Computer overheating?

CP30126

Member
Hello. A relative of mine has a custom-built computer. He is not the one that built it. It has a black Gigabyte motherboard, says AM3+ on it. I think the cooler is a Corsair H60.

This computer is always hot when it runs and if you run intensive tasks like a video game it shuts down on its own, probably because it gets too hot. I really don't know how these modern computers and coolers work but I don't see anything suspicious inside. I'm still in the fan-on-top-of-the-radiator-on-top-of-the-CPU age, so how these cooling devices with pumps and pipes work really elude me. I installed a fan fixed to the ceiling of the case hoping it would cool things down but it seems to have had practically no effect. Is the fan supposed to push air into the system or suck the system's air out?

Anyway I hope to get help here. Why does the computer get so hot? Inefficient cooling, broken part or a part installed improperly?

https://image.ibb.co/mFp6Gw/DSC05797.jpg
 

jevery

Active Member
I’d download and install HWMonitor from CPUID. A free monitoring utility that shows current, min, and max temps and voltages for cpu, gpu, Hdds, MB, etc any given period you chose. It should provide a lot more info about the problem.
 

Gossinater

Member
1. Ensure that the liquid cooler fans are sucking cold air into the case. This pulls cool air from outside the case onto the radiator and cools the liquid inside. That extra fan you have at the top should push hot air out of the case. This will create good flow of air and keep cool air on your radiator and the warm air leaving your system. To see what direction the air is flowing un-mount the fans and look for a small arrow; that indicates air flow direction.
2. Clean whole system including fans, heat sinks and corners with compressed air cans to blow out dirt and dust chunks. (you never know how dirty the previous owners were)
3. The liquid cooling system is like a car radiator. CPU warms up liquid which is then conveyed to radiator. Cool air blows over radiator and cools liquid. Cool liquid is then conveyed to CPU where it is warmed again and repeated. I would unseat the Corsair cooling system from CPU, carefully wipe of existing thermal compound and re-apply new thermal compound. Over time it deteriorates and isn't as effective.

Try some of these to help your heating issue.
 

CP30126

Member
Cleaning the radiator helped a little for a while but now it is worst than ever. I think it didn't even last a minute before shutting off now. I put new thermal stuff everywhere to see if that would fix the problem. The system temperature lowered to 34°C but the CPU is still ridiculous. While idle it is 70°C. Is the new thermal paste that I applied defective? I put a drop in the center of the CPU like I read online. Is the cooler broken? According to CPUID "CPU" is 1979 RPM and "FANIN3" is 4891 RPM. I really don't know why the CPU temperature is still so high. Is the cooler broken? Is the thermal paste broken? Was it applied incorrectly?
 

jevery

Active Member
If the fan is running and the idle is 70 then the water pump has likely failed. I'd put a simple air cooler on it - something like the Hyper 212.
 

jevery

Active Member
You can check if you put enough on it by dismounting it and looking that it spread over most or all of the contact surface, but you'll have to clean and reapply. I've read an amount equal to a grain of rice or a pea. I go with the pea size. You've only put too much on if it runs out the edges significantly when tension is applied. Are you using the computer at this point?
 

CP30126

Member
No. The computer isn't mine but I have access to it.
Are you guys familiar with "GR-005-1" thermal paste, sold by StarTech.com? I found a review on Amazon that said "CPU temp was high after applying the paste, I removed the cooler and saw a weird clear liquid". This is word-for-word my experience. Then he says "I've used many thermal paste in my days and it's the first time I see this. Don't get this, I recommend getting a known brand like arctic silver or cooler master." http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Metal-Thermal-Compound-Heatsink/dp/B00006B8DX

If this guy is a thermal paste expert the chances that he applied it incorrectly are quite low. So after proper application it did not work. So is my tube junk just like this guys apparently was too? If I got another tube of paste from one of those brands he mentioned and I applied it the same way I did this one, would it work?
 

ssal

Active Member
No. The computer isn't mine but I have access to it.
Are you guys familiar with "GR-005-1" thermal paste, sold by StarTech.com? I found a review on Amazon that said "CPU temp was high after applying the paste, I removed the cooler and saw a weird clear liquid". This is word-for-word my experience. Then he says "I've used many thermal paste in my days and it's the first time I see this. Don't get this, I recommend getting a known brand like arctic silver or cooler master." http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-com-Metal-Thermal-Compound-Heatsink/dp/B00006B8DX

If this guy is a thermal paste expert the chances that he applied it incorrectly are quite low. So after proper application it did not work. So is my tube junk just like this guys apparently was too? If I got another tube of paste from one of those brands he mentioned and I applied it the same way I did this one, would it work?
They are not that expensive. Get a new tube and give it a try.
 

CP30126

Member
Hello guys. From what I've seen the computer works fine now, apparently reinstalling Windows 10 was all that was needed. Yes, believe it or not CPUID reports normal temperatures in this new install and from what I hear the computer does not overheat anymore. If I boot into the old installation it's back to the same nonsense. So it seems that the problem was with the installation of Windows 10. Strange isn't it?
 

johnb35

Administrator
Staff member
I'm not sure how a fresh install of windows would solve a overheating issue unless certain software was installed to help control the cooling. AMD cool n quiet comes to mind but thats more a bios setting. But glad that issue has been resolved.
 
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