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helpppp...computer locks up

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xoduzz786

Member
hey i have a friend who just built a new computer about 2 months ago and recently he's been having problems with it. The computer locks up (everything freezes completely, including the mouse) every 10 minutes or so. Also his CPU temperatures are EXTREMELY high in the bios and in other 3rd party software. (temps should be around 40c...his temps are varying from 60c-90c! while the motherboard temps idle at around 30c.). He had a generic 500watt PSU that came with his case and has recently purchased a new antec 430 watt power supply but the problem still persists. Any clues on what could be wrong or any ideas before he RMA's the motherboard? thanks in advance.

system specs:
AMD athlon 64 3500+
asus a8v deluxe rev1 socket 939
2x512mb corsair value select
geforce 6800nu
western digital 120 gig + quantum fireball 30gig
nec 2500a dvd burner

btw....he has not tried to overclock at all.
 
If the CPU temps are that high, then maybe the heatsink retainer is not screwed tightly to the motherboard, resulting in poor contact between the CPU and the heatsink. Sound reasonable? Take the heatsink off (I'm assuming a retail AMD heatsink here), ensure that the plastic receptacle is firmly fastened down to the board, and reattach the heatsink. The thermal grease should be ok, but you can clean it away and put a thin layer of new thermal grease on if necessary.
 
Those temparatures are definitely abnormally high. In fact, 90C is approaching levels that could damage the hardware. Make sure your heatsink is properly locked into place, and the thermal grease is properly applied to the CPU core.
 
also i forgot to mention that he has a Zalman CNPS7000a-pure copper HSF + artic silver 5....his computer was fine for 2 months and just recently started acting up. He has tried removing the HSF and screwing it back in to no avail. Should he try RMAing the CPU first or the motherboard?
 
Originally posted by: xoduzz786
also i forgot to mention that he has a Zalman CNPS7000a-pure copper HSF + artic silver 5....his computer was fine for 2 months and just recently started acting up. He has tried removing the HSF and screwing it back in to no avail.
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Don't those require a special backplate? Is he using it? Can he put the regular heatsink/fan back on, or was it an OEM CPU?

 
he wasn't using the special backplate....but i dont know why that would be a problem since his computer's been working fine for these past 2 months(temps were fine, 37c-42c). And yes he does have the retail HSF and i will tell him to try that out, but hes at his college dorm and his retail hsf is back at home....any other solutions besides that one?
 
The bottom line is that the heatsink needs to be making firm, flat contact with the CPU's heatspreader. If it isn't, fix whatever the problem is. Has he tried checking the heatsink's attachment to confirm it isn't just loose?
 
yep, hes checked it thoroughly....also he told me something interesting just now...as soon as he turns on the computer and goes into the bios to check the temp, it was sometimes at a whopping 86c. Wouldn't the cpu take quite some time to get that hot?
 
Originally posted by: xoduzz786
yep, hes checked it thoroughly....also he told me something interesting just now...as soon as he turns on the computer and goes into the bios to check the temp, it was sometimes at a whopping 86c. Wouldn't the cpu take quite some time to get that hot?
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Since the A64 has a copper heatspreader attached to its core, it would take at least a little bit of time to ramp up to 86C, yes. And mobos can be way wrong on their temp readings too. The question is why it's waited until now to do that. And by "sometimes at a whopping 86C," are you saying that sometimes it isn't, still? 😕

 
yep, sometimes its starts at 86...sometimes at 60c...its really weird...also i doubt the mobo readings are wrong since his mobo temps are fine at 30c.
 
Kick the memory voltage up to 2.7 volts and let's see what happens 🙂 I'll entertain the idea that maybe the mobo's temperature sensor is smokin' crack. 😉
 
well it seems that if it was his HSF all along since he removed the backplate and screwed/secured the hsf directly to the mobo....his temps are now 42c-48c. Isn't that a bit high? i have the same mobo and hsf but with an fx-53 and my temps are around 33c-34c.
 
Originally posted by: xoduzz786
well it seems that if it was his HSF all along since he removed the backplate and screwed/secured the hsf directly to the mobo....his temps are now 42c-48c. Isn't that a bit high? i have the same mobo and hsf but with an fx-53 and my temps are around 33c-34c.
Click to expand...

The actual CPU temparature is a rather worthless indicator of HSF performance in and of itself. What is the difference between the system temparature and the CPU temparature? That is a better indicator of HSF performance; the main variables being the case and the temparature of the room in which the computer sits.. Also, what is the clockspeed of your Athlon 64 and what is the clockspeed of his?
 
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