Processor Overheating

[Razma]

I started multiboxing in the middle of April with a new computer. I never had any issues until yesterday when I was playing around in Shattrah I get the blue screen of death and the computer turns off. After turning it back on I went directly to the BIOS and checked PC health. My processor was running at 58 degrees centigrade.

I downloaded a program to check my cpu temp when not in BIOS and it hovers constantly around 57 to 58, the other 3 cores around 55, if I try to play WoW these numbers all jump 8 to 10 degrees and the computer turns off. I took off the heatsink and changed the thermal paste and put the heatsink thinking perhaps one of those were at fault but the problem remains. I've also turned off the smart fan option in BIOS so it's always going at full speed. I'm somewhat at a loss now what could be causing the problem.

Specs are:

Windows XP Pro 64-bit
GIGABYTE GA-EX38-DS4 LGA 775 Intel X38 ATX Intel Motherboard
Rosewill RCX-Z775-EX 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler
Leadtek PX8800 GT GTB GeForce 8800GT 512MB 256-bit
Intel Core 2 Quad Q9300 Yorkfield 2.5GHz LGA 775 95W Quad-Core Processor

I would really appreciate any advice anyone can offer as I'm somewhat clueless on how to fix some issues and this one has me stumped.

[ÆONFLUX]

To lower the temperature of your processor you can do the following.

1) Lower voltage
2) Lower clock speed
3) lower ambient temperature (Are you playing in a nice air conditioned room? 70F? Or just letting it get very hot?)
4) Upgrade your heatsink and/or thermal paste.
5) Increase airflow in the case.

IMO try out 1 & 2 since its free. If you dont notice much of a performance decrease go with that.
Item 3 if you are playing in very hot conditions
Item 4 & 5 if all else fails since it will cost you some money.

[moosejaw]

What about your power supply? That temperature doesn't seem like it should make the processer drop out. But a voltage dip would give you a blue screen, especially under heavy video load. If the video doesn't get enough power under load ---->> crash.

Good luck.

[bugilt]

Check the heat sink for dust build up. If it has it get a can of air and clean it off while holding the fan in place. Make sure to turn off the power.

[Razma]

@ÆONFLUX ('http://www.dual-boxing.com/forums/index.php?page=User&userID=7008'), for #1 and #2 those options are kinda against the whole point of me buying a big beefy system.
#3 the room is fine as much as I can tell, the PC just started getting hot for no reason I can tell.
#4 & #5, I'm using http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007 for Thermal Compound and http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835200026 for my Heatsink, so I really hope those aren't the issue.

@moosejaw, I got my power supply with the case and it's rated at 650W however, that's max power and I had thought it was continuous power, my fault for not checking on purchase, I'm going to replace that.

@bugilt, I've only had the computer for a month so I doubt it's dust but I'm going to check anyway.

[moosejaw]

I believe the 8800GT requires ~30A of 12v. For my card I bought a silverstone power supply with a single 12v rail at 54A. That removes the issue of having to plug into 2 different rails and hope there is enough power for max load. This is my P/S http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817256021

Good Luck.

[Ughmahedhurtz]

A 60C core temp will NOT cause intel Core2 CPUs to lock up, just FYI.

[Razma]

A 60C core temp will NOT cause intel Core2 CPUs to lock up, just FYI.The computer doesn't lock up at 60C, it idles at just below 60C. Once I start 5boxing it can jumps up to 70+. However the idea of the video card being the problem via the power supply is something I'm considering. I downloaded nTune application for the video card to check it and if I attempt to run the monitor for temp's it's an instant blue screen/reset. Double Click Icon -> Blue Screen in less then a second everytime.

My hope is the power supply is the cause. I can play 1 Instance of WoW fine, 2 works as well. Haven't tried 3 or 4, but less then 5 doesn't accomplish the goal. :(

[moosejaw]

I certainly hope that is the problem. Because problems like that can be a bear to nail down.

Good Luck.

[Wilbur]

Idles at 60?

Thats not quite normal.

Reset your CPU to default settings, don't alter the VCore, Frequency or Multiplier. Monitor the CPU at lower settings.

[ÆONFLUX]

Ya, 1 & 2 I agree with. The problem is you might be forced to do one of the two. You might have the voltage to your CPU being too high for what you need also.


But 60C idle is NOT Normal. At least with my Q6600 the maximum recommended (correct me if I am wrong anybody) temperature from the intel site is 71C....With 70+ under load you have a cooling problem definitely that could damage hardware.

If all else fails look into a

http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/cpu-cooler-charts-2008,1779-8.html

The folks over at Toms Hardware LOVED this one. It was horrible to install but the air cooling was magnificent. 62.5C max load max temp with a Core 2 Extreme QX6850 3.0ghz stock.

If you look at that article too you notice ALOT of posers. Some of these big bad 120mm fan rigs run 15-25C+ over the cooler I mentioned.



If you think its power and dont care about your heat shutoff settings change those in your BIOS to something higher and test out boxing again?

[sikerdebaard]

[..] thermal paste [..] How much thermal paste did you use? Usualy, spread out the paste evenly on the core, but make the layer of paste as thin as possible, altough not too thin. Usualy, a drop at the size of a Pea (Y'know, like these (http://www.cookinggoddess.com/images/TNTN5720_Pea-pulao.jpg)) is enough. Creditcards are godlike when it comes to spreading the paste evenly.

I've seen quite a few PC's overheat due to large amounts of paste. It works like an insulation if theres too much of it.

[Razma]

I've reformatted my computer just to see it's effects as underclocking my CPU and lowering the voltage. I really don't like having to do that but I haven't crashed since doing so. Temps don't jump to 70C+ anymore either. Not exactly steps I want to take but since they are working for the moment I guess they'll have to do until new power supply comes and I can see if that helps. Hopefully the old one not supplying enough power to the vid card is the cause, though I'm not fully seeing how that'd be the case for over heating the cpu.

[Ozbert]

EDIT: Oops, Sikerdebaard replied with exactly the same advice while I was typing my reply ^^

How much thermal paste are you using? If you use too much, it'll act as a thermal insulator rather than a conductor.

When I apply paste to my CPU's, I put a tiny spot about the size of a matchhead on the CPU die, and then use the straight edge of a plastic card to spread it out into a thin smooth layer over the whole surface.

For Core 2 CPU's, the metal cap on the CPU is quite large, so you'll need more than a matchhead sized dollop, but it still needs to be smoothed out into a thin layer.

This has always worked well for me.

[bugilt]

These reviews mention some problems with the Rosewill RCX-Z775-EX 92mm 2 Ball CPU Cooler. It might help you find your problem.


http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16835200026&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=1&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductReview.aspx?Item=N82E16835200026&SortField=0&SummaryType=0&Pagesize=10&SelectedRating=2&PurchaseMark=&VideoOnlyMark=False&Page=

[Ughmahedhurtz]

EDIT: Oops, Sikerdebaard replied with exactly the same advice while I was typing my reply ^^

How much thermal paste are you using? If you use too much, it'll act as a thermal insulator rather than a conductor.

When I apply paste to my CPU's, I put a tiny spot about the size of a matchhead on the CPU die, and then use the straight edge of a plastic card to spread it out into a thin smooth layer over the whole surface.

For Core 2 CPU's, the metal cap on the CPU is quite large, so you'll need more than a matchhead sized dollop, but it still needs to be smoothed out into a thin layer.

This has always worked well for me.I hate to pick nits but this is misleading. If you use any of the good quality brands like Arctic Silver or the OEM stock stuff that is thermal PASTE (as opposed to thermal GLUE), you should never experience this problem as long as your motherboard, CPU cooler mounting adapter and heatsink are all within proper spec. When I install these things, I just put a blob in the middle, spread it out to about dime-size and then push the heatsink straight down onto it while I'm attaching the mounting spring/clip/screws/etc. I've been doing that since I started working at Compaq in '98 and I've yet to have a CPU experience a thermal bloom due to bad thermal conductivity. I had one device fail on me due to heat once but it was because the paste I was using was old and had lost its viscosity and, thus, developed an air bubble in the middle of the CPU's thermal block. Once I added some newer paste to it and re-mounted it, things were fine again.

Just my experience. For the lurkers, if you know enough about this subject to be confident in understanding the ramifications of paste quality, this is probably not news to you. If the above doesn't make sense, you may be better served to have it done by a professional.

[zanthor]

The heatsync your using is aluminum, I've always prefered copper for it's superior transfer of heat... I'm also not a big fan of the heat pipe models, there's something satisfying about a solid block of copper sitting on your cpu, fins of the heatsync right there...

of course, I'm not an engineer either, so maybe it's just my preference.

Edit: It's nickle plated copper...

http://www.engineersedge.com/properties_of_metals.htm

According to this chart Nickle is rated at 52.4 btu / (hr - ft - f) and Copper is 231 btu / (hr - ft - f)... Had they left the copper block uncoated and the pipes uncoated this may rock as long as it' mounts well (reading the reviews many users had mounting difficulties).

[Qlimax]

I had the same problem with 2 8800 Ultras and a 6400+ BE X2 inside a Thermaltake Mozart Case. FYI, this case has no intake whatsoever for the mobo area... I couldnt see this from pictures. As dirty as it may seem, I have a fast/semi loud fan blowing directly into the side case (door removed) and I spray it with Co2(l) every few weeks because of the more dust built up without a side. It works quite well, also make sure you have good exhaust. I also ended up buying 3 slot fans and made some holes in the excess space.