-1 thermal paste sucks.

 

[RyBest]

I installed the hyper 212+ today! My idle temperatures are about 20 degrees lower 36-38. I thought this was kind of high, but after gaming some cpu intensive games (I'm too lazy for stress test.) It never rose above 44*C. So I'm pretty happy, thanks for your help.

 

[RyBest]

Best answer selected by RyBest.

 

[hunter315]

Idle temps are fine, it tries to keep the fan speed low so its quite which results in higher idle temps, 44C at load is great though and much better than yours had been.

 

[Shpati]

When you have overheating problems, I always reapply thermal compound correctly, and do a good cleaning of dust with compressed air. That is usually the problem for me like 80 percent of the time.