Temps getting higher

[VirtualLarry]

I re-enabled CPU folding on my Q9300 desktop rig that I use, and with an 80F ambient showing on the thermostat, my CPU temps using CoreTemp were like up to 83C.

This is starting to bother me.

When I first upgraded my desktop rig to Q9300, and put in the GTX460, and overclocked it to 820 (on stock voltage, whatever that is), my GPU got to like 70-72C, and my CPU got to like 72-75C.

I am no longer overclocking my GPU, it's at 715Mhz. But yet, my CPU temps are getting worse, as are my GPU temps?

I know the temp outside has been warming a bit, but still. It seems like my Celcius core temps are going up faster than my ambient Fahrenheit temps.

Is there something that would cause this?

The top of my case, a CoolerMaster Elite 330, with the sides off, in a cubby-hole in a desk, gets almost too hot to touch. So what temp is that, almost 50C?

It's an EarthWatts 650W, Delta made. I un-overclocked my GPU temps in an attempt to lower PSU temps. I though re-enabling CPU F@H wouldn't make too much of a difference, but it has. It seems that the heat from the GPU rises, and gets in the path of the CPU heatsink (55C idle), and that in turn heats up, and goes into the PSU, which is itself also generating heat.

Possibly, I need a new case? I've been thinking about the Antec 100. I really want to keep my floppy drive, though, as I still have (rare) occasion to use it for some reason.

Mods, feel free to move this thread to cases and cooling. I started it in CPUs and Overclocking, because I was talking about high CPU temps, but then I started talking about cases, so it could probably go in either category.

 

[mnewsham]

Buy some Artic silver or some type of TIM and replace the current (probably useless) TIM. Maybe even buy a case fan or two and a new HSF.

 

[VirtualLarry]

Buy some Artic silver or some type of TIM and replace the current (probably useless) TIM. Maybe even buy a case fan or two and a new HSF.

Sorry, forgot to mention the HSF, it's a CoolerMaster Hyper TX2. Not the greatest, but functional, and better than the stock heatsink by at least 10-15C. It has a 92mm low-noise fan built in.

I just put fresh TIM (AS5) on when I re-installed the HSF when I upgraded from E2140 to Q9300.

 

[mnewsham]

Sorry, forgot to mention the HSF, it's a CoolerMaster Hyper TX2. Not the greatest, but functional, and better than the stock heatsink by at least 10-15C. It has a 92mm low-noise fan built in.

I just put fresh TIM (AS5) on when I re-installed the HSF when I upgraded from E2140 to Q9300.

How long ago?

 

[VirtualLarry]

How long ago?

Hmm, a couple of months? I think I picked up my Q9300s in Dec.

 

[mnewsham]

Hmm, a couple of months? I think I picked up my Q9300s in Dec.

Make sure the HSF is clear of dust.

 

[aigomorla]

possible your PSU is dusty.. which then isnt helping as much as it used to help in air flow, which then is causing the temps inside your case to rise?

 

[VirtualLarry]

I really don't think that the PSU is dusty. My apt has very little dust, on the whole. I used canned air and blew out the heatsink when I re-mounted it, and I probably cleaned the PSU out too. I'm starting to think two things: My airflow is ineffective (case sides off, remember), and the rear exhaust fan is just circulating the heat around in the cubby-hole, and ambient temps went up. I've left the window open all night, and my room thermostat is reading 70F now, and my CPU temps are 66-70C, and my GPU temp is 65C.


I'm thinking I'll pick up a couple of Antec 100 cases and try them out in the future.
At least then my PSU should live longer, since it's not directly in the hot air pathway.

 

[brencat]

Try taking it out of the cubby hole for a while but put the case sides back on and let us know how that works out. Bad circulation + dust = bad news.

If you need a case recommendation, check out the CM 690 Pure in all-black. Built a new PC for my kids for Xmas and it is fantastic. You can literally attach 8 120mm fans to that thing. If I didn't already own my Lian Li, I would definitely be looking to that for a new build.

 

[Seero]

There is an misconception that electronics will work forever. In short capacitors do age, meaning that a)they no longer holds electric energy as specified, and b) leak, which leads to interference. In abstract, when everything is new, the fluctuation of electricity is small. Let say you want to supply a +5 volt towards something, the actual voltage sent may be 5.1v to 4.9v. You can see this in bios on the actually voltage on +12v and + 5v. As caps ages, the fluctuation gets worst. Because of the leak, there are more electricity going into the core through different means, resulting in higher temps. These effects are known and considered as there are tolerance on voltage read. Although the circuit still works, it consumes more electricity, and therefore produce more heat.

In short, if your PC doesn't throttles, crash, or BSoD, then it is fine. You can visually inspect caps on mobo and see if it is popped. Replacing old caps with new, high quality caps will reduce the heat generated by CPU, but a single misplace can fry everything in the circuit. A faulty/cheap PSU may speed up the caps aging on caps that can under the same circuit, and any bad caps in a circuit can speed up the aging of any other caps on the circuit, including the ones in PSU. Good times.

Overclock is one of the ways to speed up aging on caps. While the new clock speed rocks, it will slowly degrades the system and eventually, the system will no longer support the new clock speed. Of course, proper cooling can slow down the aging, which is why proper cooling is important, but people tend to only look at the CPU temps during load, which is only a small part in a big puzzle. A proper airflow will illuminates any hot air pockets within the case, and therefore increase the life span of all parts within the system. A good PSU also increase the life span of the system. Once the system aged, it is very hard to recondition it, and changing individual parts ain't going to solve the problem. Other parts, like resistor and chips, ages too, but they have much longer life span. It is more likely to see the joins holding the resistor breaks than the resistor itself. Since chips doesn't relay on chemical compound to work, it also have a longer lifespan. However, due to electron migration, it too will die.

Keep PC clean from day one, and keep it clean during the life of the PC. Make sure the airflow is properly done, not only on the GPU/CPU. Failing to do so doesn't mean the PC will immediately dies, but until you decided to really put it to work, like a new game.

Again, since it is hard to zero out the cause of the increase in temp, IMO just ignore it as it will still work for 5-10 years as is. When it dies, buy a new one.

There is a saying among enginners and technicans. "If it is not broken, do not fix it." Computer hardwares are actually very complicated and there are lots of things that are not meant to be fixed by users. Maintain it hard if you want it to work long, or replace it when it breaks and don't expect it won't die. You can't avoid being dump by electronics, and it always come in the time when you needed it most or when you least expected it to, just like a Coughwocoughman. You can love it, you can replace it, or part of it, but you can't fix it.

 

[zagood]

I'm starting to think two things: My airflow is ineffective (case sides off, remember), and the rear exhaust fan is just circulating the heat around in the cubby-hole, and ambient temps went up.

:thumbsup:

I'm thinking I'll pick up a couple of Antec 100 cases and try them out in the future.
At least then my PSU should live longer, since it's not directly in the hot air pathway.

:thumbsdown:

A new case isn't going to help with the poor air circulation you're getting by leaving it in a cubby. If you want/need to keep that machine there, look at options for at least exhausting air from the cubby. In fact, getting a case with a bottom-mount PSU in your situation will probably make your overall temps go up.

Cutting a hole and mounting an exhaust fan on the top back of the desk would be my recommendation. Cutting a hole along the bottom for intake would work well too, but can sometimes be hard to find a place, and exhaust is more important in your situation anyway.

 

[mnewsham]

Look at getting a sleek sexy case you wouldnt mind sitting out for people to see (Fractal R3?) Get some fans moving and sit that baby in the open air. That alone will drop your temps significantly.

 

[VirtualLarry]

The cubby-hole isn't completely enclosed. The front is open (no door), and there are holes in the top back area, and the bottom back area (for cables).

I think I would do well to utilize a case with a top-mounted vent hole/fan.

 

[artvscommerce]

Have you compared the temps with the sides of the case on? A good chassis will keep the temps cooler with the sides on than it will with the sides off.

I noticed the case comes stock with a single 120mm exhaust fan. Have you installed an intake fan? It looks like there's mouting in the front for a 120mm. How is the airflow on the stock exhaust fan? If it isn't moving much air I would replace it. It seems like you already have a pretty nice chassis and cpu cooler so I would expect that you could bring those temps down by changing the fan configuration and putting the sides on.

 

[VirtualLarry]

I actually have two of these systems, the one on the left has the case sides on, the one on the right has them off. (No reason.)

The computer on the left is showing about 1C lower on both the CPU and GPU. Not much difference. (The computer on the left has a higher voltage setting on the CPU too.)

Edit: Now the computer on the right (with the sides off) is reading 79C for CPU, and 74-75C for GPU. Computer on left is reading 74C for CPU, and 72C for GPU. Ambient is around 76-77F.