Computer constantly overheating

[dl77002]

Arctic Silver 5 is actually the one I used, but yea - I guess it can't hurt to re-do it this weekend (re-seating the piece was near impossible the first time, I've got the hang of it by now). Good to hear things sound relatively safe - so maybe I should change the temperature the siren goes off at to 160?

Also - is there a chance that the fans are spinning slower due to more power consumption, or do things just not work that way?

Thanks so much for all the help!

 

[porterjw]

Arctic Silver 5 is actually the one I used, but yea - I guess it can't hurt to re-do it this weekend (re-seating the piece was near impossible the first time, I've got the hang of it by now). Good to hear things sound relatively safe - so maybe I should change the temperature the siren goes off at to 160?

Also - is there a chance that the fans are spinning slower due to more power consumption, or do things just not work that way?

Thanks so much for all the help!

Moving the shutdown temp to 160F is a good idea - the CPU can take the heat. It gives a good upper limit, and at the same time kills it before th max suggested temp.

For fans, they won't spin slow due to more power, but they might if your MoBo uses a smart fan control system. Basically, what that does is slow your fan speed down under certain circumstances. I don't think whether or not you have it enabled (or if your Board even supports it) will make a difference, since at that high of a CPU temp, it should be at full-speed regardless. However, many people disable that particular BIOS setting in order to have fans run at full speed all the time.

Check out this link courtesy of Mothboards.org for what to look for on the fan speed control: http://www.motherboards.org/imageview.html?i=/images/reviews/motherboards/1680_p5_12.jpg

Bear in mind, your BIOS may look different, but the general feel should be the same. Notice the SMART FAN option.

Do you know what kind of HSF you have? I'm not sure what Alienware uses, but you'd probable see even better temps with an after-market one.

 

[dl77002]

Moving the shutdown temp to 160F is a good idea - the CPU can take the heat. It gives a good upper limit, and at the same time kills it before th max suggested temp.

So I hoped everything would work out, and that the problem was just the alarm's temperature being set too low. Unfortunately this isn't the case. It got to 167F at one point and froze. Here's a better look at the temperatures:

Here it is sitting idle:

Here it is with the siren going off:

The fans do slow down when the computer is idle, but they're going full blast when the siren goes off. Is a 30 degree jump normal? It seems a bit excessive.

 

[porterjw]

So I hoped everything would work out, and that the problem was just the alarm's temperature being set too low. Unfortunately this isn't the case. It got to 167F at one point and froze. Here's a better look at the temperatures:

Here it is sitting idle:

Here it is with the siren going off:

The fans do slow down when the computer is idle, but they're going full blast when the siren goes off. Is a 30 degree jump normal? It seems a bit excessive.

A 30*C jump is not normal. Go into BIOS and turn off all Fan-speed options - keep them running full-blast all the time until temps reach a safe range. Where do you keep your case - open with airflow around it or in a cubby area with limited flow? I'd open your case, look for anywhere to put a front intake fan to get some cool air entering, and make sure your rear fan is free of blockage.

While the case is open (if you're confident enough to do it - sometimes it's nerve-wracking for a 1st-timer) you may want to pull apart the system. Meaning, unhook all the wires, pull out the RAM, graphic cards, PSU, MoBo, etc. and clean them from every angle using compressed air. I'd also take off the HSF and CPU (again, I know you already did), remove all traces of thermal paste, then reapply (spend 5 minutes with it, no such thing as too-OCD with paste, I say). Just for the sake of this Thread and your situation, apply a very thin layer of TP to the entire CPU heat shield, then put another small dab in the middle of the CPU - this will ensure the best degree of heat-transfer. Reinstall the CPU/HSF while the MoBo is out of the case to get better angles on the locks.

If you feel comfortable, remove the back panel on the PSU and blow out the insides with compressed air, too. Not a huge biggie, but if you've gone this far, it's only an extra few minutes.

Regardless of if you pull everything out or not, it would be very wise to do some cable-management inside the case. Basically, spend some time and bundle, group, run, and zip-tie the PSU wires, HDD, Front Panel wires, etc. in a way that they affect airflow the least. Here's a pic of mine:

If after all that you still see such high temps, I'd opt for a better HSF than the stock one you have now.

Sorry this is taking so long to fix. Usually things go quickly here, but sometimes troubleshooting like this is the only way to go. Does anyone else have input on this or see anything I may have missed?

 

[dl77002]

Don't apologize, I thank you for the help.

I did all this today, took it all apart, and bought a new power supply. Still having the same problem. I'm at a loss. Here's my current specs.

 

[dl77002]

Actually, temperatures do seem about 10 degrees cooler - now the computer freezes intermittently . What could this be?

 

[porterjw]

Little cooler in some places. I'm going to call it as a HSF issue, then, as before. Either the stock one you have is crap or it's not installed correctly, and I doubt the latter is true I'd replace it with a new one - look for one with a bracket that is placed behind the MoBo and the HSF screws into through the holes - not one of the push pin types. I use this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2943299&CatId=1588. It's cheap and does a good job keeping my 'hot' D-series running cool. I use them on all my builds for both my self and Clients.

This is the same product on Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150083. it's $2 more, but I'd also get some AS-5: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007. to use with it. Just scrape off the TP that's on the HSF, clean it, then apply the AS-5 to the CPU heatshield. Works excellent!

 

[dl77002]

Little cooler in some places. I'm going to call it as a HSF issue, then, as before. Either the stock one you have is crap or it's not installed correctly, and I doubt the latter is true I'd replace it with a new one - look for one with a bracket that is placed behind the MoBo and the HSF screws into through the holes - not one of the push pin types. I use this: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=2943299&CatId=1588. It's cheap and does a good job keeping my 'hot' D-series running cool. I use them on all my builds for both my self and Clients.

This is the same product on Newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835150083. it's $2 more, but I'd also get some AS-5: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100007. to use with it. Just scrape off the TP that's on the HSF, clean it, then apply the AS-5 to the CPU heatshield. Works excellent!

Well I already have the AS5, but the heatsink looks like a good idea. The one I have now is push pin, will this fit? Are they all a standard size?

Also, i read somewhere that motherboards are only designed to have the heatsink swapped so many times. I've done it at least 3 times in the past few weeks.

 

[porterjw]

Well I already have the AS5, but the heatsink looks like a good idea. The one I have now is push pin, will this fit? Are they all a standard size?

Also, i read somewhere that motherboards are only designed to have the heatsink swapped so many times. I've done it at least 3 times in the past few weeks.

So long as your new HSf is for Socket 775, then it will fit. The one you have now is secured with 4 push-pins that clip behind the MoBo. The one I suggested comes with a bracket that goes on the back of the Mobo and has 4 threaded holes that go through the holes on the Board. The HSF screws into those threaded holes. Install outside of the case to an easier time Also, when screwing the HSF down, tighten the screws diagonally to ensure an even placement, then go back and tighten the same way.

As for the Mobo limits, it's *suggested* that Socket 775 CPUs only be loaded 20-or-so times on a specific Board, but...to each their own. This is because the Socket 775 CPU doesn't have pins, and is therefore 'pushed' onto the Board to make contact. That is for the CPU though, HSFs you can change every day if you want

 

[dl77002]

Understood, thanks. Should be here in a few days.

One more problem however. Now when I go to shut down, the computer restarts instead. I disabled "restart on system failure", and now I get the blue screen of death which says "Driver_Power_State_Failure" whenever I shut down.

Ok, so 'power state'; I just installed that new power supply so obviously it has something to do with that. It's my first time connecting a power supply; so did I forget to plug in a wire that lets the motherboard cut the power? Are there some drivers I need to install?

 

[porterjw]

A PSU is just that - no software/drivers needed. It's possible you maybe bumped something loose during the install. I'd double check all MoBo connectors and make sure everything is snug. Resetting BIOS settings to Optimal or Default and then saving might be a good idea, too. Afterwards, customize it to your liking.

 

[dl77002]

A PSU is just that - no software/drivers needed. It's possible you maybe bumped something loose during the install. I'd double check all MoBo connectors and make sure everything is snug. Resetting BIOS settings to Optimal or Default and then saving might be a good idea, too. Afterwards, customize it to your liking.

Yes, resetting the BIOS settings fixed this problem.

However, with the new heatsink - things were actually hotter than ever before so I switched back to my old one.

I'm at a loss here, this things is still overheating sometimes. Anything we overlooked?

 

[porterjw]

Nothing over-looked that I know of. I'm out of ideas. Honestly, this sounds like a classic incorrectly-installed HSF - I'd bet money on it. What model HSF did you get? The Masscool one I linked? Is there enough Thermal Paste? Is any part of the HSF caught on a capacitor or something else?

Other than that, I'm fresh out of ideas. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help further

 

[dl77002]

Nothing over-looked that I know of. I'm out of ideas. Honestly, this sounds like a classic incorrectly-installed HSF - I'd bet money on it. What model HSF did you get? The Masscool one I linked? Is there enough Thermal Paste? Is any part of the HSF caught on a capacitor or something else?

Other than that, I'm fresh out of ideas. I'm sorry I wasn't able to help further

Yep, I got the masscool one. I installed it twice, and each time things were about 10 degrees warmer than my previous HSF. I stuck with the old one.

There's definitely enough thermal paste, and I don't see how it can be that I'm installing the HSF incorrectly. I've done my best to keep wires out of the way as well, here's what my case looks like:

I've even opened up the unused ports and put a dust filter over them to give more room for heat to escape:

Anyway, I guess it is what it is. Thanks so much for all the help, don't be sorry that things didn't work out. You definitely made a huge effort.

Thanks again.

 

[porterjw]

I like your case's curves 3 HDDs? Do you have a front fan installed? --I see a shadow in the front panel molding, but not sure what it is.

On the Masscool HSF, on the thin metal frame that screws to the actual HSF, one side is flush to the HSF and the other three stick out just by maybe 3/4 of a mm. Not much, but enough to hang on a nearby capacitor and create enough of gap to prevent heat transfer.
Damn, now I'm really wondering what else this could be.