Do CPU's get hotter as they age?

[Tullphan]

Just curious to know if one keeps one's CPU slightly overclocked if, after time, the temps gradually go up?

 

[narreth]

they gradually go up because of dust 🙂

 

[dandragonrage]

Some types of thermal grease can dry out, also. I've had some of the ultra-cheap ones dry out so bad that they were making a friend's computer shut down from overheating.

 

[cubeless]

this is weird, because i'm seeing this kind of thing in some boxes i built for my kids' friends... even after getting all the dust out and putting new tc on, a couple of these boxes are running 5c ish hotter than they did when i first built them... they are amd 939 boxes...

the first one had a scythe ninja on it... i tried the ninja on another system, and it's just not cooling well anymore... i'm gonna cut it open to see if the juice in the heatpipes has dried up or something... but even with a newer heatpipe hsf the chip runs up around 60c on one core (the other is 8 c lower, wich is a much larger differential than i used to see) loaded up... the voltage and ambient are the same as when the box went out and it never went over 55c on the hottest core...

definitely odd...

 

[dandragonrage]

The thermal diode could be going out of calibration.

 

[Drsignguy]

Originally posted by: narreth
they gradually go up because of dust 🙂

Computers are Dust magnets yes but if you keep them clean, then this shouldn't be a problem. As "dandragonrage" pointed out, the TIM can get "old" so to speak and should be changed. Air temps, fans, location of rig, Heatsink (stock or aftermarket) all play a big part. So, it really depends on these and many other variables. I watch mine closely from winter to summer to see how much they react from open windows to AC.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The white paste type of TIM dries out over about two years or less. AS5 is supposed to stay viscous for longer.

 

[aigomorla]

Originally posted by: narreth
they gradually go up because of dust 🙂

hehe #1 reason why cpu gets hotter with age.

Cuz you got a ton of dust in the heat sink's fins.

Go blow them out with compressed air.

 

[imported_Woody]

I recently had to re seat the HSF on my son's computer which is my old AthlonXP 2500 because of dried up thermal paste.

Another thing that can happen is the cooling fans can be a little worn and may not be turning as fast as they used to. Swap out the cooling fans if you suspect this, especially the one on the HSF, it's cheap insurance.

And of course it's summer. Temps will run noticeably hotter just due to the ambient room temperature.

You should clean out the dust and check the inside at least once every six months I figure depending on the environment. Don't sit the PC on a carpeted floor either. If you have to set it on the floor put a wood or stiff cardboard panel under it and maybe even raise it up an inch or two. Most cases draw air in from the forward bottom of the case.

 

[DarkManX4lf]

Originally posted by: Woody
...And of course it's summer. Temps will run noticeably hotter just due to the ambient room temperature.

You should clean out the dust and check the inside at least once every six months I figure depending on the environment. Don't sit the PC on a carpeted floor either. If you have to set it on the floor put a wood or stiff cardboard panel under it and maybe even raise it up an inch or two. Most cases draw air in from the forward bottom of the case.

Thats what I do. You should clean out the inside of your cpu once every six months. If you can, put a filter on all your intake fans this will reduce the dust bulid-up in your case, heat sink fins, and fans.