CPU Overheating..please help

H

Hyperion

Geek Trainee
Hola..people..

I added new components to my existing rig today :

Corsair TX650
Zotac 9800GT 1GB DDR3

For doing this I had to completely disassemble my PC and start from scratch including removing the mother board and everything..

I also removed my fan+heatsink from the motherboard..and brushed on and around CPU surface

Problem is that ever since my CPU has been overheating ever since i made these changes..

Everything else is working perfectly..all other temps are good..only my CPU is heating and affecting the performance of my games.

The only thing I can think of right now is that I have disturbed the cooling compound that was on the CPU while cleaning it..and most probably I will have to reapply it...the amount has also visibly lessened and my CPU fan is making more noise than normal..also I can sense the heat if I put my hand near the fan..

Here is a screenshot of my temperatures..please analyze..



These are the idle temps..under load..it shoots up to 90C

Earlier my CPU used to idle at 45C

If I have to reapply the thermal compound..please suggest which one is most effective and provide a link to some kind of guide i can refer to for doing the same.. :)

Thanks a lot guys :)
 
  1. Use a good thermal interface material like Arctic Silver 5.
  2. Thoroughly clean the surface of the headsync and the CPU with alcohol and a lint-free implement, such as Q-tips.
  3. Apply a small amount of thermal transfer compound to your CPU's heat spreader. The amount should be just enough to spread over the whole surface; pretend like you are buttering bread (but you don't like butter that much, hehe).
  4. Spread the material thinly and evenly over the heat spreader on your CPU. You can get an even grade by using a makeup trowel, or the edge of an ID card.
  5. Re-apply the heatsync evenly but firmly, so that you do not disturb your even distribution of thermal compound.
  6. Make sure the CPU fan is plugged back in correctly.
 
Thanks a LOT AT..much appreciated..

But do you think the problem could be caused due to anything other than what i described?
 
From your first post, it sounds to me like you did not reapply any thermal compound at all. Did you just stick the heatsink and cpu back together after disassembling them?

If that's the case, then no, I don't think there can be any other reason. It is entirely an issue with thermal compound. You should ALWAYS completely remove the leftover thermal compound. This can be done as AT described. I would add that when AT says to use alcohol, it means rubbing alcohol aka isopropyl alcohol (not vodka or something). I was told to use either 99% or 95% rubbing alcohol, which you can apparently get at drug stores. I forgot exactly which grade I was recommended but I bet it doesn't matter. When I went through this process, I just got some from the lab I work in at my university, and then dripped a drop or two on the area i wanted to clean, then I rubbed it with a simple kleenex tissue. Or I wet the tissue first and then rubbed. Either way it works.

After cleaning it off, apply new thermal compound. Perhaps you'll want to try an alternative to arctic silver, if you can get it: this brush-equipped little bottle by Rosewill. People recommend arctic silver a lot but this brush design is more practical and therefore easier to use.
 
Did you just stick the heatsink and cpu back together after disassembling them? - Yes Exactly..

I did not know much about this..thanks you guys for enlightening me..I'll follow what you have said and will let you know thank you very much :) :)
 
If thermal compound is your issue, this indicates to me that you may be running pretty close to the maximum efficiency of your heatsink / fan... consider upgrading in the future, any degradation in fan efficiency / dust buildup may cause problems in the future...
 
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