Shuts off... after about a minute

ScottALot

Active Member
I got my computer up and running, and here are the specs:

AMD Phenom II X4 955
GAMA790XUD4P Motherboard
G.Skill 4GB RAM
Xigmatek Dark Knight CPU Cooler
Tuniq TX-3 Thermal Grease
BFG Tech 9800GT
OCZ ModXStream Pro

And whenever I start my computer, it shuts off after about a minute... if I make the computer horizontal, it seems to last longer... HELP!!! The TX-3 was very hard to apply, and I did get an even coat, but I think that may be the problem...HELP HELP HEEELP!!!
 
1. You dont "apply" thermal paste...you put a drop in the center of the cpu and let the pressure of the heatsink spread it.

2. Sounds like an overheating issue...try reapplying the TIM without spreading i

3. Make sure your heatsink is bolted tightly
 
Um... #1 and #2 kinda are the same... but I used the credit card trick, and got a nice even coat, which is recommended by a buncha people for TX-3 since it's somewhat thick.
 
I spread mine and it always done well. Done it everyway possible and spreading it seem to do the best. I know about the bubble thing with a flexible piece of glass or plastic over it. Idles at 32c load 41c with all cores enabled at 3.7ghz. Turning off after a minute seems like something else unless you just dont have the heatsink on right. Plus you should get a loud overheat warning from the bios if you have the speaker hooked up.
 
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Anyone got any tips to getting the Xigmatek Dark Knight off? The mounting stuff seems to be off or somethign.
 
I spread the paste with my fingers... Quite messy but thus far it seems to have done fine. Sounds like you found the problem with your heatsink though. Be careful, I've damaged a motherboard trying to remove a heatsink before...

If you haven't, I'd suggest removing the motherboard so it's easier to work with.
 
I spread the paste with my fingers... Quite messy but thus far it seems to have done fine. Sounds like you found the problem with your heatsink though. Be careful, I've damaged a motherboard trying to remove a heatsink before...

If you haven't, I'd suggest removing the motherboard so it's easier to work with.
Not a good idea tbh...you dont want the oils from your skin in the TIM. If you do like to spread it though should use a plastic bag or glove or similar, but i personally find letting the heatsink or waterblock spread it works best.
 
I spread the paste with my fingers... Quite messy but thus far it seems to have done fine.

Really? I've read it's best to either put a small pea sized blob in the centre and let the heatsink do the spreading, or use a plastic credit card to evenly smooth out the thermal paste. Otherwise you can create tiny air pockets which are counter-productive in cooling the processor since the thermal paste is only meant to serve as a contact between the heatsink and CPU...
 
Really? I've read it's best to either put a small pea sized blob in the centre and let the heatsink do the spreading, or use a plastic credit card to evenly smooth out the thermal paste. Otherwise you can create tiny air pockets which are counter-productive in cooling the processor since the thermal paste is only meant to serve as a contact between the heatsink and CPU...
Thats how i have always done it...You do need to put more than usual if you have an HDT cooler because of the valley between the heatpipes but for other heatsinks thats the best way to do it IMO.
 
Well, it may not be "correct" but that's how I learned. I feel using my finger helps me get a nice even coating over the die. I've done it enough without any problems too, I think my method's doing ok :o I did so with this i7, my old X2, all my old laptops when reapplying thermal past, and numerous other computers...
 
Theres always been a debate over whether spreading or drop in the center is best. Theres a video out there that shows a guy using a piece of glass(which is perfectly flat btw, which is why you use a piece of glass to lap. An actual heatsink would produce even worse air bubbles) to spread a few different TIM's and showing a few different methods.

Found it:
[YT]EyXLu1Ms-q4[/YT]

Ive always used the dot or line method(depending on cpu/hsf/tim) as its easier, and has always produced the best results for me personally.
 
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Theres a video out there that shows a guy using a piece of glass

Nice informative video... If the V8 wasn't such a pain to remove, I'd consider trying to reapply some thermal paste some different methods and seeing if I get better temps. Oh well, 70*C during Prime95 at 3.33GHz isn't too bad I guess :P
 
I wonder how AS5 compares to AS3.

Makes me wonder if I should use the TIM that came with
my Noctua instead of AS5.
 
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