So, is my CPU overheating or what?

[Mondozei]

Well, to do a long story short.
My case fans kind of broke down. I only had two. So I switched them out for two Noctua fans. Frankly I haven't heard a major difference. It could also be my PSU, which is the CX500 from Corsair which isn't famous for being quiet(but I was cashstrapped at the time).

Regardless of that, my CPU temps have started to increase. I got an i5 Haswell and a custom CPU cooler, the Cooler Master EVO 212. I didn't used to have any issues, but now I am at 72 Celsius. The temperatures were even higher before I installed the Noctua fans, they were going up towards 80 before being throttled down(Haswell is supposed to have a temperature ceiling around 72 Celsius, right?).

Well, I'm getting 72 Celsius on DX9 games like CS:S, which shouldn't stress the CPU at all. My GPU is often running at sub-60 Celsius temperatures. The same is true with games like BLOPS 2.

Im guessing I could just need to reapply thermal paste, but the thing is, the PC was built from scratch around 4 months ago. Could the CPU cooler already be out of position that quickly? I haven't moved the PC anywhere. What else could it be?

 

[denis280]

Haswell runs hot. and another thing to check. the fan on the EVO.got a few the fan was defect. and those temp.are under load right!

 

[Charlie98]

I would reapply the TIM and check to make sure the 212 is secured properly. One other thing to check... is your CPU cooler clean? A few snorts with some compressed air through the heat exchanger fins, a wipedown of the fan blades may give you some better temps.

Question: Is your CPU fan ramping up RPM based on temps?

 

[phis6]

(...) I got an i5 Haswell and a custom CPU cooler, the Cooler Master EVO 212. I didn't used to have any issues, but now I am at 72 Celsius.

Some cooler heat sinks just don't properly conduct much heat from the CPU. You could try changing the Cooler Master EVO 212 with the stock CPU cooler that came with your processor.

 

[Ketchup]

Hello Mondozeim, that EVO has been a great cooler for me. Do you know what the temps are like it the room the computer is in?

 

[Ketchup]

Some cooler heat sinks just don't properly conduct much heat from the CPU. You could try changing the Cooler Master EVO 212 with the stock CPU cooler that came with your processor.

That's a joke, right?

 

[frozentundra123456]

Something sounds off. I don't think haswell should throttle at 80 degree should it? Isn't the Max temp close to 100 degree C for haswell?

 

[mikeymikec]

OP, are you overclocking it? Also, what's the temperature in the room you're running the computer in (failing that, what's the temperature reported for your area)?

 

[BrightCandle]

CPU heatsink and fans are physically very simple. You have a contact patch on the bottom that touches metal to metal with the CPU heatspreader and indirectly through thermal paste (which replaces the small air pockets that would be there without it) and then the heat will equalise between the two components, and with a fan blowing through the fins the heat is passed to the air and away from the combination of the heatsink and the CPU.

Given that there really are only a few things it can be:
- The contact between the two isn't very good. The Heatsink might be loose, the paste might not be applied very well, maybe the paste has expired in some way. Could be the clip holding it down is damaged or has loosened.
- Then the next problem is expelling the heat. That could be a damaged or broken fan reducing the air flow, it could be the ambient air is too hot because it isn't being exchanged fast enough with the overall air in the house and atmosphere. Could be a hotter environment than usual (it is nearly summer).

So basically you need to check the fan is working correctly, the air in the case is near ambient and that the contact of the Heatsink on the CPU is good and solid and that the paste is all fine. In there somewhere is the problem and solution.

 

[Mondozei]

Lots of replies and pretty good ones, at that. Anandtech doesn't disappoint

OP, are you overclocking it? Also, what's the temperature in the room you're running the computer in (failing that, what's the temperature reported for your area)?

No, I'm running my i5 Haswell at stock speeds, meaning 3.4 GHz. Which adds to my bewilderment why it is running so hot.

Hello Mondozeim, that EVO has been a great cooler for me. Do you know what the temps are like it the room the computer is in?

The temps in my room is about 22 Celcius.

I would reapply the TIM and check to make sure the 212 is secured properly. One other thing to check... is your CPU cooler clean? A few snorts with some compressed air through the heat exchanger fins, a wipedown of the fan blades may give you some better temps.

Question: Is your CPU fan ramping up RPM based on temps?

First, what's TIM? I'm guessing the thermal paste?
I laughed a little bit when you used the word "snort". I think the word to use is sprays But that aside, I take your advice seriously. I don't have dustoff sprays right now, but I've been thinking of buying one soon. The thing is that I am moving over the summer to work and won't touch my desktop PC from June to the end of August. But I'd rather get this done now, than afterwards.

Also, how do I know if my CPU fan is ramping up based on temps? I haven't done any settings in particular, can I check it somehow?

Haswell runs hot. and another thing to check. the fan on the EVO.got a few the fan was defect. and those temp.are under load right!

Thanks for the tip, but can I check myself if the fan is somehow defect? Sending it to RMA and then getting it back, plus having to charge for the transport, isn't ideal. Are there any ways I test that theory?

 

[mikeymikec]

Also, how do I know if my CPU fan is ramping up based on temps?

Download cpu-z (www.cpuid.com).

but can I check myself if the fan is somehow defect?

There's no "somehow defect" in this situation. Fan spins, blows cooler air through heatsink fins, thus heat is dissipated. If the fan is obnoxiously noisy, or isn't spinning at all, it's got a problem.

Alternatively, if dust is clogging up the heatsink fins, you could use a vacuum cleaner on it. As long as you don't touch any components or the circuit board, the static from the vacuum cleaner shouldn't be able to fry anything.

 

[Ketchup]

As others have said, you probably need to take it off, apply a fresh coat of TIM, and try again.