Dell Vostro 430 High System Temp 104 C

snvasanth

Honorable
Apr 14, 2012
3
0
10,510
HI Guys,

I bought this DELL VOSTRO 430 in June 2010.

Problem 1:

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I recently observed the system temperatures were pretty high. I used Speccy.

Under Normal operation Speccy Reports:

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Mother Board System Temp: 104 degree C (not Fahrenheit)

CPU Average Temp: 70 C

GEForce GTS 240 GPU Temp: 80 C

Seagate 500GB HardDrive Temp: 40 C

I then opened the cover, and positioned a electric fan towards the CPU. Now,

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Mother Board System Temp: 87 degree C (not Fahrenheit)

CPU Average Temp: 55 C

GEForce GTS 240 GPU Temp: 65 C

Seagate 500GB HardDrive Temp: 30 C


SpeedFan reports the same values

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and the Fan Speed: 1500 RPM (CPU), Casing : 1200 RPM


SPEC:

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MS Windows 7 64-bit SP1
Dell Vostro 430
Intel Core i7 860 @ 2.80GHz Lynnfield 45nm Technology
6.00 GB Dual-Channel DDR3 @ 663MHz
1024MB GeForce GTS 240 (nVidia)
MotherBoard: Product - 054KM3, Chipset - Intel PCH H57
BIOS: 2.4.0

Problem 2:

************

It has been a week and now the computer is still working with no cover. Whenever I switch on my computer, I use the external fan towards the board too,

In this week (system had certain updates), i have observed two blue screens

a) SYSTEM_SERVICE_EXCEPTION 0x0000003B

after few days,

b) IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL 0x0000000A

Question related to Problem 1:

Can I trust Speccy and Speedfan to check the temperatures? Are these normal in Dell Vostro 430? If not, what is the solution. Should I change the Heat sink & CPU Fan?

Is the Problem 2 related to Problem 1?

Thanks,

Vasanth Sivanatarajan
 

gary1

Honorable
Mar 21, 2012
1,237
0
11,460


Just looked up the Vostro and it is a mini tower, and the fact that temps dropped when you opened it suggests improper airflow. (That mobo temp is super high though) What are your room temps?
 

Cazalan

Distinguished
Sep 4, 2011
2,672
0
20,810
That's the problem with branded computers. They often lack sufficient cooling to save costs.

The Vostro and XPS series tend to run hot, mainly due to the lack of fan in the front.
I don't think those temps are out of spec but in general it helps to run cooler, especially in the summer when ambient temps can get higher.

PCI slot fans can help, if you have unused slots. The squirrel cage or blower type fans can move some air without adding too much noise.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835129025

You can also upgrade the case fan to a higher CFM unit. I have an old XPS and it was very thin but could easily accommodate a 2" thick fan. The air flow out the case was barely noticeable by hand. 80mm fans can vary from 20CFM to 80CFM.

For more control you can get a fan controller for the always unused 5.25" bay.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811995074

For the more ambitious you can dremel the side panel and add a side intake fan.