Case gradually getting hotter?

[fuzzymath10]

Is it normal for average component temps to rise after being on for awhile? I notice that my coretemp is registering CPU temperatures about 5-10C higher at idle. Heatsink looks fine in terms of mounting; I once had one pushpin come loose but not this time. Also, I shut it off for about an hour, and the temps still hit the new higher temps quite quickly and leveled out there.

I began noticing this the past few days; it has been on for about 2 months without being shut down.

The case is very clean, partially because components have no direct active cooling, and also because of filters. I have two 120mm intakes blowing on the hard drives, and a 120mm exhaust at the top.

The only thing I could think of is that I need to re-apply AS5. However I last reseated the CPU only a year ago. Could it be humidity or ambient temps now that it's getting to spring/summer? It's not that warm here yet.

 

[JTsyo]

My guess is either something has changed in the cooling, (warmer ambient air, something lowering the heat transfer from component to air, slower air movement due to wear in the fans, ect.)
The other possibility is that you're not idling at the same load as before. Any new processes running in the background?
As long as you within the operating temperature for you cpu, I wouldn't worry unless it keeps going up. I've never heard of a new steady state temperature for equipment that constantly runs. Maybe look up server cooling, they are on 24/7.

 

[stahlhart]

I have an XP2500+ that's just like this -- several months to a year, and the idle temperature has climbed about 5-6C or so. Remount the cooler with new paste, and it returns to the original cooler idle temperature. Might not be the case for all CPUs, but it does appear to be for at least some of them. Mabye the ones that tend to run hotter break down the compound faster.

 

[Zap]

Is it normal for average component temps to rise after being on for awhile?
...
I began noticing this the past few days; it has been on for about 2 months without being shut down.

The case is very clean, partially because components have no direct active cooling, and also because of filters.

Clean out your filters.

I have to do that with my Lian Li system that runs daily (shut off at night) after every few weeks. If I left mine for two months, I'd be peeling the dust off the filters like clothes dryer lint.

 

[fffblackmage]

If it's not clogged filters, then it's probably the warmer ambient temperatures. Even if it's a few degrees warmer, you won't notice it, but it'll show when you look at the CPU temp.

 

[fuzzymath10]

Thanks for the suggestions. My apartment is quite clean, so the filters are hardly dirty. Also, my exhaust fan just has a grill.

I removed the voltage reducer on my fan, and it brought temps back down almost to the initial levels. That is still strange though. I also re-applied AS5, but that made no difference. I'm worrying that my AS5 might be too old since I've had it since around 2004. However I used it in my SB system, and the temps are fine there.

With the fan at 100% it feels like a lot more air is moving, so it's strange that the CPU is still not as cool. Maybe the fan just sucks; I bought a couple of 120mm Noctuas so if that solves the problem, it was just crappy fans.

 

[Zap]

I also re-applied AS5, but that made no difference.

For some reason everyone thinks that reapplying TIM fixes a lot of heat issues. Unless it was improperly applied the first time, I don't think reapplying TIM helps anything.