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GPU too close to CPU? Causing problems? Please help! CPU temps over 98C!!!

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  • Thermal Compound
  • Core Temp
  • CPUs
  • Cooling
  • Motherboards
  • GPUs
Last response: in CPUs
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July 5, 2014 11:05:44 AM

Hello there! I'm new here and my english are really bad but i will try my best to explain :)  I really need your help because i know a little about hardware or software, i only like to play games :p 

So... Almost 2 years ago i bought a new pc from a store (the guy helped me choose the parts that i want and i can affort). So far so good. The machine was doing quit well for the first year and i was not paying attention that my machine was struggling until some weeks ago. I had some fps drops and generally i felt that my pc was slowing down a bit. I downloaded some programms to see my cpu temps (HWMonitor and real temp) and what i saw was really bad! My cpu was at 98C when i was playing any game. My cores also, about 96-98c!!!! I also checked the BIOS and the results are the same. I think it's not false readings because my pc case is too hot when i check it!! :ouch:  :ouch:  The temps are high even when idle (about 60C!!).
All i can do now is to change the stock CPU fan with a good one and aply some good thermal paste and then wait and see the results. Can't think of anything else... So my questions are these:

1) Is my GPU too close to my CPU that i can't put a good cooler for my cpu because of the limited space? (my GPU temps are good, 30 to 50 at full load)
2) Do i have to change motherboard? I have a mini motherboard in my pc, can't remember the model though... Changing motherboard for a bigger one would be devastating for me because there is no pc tech near my town (i have to go about 80km away to find any!) and my knowledge for these kind of stuff is limited :( 
3) If i don't need to change motherboard. do you guys know any good cooler for my CPU that can fit there?

http://i.imgur.com/qlYdqOQ.jpg

My specs are (as far as i know):
Windows 7 64 bit
CPU : i7 2600 - 3,4Ghz (no OC)
Ram: 8 Gb
GPU : Gigabyte Nvidia GTX 670
MotherBoard : Mini MotherBoard
Power supply : Thermaltake 600W

More about : gpu close cpu causing problems cpu temps 98c

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July 5, 2014 1:36:31 PM

1. Nope. Regardless of motherboard size-type there's always space around the CPU socket. At a pinch, depending on the type of cooler on your GPU, it could be sending the slightly warm air up there. Absolutely nothing to be concerned about though.

2. For a new CPU cooler? Not at all. Despite new lines and new sockets coming out all the time, both AMD and Intel stick with the exact same mounting bracket for their coolers. On the Intel side, they use 4 holes around the socket. With AMD, it's 2 clips, attached to a backplate.
Both have all but stayed the same for many many years. Any good CPU cooler will come with mounting mechanisms for both brands.

3. Your cooler doesn't have to be that extravagant since you have a non-overclockable processor (Non-k series), generally you'd be looking at something cheap and cheerful to replace the stock cooler, with a better fan on it to remain silent.
Since you said you have a mini motherboard, this could be either mATX, or ITX, for choosing the cooler I'm going to guess the latter. Just to be safe.

Like I said, you won't need something too big. Heck, you probably don't even need a new cooler at all, sounds like the thermal paste has dried up - But since it will be so cheap, why the hell not eh?

Looking at your picture it's unclear how much space you have for headroom. The cheap favourite is the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO.
Most after market CPU coolers will come with that brands own thermal paste applied. All you need to do is clean up the original stuff, or what remains of it, off the CPU itself. (Q-Tips and Isopropyl Alchohol is my personal favourite method).

It's needlessly expensive, but I've grown a liking for the Noctua NH-L12 in small form factor PC's. It'd be silent too.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products...

Generally speaking most average sized coolers will fit. I wouldn't go in for anything too large, not merely because it would be a waste anyway. The other option is a thin-rad liquid cooler like the Corsair H60. But again, needlessly expensive for cooling a locked processor.


July 5, 2014 2:39:40 PM

Distello said:
1. Nope. Regardless of motherboard size-type there's always space around the CPU socket. At a pinch, depending on the type of cooler on your GPU, it could be sending the slightly warm air up there. Absolutely nothing to be concerned about though.

2. For a new CPU cooler? Not at all. Despite new lines and new sockets coming out all the time, both AMD and Intel stick with the exact same mounting bracket for their coolers. On the Intel side, they use 4 holes around the socket. With AMD, it's 2 clips, attached to a backplate.
Both have all but stayed the same for many many years. Any good CPU cooler will come with mounting mechanisms for both brands.

3. Your cooler doesn't have to be that extravagant since you have a non-overclockable processor (Non-k series), generally you'd be looking at something cheap and cheerful to replace the stock cooler, with a better fan on it to remain silent.
Since you said you have a mini motherboard, this could be either mATX, or ITX, for choosing the cooler I'm going to guess the latter. Just to be safe.

Like I said, you won't need something too big. Heck, you probably don't even need a new cooler at all, sounds like the thermal paste has dried up - But since it will be so cheap, why the hell not eh?

Looking at your picture it's unclear how much space you have for headroom. The cheap favourite is the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO.
Most after market CPU coolers will come with that brands own thermal paste applied. All you need to do is clean up the original stuff, or what remains of it, off the CPU itself. (Q-Tips and Isopropyl Alchohol is my personal favourite method).

It's needlessly expensive, but I've grown a liking for the Noctua NH-L12 in small form factor PC's. It'd be silent too.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products...

Generally speaking most average sized coolers will fit. I wouldn't go in for anything too large, not merely because it would be a waste anyway. The other option is a thin-rad liquid cooler like the Corsair H60. But again, needlessly expensive for cooling a locked processor.




Thank you very much for your answer Distello! :) 
Do you think that if i apply the thermal paste and clean a bit more the fan/cooler of the cpu the temps will drop to normal? I think that 98C is really too much and i'm afraid to do anything that can push my pc to the limits :(  How much a high CPU temp (98C!!) can drop if i good thermal paste is applied?
Also, 2 more pics to see the spase between GPU and the CPU fan, hope they are ok:
http://i.imgur.com/Rya635E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PkLk39M.jpg
Related resources
a b à CPUs
a b V Motherboard
July 6, 2014 7:55:22 AM

Nicko_Bellic said:
Distello said:
1. Nope. Regardless of motherboard size-type there's always space around the CPU socket. At a pinch, depending on the type of cooler on your GPU, it could be sending the slightly warm air up there. Absolutely nothing to be concerned about though.

2. For a new CPU cooler? Not at all. Despite new lines and new sockets coming out all the time, both AMD and Intel stick with the exact same mounting bracket for their coolers. On the Intel side, they use 4 holes around the socket. With AMD, it's 2 clips, attached to a backplate.
Both have all but stayed the same for many many years. Any good CPU cooler will come with mounting mechanisms for both brands.

3. Your cooler doesn't have to be that extravagant since you have a non-overclockable processor (Non-k series), generally you'd be looking at something cheap and cheerful to replace the stock cooler, with a better fan on it to remain silent.
Since you said you have a mini motherboard, this could be either mATX, or ITX, for choosing the cooler I'm going to guess the latter. Just to be safe.

Like I said, you won't need something too big. Heck, you probably don't even need a new cooler at all, sounds like the thermal paste has dried up - But since it will be so cheap, why the hell not eh?

Looking at your picture it's unclear how much space you have for headroom. The cheap favourite is the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO.
Most after market CPU coolers will come with that brands own thermal paste applied. All you need to do is clean up the original stuff, or what remains of it, off the CPU itself. (Q-Tips and Isopropyl Alchohol is my personal favourite method).

It's needlessly expensive, but I've grown a liking for the Noctua NH-L12 in small form factor PC's. It'd be silent too.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products...

Generally speaking most average sized coolers will fit. I wouldn't go in for anything too large, not merely because it would be a waste anyway. The other option is a thin-rad liquid cooler like the Corsair H60. But again, needlessly expensive for cooling a locked processor.




Thank you very much for your answer Distello! :) 
Do you think that if i apply the thermal paste and clean a bit more the fan/cooler of the cpu the temps will drop to normal? I think that 98C is really too much and i'm afraid to do anything that can push my pc to the limits :(  How much a high CPU temp (98C!!) can drop if i good thermal paste is applied?
Also, 2 more pics to see the spase between GPU and the CPU fan, hope they are ok:
http://i.imgur.com/Rya635E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PkLk39M.jpg


In all likely-hood? Yeah probably. Clean out any dust while you're at it.
Stock heatsinks are usually only effective enough to marginally cool below the max allowed temp of a processor. Plus, they're loud while doing it.
An aftermarket heatsink is the best way to go even if you can't overclock, a super cheap one will still be better.

As for your current temps, they are too high. Because of them you're most likely experiencing throttling, so performance will be hit heavily. Generally for an Intel chip, you want to stay below 80c.

My concern is that these temps you're having are only under light loads, a stress test for example, running everything at 100% load will really cook that chip. A stress test is the best way to make sure your cooling is adequate and clearly, we can see, even before running one yours isn't.
(P.s. Whatever you do, don't run one currently! xD).

How much drop will you see? Well, if applied properly, it should return back to normal. Like I said, the stock heatsink is rather poop, but it gets the job done in a half-assed way.

Spacing is a little bit tighter than I expected, but I'm fairly certain the 212 cooler will fit, if you went for that of course. Most of its bulk is directed upwards.
July 6, 2014 8:18:40 AM

Distello said:
Nicko_Bellic said:
Distello said:
1. Nope. Regardless of motherboard size-type there's always space around the CPU socket. At a pinch, depending on the type of cooler on your GPU, it could be sending the slightly warm air up there. Absolutely nothing to be concerned about though.

2. For a new CPU cooler? Not at all. Despite new lines and new sockets coming out all the time, both AMD and Intel stick with the exact same mounting bracket for their coolers. On the Intel side, they use 4 holes around the socket. With AMD, it's 2 clips, attached to a backplate.
Both have all but stayed the same for many many years. Any good CPU cooler will come with mounting mechanisms for both brands.

3. Your cooler doesn't have to be that extravagant since you have a non-overclockable processor (Non-k series), generally you'd be looking at something cheap and cheerful to replace the stock cooler, with a better fan on it to remain silent.
Since you said you have a mini motherboard, this could be either mATX, or ITX, for choosing the cooler I'm going to guess the latter. Just to be safe.

Like I said, you won't need something too big. Heck, you probably don't even need a new cooler at all, sounds like the thermal paste has dried up - But since it will be so cheap, why the hell not eh?

Looking at your picture it's unclear how much space you have for headroom. The cheap favourite is the CoolerMaster Hyper 212 EVO.
Most after market CPU coolers will come with that brands own thermal paste applied. All you need to do is clean up the original stuff, or what remains of it, off the CPU itself. (Q-Tips and Isopropyl Alchohol is my personal favourite method).

It's needlessly expensive, but I've grown a liking for the Noctua NH-L12 in small form factor PC's. It'd be silent too.
http://www.noctua.at/main.php?show=productview&products...

Generally speaking most average sized coolers will fit. I wouldn't go in for anything too large, not merely because it would be a waste anyway. The other option is a thin-rad liquid cooler like the Corsair H60. But again, needlessly expensive for cooling a locked processor.




Thank you very much for your answer Distello! :) 
Do you think that if i apply the thermal paste and clean a bit more the fan/cooler of the cpu the temps will drop to normal? I think that 98C is really too much and i'm afraid to do anything that can push my pc to the limits :(  How much a high CPU temp (98C!!) can drop if i good thermal paste is applied?
Also, 2 more pics to see the spase between GPU and the CPU fan, hope they are ok:
http://i.imgur.com/Rya635E.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/PkLk39M.jpg


In all likely-hood? Yeah probably. Clean out any dust while you're at it.
Stock heatsinks are usually only effective enough to marginally cool below the max allowed temp of a processor. Plus, they're loud while doing it.
An aftermarket heatsink is the best way to go even if you can't overclock, a super cheap one will still be better.

As for your current temps, they are too high. Because of them you're most likely experiencing throttling, so performance will be hit heavily. Generally for an Intel chip, you want to stay below 80c.

My concern is that these temps you're having are only under light loads, a stress test for example, running everything at 100% load will really cook that chip. A stress test is the best way to make sure your cooling is adequate and clearly, we can see, even before running one yours isn't.
(P.s. Whatever you do, don't run one currently! xD).

How much drop will you see? Well, if applied properly, it should return back to normal. Like I said, the stock heatsink is rather poop, but it gets the job done in a half-assed way.

Spacing is a little bit tighter than I expected, but I'm fairly certain the 212 cooler will fit, if you went for that of course. Most of its bulk is directed upwards.


I'm getting one good thermal compound this week and i'm gonna apply it (saw about 100 videos on how to apply it and i think i'm ready to do it :D  ).

As for the new 212 cooler, i'm also getting one in a few days. I saw that it's a nice and really cheap cooler and i hope i can put it there somehow :)  I don't want to burn my pc because i was saving my money for 2 years to buy it :p 

Thanks again for your help Distello, you were really helpfull! :) 

I will update this thread when i have some news (i hope they are happy news) :) 

Until then...

Hats off to you sir. :) 
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July 6, 2014 8:31:07 AM

No worries dude :3
Good luck with everything!
July 10, 2014 5:08:59 PM

Distello said:
No worries dude :3
Good luck with everything!


So... back again! :D 
I did what you told me, the stock cooler was a mess! It was not in the right place that's why i got these temps. I applied the thermal paste and the temps came back to normal (33-45 C idle). My pc is cool again when i work on it BUT.... BUT....BUT....
When i go gaming, i have the same problems again... It is hot again, about 91 to 96 C!!! The case is just melting! Only when i play games! So.... i thought alot about it and i decided that i need to buy some new things... :) 
First of all, i want to buy a new motherboard because i have a mini one and i just can't put a good cooler there. There is no space at all. My GPU is bigger then my mobo :D  Then, i will buy a good cooler to do the job.
So my questions (again! :D ) are:
1) What good motherboard should i buy for my i7 2600 (1155)? It's not oc. I can give about 200 euros (dunno how much $$ this is).
2) I will buy the coolermaster hyper 212 evo. I know this is a good cooler but i don't know if it will fit in my case. I have a Thermaltake Commander ms-i case (mid case).
I hope this will work... I can't do much now, i'm afraid that it will shut down again!! :( 
!