CPU overheating, heatsink cool to the touch

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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
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Now obviously the heat's not getting from the CPU to the heatsink. But I'm not sure why... I have a nice thin uniform layer of arctic silver 5, as normal.

However, it's my first time using an AMD 64, with the bigass heatspreader on. It's also a huge heatsink (thermaltake tower 112). So should I be doing something differently to normal? A thicker layer of paste? Could gravity be pulling the heatsink away from the CPU?
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
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Could gravity be pulling the heatsink away from the CPU?
Click to expand...
Not if you got it latched into the receiver frame properly. Right-click this .AVI movie clip, save it locally and play it (there's something goofed up with it so it doesn't play right the usual way :eek:).

Check that the receiver frame itself is screwed down snug against the motherboard too.

 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
0
0
Oh P.S Fanwise I've got a Zalman 90mm sucking out of the heatsink, and a panaflo 90mm pushing into it, both at 12v. It's kinda ducted from the 2 parellel 5.25" bays which are open and lined with card, and I have a dual fan power supply sucking air off it, as well as 2 80mm fan hole with proper wire grilles on infront of the fan. I have 2 80mm zalman fans sucking air in at the bottom of the case, at the front.
 
Fardringle

Fardringle

Diamond Member
Oct 23, 2000
9,200
765
126
If the CPU is overheating at the heat sink is cool to the touch, that tells me the heat sink is not mounted properly and it is not pulling the heat away from the CPU. Take a look at mechBgon's video clip to see how to make sure hour heat sink is mounted correctly.
 
mechBgon

mechBgon

Super Moderator<br>Elite Member
Oct 31, 1999
30,699
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Yeah, sounds like one way or the other, the heatsink's not making good contact. Don't smack me for asking this, but you did use thermal grease between the core and the heatsink base, correct? :eek:

With that much weight cantilevered that far away from the CPU, including two fans, it could be that yeah, gravity is overcoming the clamping mechanism. Try the stock heatsink next, as a fact-finding step, or lay the system on its side so the weight of your heatsink and fans is not fighting the clip/clamp system.
 
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FlyBono24

Member
Jan 21, 2005
183
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That's what my piece of crap computer is doing.... it just randomly locks up if it's relatively warm in my room... yet the CPU heatsink is COOL to the touch, so is the memory... the only thing that's actually warm is the video card heatsink. Would that cause the computer to keep locking up?

I replaced the power supply so it's not that either.
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
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0
Again, mechBgon's video clip is totally irrelevant, as it's not that kind of heatsink. it's bolted through the motherboard. These are both done up very tightly. Yeh, it has arctic silver 5 on it... but am I maybe supposed to apply this differently on the new style heatspreader? I've just put a very very thin layer over the whole thing, like I'm used to doing on the little core of athlon XPs.... Unfortunately I don't have a stock heatsink as the processor was bought 2nd hand... but are they any companies that make heatsinks with the stock fitting for like, £5-£10?
 
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mgpaulus

Golden Member
Dec 19, 2000
1,112
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Have you taken the HS/F off the CPU and verified that you have any AS/5 on the HS/F, as in, when you assembled the HS/F on the CPU, you actually made contact?

If you have, then it could be a defective Cooler....
I just had a problem with an AeroCool HT-101 (it's a new design based upon heatpipes) I put AS/5 on my K7/XP-2700+, and put on the HT-101. Darn thing wouldn't even boot.
Took the HT-101 off and put on an HHC-001, and everything's hunky-dory. Took the HHC-001 off and tried the HT-101 again. No boot. Checked the HT-101, and there's
a nice layer of AS/5 on the HS. Wiped it off, and you can see the imprint of the CPU core. So, I KNOW there's good contact.
So, I took that thing back to CompUSA and got a refund. I'm not spending $50+ on a cooler that doesn't work.
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
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Nah, no pads. Came with a tube of crappy grease though. I saw something on Arctic silver's website today though. Apparently I'm supposed to put a blob of grease in the centre of the spreader, put the heatsink on and twist it a bit. Maybe I'm getting air bubbles?
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
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Ok still not working, after a reapplication... and I have a feeling the heatsink is still getting warm, it's just the construction that meant I couldn't feel it. Could a faulty CPU cause it to put out too much heat? I bought a mobo and CPU as a package 2nd hand - the mobo was faulty, which has been refunded and sorted, so it wouldn't surprise me if the CPU was too. But... is this kind of fault possible?
 
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MikeTheVike

Junior Member
Jun 28, 2005
8
0
0
Im having sort of the same problem with my stock heatsink and fan...

Installed my AMD 64 3800+ on my Chaintech VNF4 mobo...first time I used way too much thermal compound and the cpu temp in the bios was 65C. I wiped that off and put on a THIN layer...when I bootup, I go directly into the bios and check the temps...it starts at like 55C and slowly moves to around 40C...

I browsed the net for a while, then fired up Half-Life 2, played for about an hour and my machine shut off. I booted back up into Windows and it crashed on me again. Its running fine right now, but I'm afraid to run something cpu intensive. My stock heatsink is also warm/cool to the touch

What programs are you guys using to check temps? I tried Speedfan, but the readings didn't make much sense
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
0
0
Well my motherboard is an abit AN8, so everything's checkable within windows. Maybe they released a batch of 3800+s with dodgy heatspreader to core contact? Apparently I can't RMA mine or anything though, as I've used a different heatsink :(
 
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SGtheArtist

Senior member
Apr 5, 2001
508
0
0
I'm not entirely sure that the CPU is the problem.

Can the PC boot to the Windows Desktop?
Does it lockup only while in Windows?
Can you get to the BIOS? & check ur CPU temp?

http://139.95.253.214/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBC...0219835935,K=3951,Sxi=2,Case=obj(4271)

I dont believe its an overheating problem if the temp is 70C as AMD states the case temp can be that high which would mean the CPU temp would be much higher.

Back with AthlonXP the max CPU temp was 95C, I couldnt find the max for Athlon64.

There are a few Hardware things you might check, such as if the CPU is unknowingly overclocked (as in the Mobo was set for an 133MHz FSB & the processor is expecting a 100MHz FSB). Also check the mobo to see if the Cool'n'Queit is enabled.

If everything seems correct then I would be willing to bet that the lockups are caused by drivers. Most hardware producted today runs hot (relative to human comfort).

Just my thoughts.
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
0
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It's on the windows desktop right now. It locks up when I play CPU intensive games (ie: Battlefield 2) The bios temp sits at about 55 degrees, windows at about 60. I have no idea what the temp is when it locks.
The CPU is running at 2.4GHz (200x12)
Cool 'n' Quiet is enabled.
Even it is "workable" at this temperature, it SHOULD be a lot lower. Every review I've read of coolers etc. has these CPUs running at about 55 under full load, 40-45 at idle. I have ridiculous amounts of cooling on this, it should be an icicle! :(

Hmm... how would I tell if it was a driver problem?
 
Homerboy

Homerboy

Lifer
Mar 1, 2000
30,890
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55 under load is fine. you stated early that it was 70/75 when playing a game. Make up your mind.
 
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OritionX

Member
Jul 26, 2005
80
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0
Depending on when you got the board there are quite a few boards that need a bios revision to correctly tell the temperature of the CPU.
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
0
0
I'll "make up my mind" if you read the posts...? "Every review I've read of coolers etc. has these CPUs running at about 55 under full load" I said the temp in the bios (ie: almost zero load) is at 55. When the game crashed and I rebooted, it was at around 70/75.
However since then I've reapplied, and my windows idle temp is around 55, and under full load with cpuburn-in (just tried it) it maxes at 65. So maybe the high temperatures it was at before weren't causing the crash, they were just a coincidence - as it's still crashing. Either way, it's still running way hotter than it should be.

How can I tell if my mobo needs a bios upgrade? I bought it within the last month, but I guess that's no indication of when the shop got it in. I have the latest drivers for everything, as it's a fresh windows install, and everything came of manuf's websites.
 
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OritionX

Member
Jul 26, 2005
80
0
0
when your computer first boots up it will tell you how much memory and what processor and such are in your computer. Above where the memory amount is listed you should see the bios version... If it goes by too quick for you push the pause button and it will hold it there for you... I also think that abit has a bios flash utility built into the boot sequense of the board. You push a button on start up like you would if you wanted to get into the bios. It will tell you in there too what version bios you have... once you know which version you are running. You can go to abit.com.tw and see if there is an update and see what exactly they had changed.


-Side note-
I have used the tower cooler and I did not like it much.The zalman flower shaped cooler did MUCH better and was quiter too..

http://www.zalmanusa.com/usa/product/view.asp?idx=43&code=005009
 
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OritionX

Member
Jul 26, 2005
80
0
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I am running a Fx-55 and it is running at 38C idle ina game it goes as high as 48C in a game or ripping a dvd
 
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EnglFireball

Junior Member
Jun 13, 2005
22
0
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See that's why I'm thinking it should be cooler...
Abit's site doesn't mention temperature reading in the BIOS fixes :(
 
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SGtheArtist

Senior member
Apr 5, 2001
508
0
0
Well it depends on the manufacturing process if its an older A64 its probably on the 130u while the newer cores (Venice & San Diego) are 90u which do run cooler.

A side note as you mentioned you reapplied the thermal paste & the temp decreased a bit. I've heard that if too much thermal paste is between the CPU & HSF then it doesn't efficently transfer the heat away from the CPU which may have been happening with your PC.

However, since the PC still locks up after the reapplication of the thermal paste I am pretty sure that it is a different issue and has nothing to do with the CPU temps.

I'm thinking this as something to do with either the RAM, Graphics card or the PSU.

-Are you running the RAM overclocked or your video card?
-If you have 2 sticks of RAM try running one at a time & repeat your game to test if a RAM module is the problem.
-What chipset is your motherboard? Does the chipset have a HSF on it? Is it working?
-Have you run windows updates? Are you on SP2 (assuming WXP)
-Try updating the chipset drivers
-What is the wattage of your PSU? Who is the manufacture?
-Could you list all the hardware installed in this PC.

I really think there is something else going on here. Before you try all my suggestions leave the PC on for 24hrs just loaded at Windows desktop and see if it ever crashes, freezes or restarts. (You can check for restarts by going to Administrative Tools & looking at the Event Viewer Logs)
 
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