Hot Temps even after installing new fan

[Jordyi]

So, I'm receiving rather hot temperatures on my computer for my CPU. My CPU is an 8-Core AMD Bulldozer 8120. I monitor the speeds on Speedfan and Idle I will get very minimum temp of around 47C, but usually around 52C. On load, these temps go up to anywhere between 65 and nearing 80. I've read that 61 is probably the limit for this cpu so, I'm a little worried..

I recently installed a Arctic Freezer 7 Rev 2. CPU fan too, believing it was the stock that was the issue, but if anything things seem worse now.. I should mention that my room does get a little warm due to these temperatures being so high, but I wouldn't say the temperature in my room would/should have such a massive effect on the cpu.

Any help appreciated, I'm at a loss of what to do next..

 

[TwoCables]

Do you keep your computer inside a deskhole, or is it out in the open?

 

[crankypenguin]

Did you use arctic silver thermal paste between the cpu and heatsink? Is cool and quiet enabled in bios? In fact, have you changed any bios settings since installing this cpu? I have read that the 8core bulldozers do indeed run a bit hot and some people opt out for water cooling. It can be done under 100 dollars these days with a closed loop cooler such as a Corsair H70.

 

[Jordyi]

I keep it in a desk hole at present with 2 fans on the side facing the more open area bringing air in and one fan at the back with about a 20cm gap to the wall taking air out.

I believe cool n' quiet is on right now. I tried messing with some settings earlier today like asus core unlocker but reverted them back to factory settings after there seemed to be no difference.

Oh, and the fan originally came with pre-applied thermal paste, but I needed to resit the fan because I installed it the wrong way (like an idiot), so bought some slightly more spensive silver thermal paste to reapply it with. Granted, I was still getting these kind of temps with the pre-applied stuff.

 

[TwoCables]

I keep it in a desk hole at present with 2 fans on the side facing the more open area bringing air in and one fan at the back with about a 20cm gap to the wall taking air out.

I believe cool n' quiet is on right now. I tried messing with some settings earlier today like asus core unlocker but reverted them back to factory settings after there seemed to be no difference.

Oh, and the fan originally came with pre-applied thermal paste, but I needed to resit the fan because I installed it the wrong way (like an idiot), so bought some slightly more spensive silver thermal paste to reapply it with. Granted, I was still getting these kind of temps with the pre-applied stuff.

As an experiment, take it out of the deskhole and watch the temps for about 5-15 minutes. I think that they will be much lower. I know you have a couple of fans on the deskhole, but still.

 

[crankypenguin]

I keep it in a desk hole at present with 2 fans on the side facing the more open area bringing air in and one fan at the back with about a 20cm gap to the wall taking air out.

I believe cool n' quiet is on right now. I tried messing with some settings earlier today like asus core unlocker but reverted them back to factory settings after there seemed to be no difference.

Oh, and the fan originally came with pre-applied thermal paste, but I needed to resit the fan because I installed it the wrong way (like an idiot), so bought some slightly more spensive silver thermal paste to reapply it with. Granted, I was still getting these kind of temps with the pre-applied stuff.

As an experiment, take it out of the deskhole and watch the temps for about 5-15 minutes. I think that they will be much lower. I know you have a couple of fans on the deskhole, but still.

I came across this problem many years ago. I had a nice desk with a computer compartment...only problem was...it was a compartment..no air flow. So I ordered 2 car amplifier fans and drilled two openings in the desk compartment. I hooked up the fans to the computer psu and used push/pull air direction method. So when the computer turned on, so did the compartment fans...it actually lowered overall temps on all peripherals.

 

[TwoCables]

I keep it in a desk hole at present with 2 fans on the side facing the more open area bringing air in and one fan at the back with about a 20cm gap to the wall taking air out.

I believe cool n' quiet is on right now. I tried messing with some settings earlier today like asus core unlocker but reverted them back to factory settings after there seemed to be no difference.

Oh, and the fan originally came with pre-applied thermal paste, but I needed to resit the fan because I installed it the wrong way (like an idiot), so bought some slightly more spensive silver thermal paste to reapply it with. Granted, I was still getting these kind of temps with the pre-applied stuff.

As an experiment, take it out of the deskhole and watch the temps for about 5-15 minutes. I think that they will be much lower. I know you have a couple of fans on the deskhole, but still.

I came across this problem many years ago. I had a nice desk with a computer compartment...only problem was...it was a compartment..no air flow. So I ordered 2 car amplifier fans and drilled two openings in the desk compartment. I hooked up the fans to the computer psu and used push/pull air direction method. So when the computer turned on, so did the compartment fans...it actually lowered overall temps on all peripherals.

When a computer is inside a deskhole, it's circulating its own air. It's a little bit like being in bed and you put your head underneath the covers: after a while, you get a bit warm because you're just circulating the warm air and it just keeps getting warmer and warmer. Our modern computers generate lots of heat, and so it's critical that they are not allowed to circulate their own exhaust air at all, and it's critical that they're allowed to take in "fresh" air.

Deskholes were fine for computers back in the old days (like 10+ years ago) because they didn't generate enough heat for it to be much of a concern. These days though, they just generate too much heat.

 

[essenbe]

As Twocables said, take it out of the hole and place it above the floor so it can draw in fresh air. Get a can of compressed air and blow out all the dust from the fans and all the components inside. If you have a space on the case add another intake fan. When you replace the CPU cooler, you have to remove all the old thermal paste from the CPU and the cooler using a lent free cloth. A coffee filter will work nicely. You can use high purity alcohol to do it, but best to use thermal paste remover. Place a small BB size drop in the middle and let the pressure from the cooler spread it out. This is one of the best ways of doing it. This part is critical.

 

[TwoCables]

To me, having the same temps with the stock CPU cooler tells me that the problem lies in the internal temperature of the case.

 

[essenbe]

TC, that's very true assuming he removed the old thermal paste and seated the cooler correct. But if he has dust clogged up and an improperly mounted cooler, nothing is going to help a lot. But, I suspect you are correct. Bringing it out of the hole will help everything, or it should. Even a properly mounted cooler is using the air inside the case to cool the CPU. I've always thought of it as a combination of things. But, the first thing, as you said, is getting enough fresh air inside the case. A good test would be to put the case on the desk, take the side off and use a house fan to blow air inside the case. If that does not bring CPU temps down, then he has other problems.

 

[Jordyi]

Taking the computer out from under my desk hasn't really made any change in the temps. I'd agree that it's probably some problem with air intake within the case though. I've replaced CPU fans in the past and know very well the process of removing and re-applying thermal paste. As has been said, with the temps being the same, perhaps it's a problem with the case itself.. But I wouldn't know where to begin.

I have space for 2 fans on the side which are currently fitted and 1 fan at the back. I don't know if these are good brand fans though (doing their job properly..) and I wouldn't know what is a good brand fan or if even replacing it would be worthwhile..

Suggestions?

@ essenbe I'm currently at University and don't have access to a house fan :\, though that sounds like a pretty good suggestion. I should probably mention that the new CPU fan I installed was brand new.

Oh another thing, my GPU is currently idling at 54 degrees too.. Not sure if this is too high or not..

UPDATE: After removing the side panel and opening a window, Idle temps are now down from 48 to around 40.. So are we to think room temp or airflow is to blame here?

 

[TVeblen]

Sure sounds like it.

Check the temps monitored by your BIOS (Commonly "Hardware Monitor" on the Power tab). Is BIOS reporting the same temps as Speedfan?

You could also get a small (plastic) room thermometer and stick it inside the case, then check the temp after using it for a while.

 

[linnemeyerhere]

Jordyi,
Have you told us what the case make and model are? Have you pulled the front cover and checked for filter cleaning and then cleaned all fans inside the case? If after cleaning and double checking all fans for proper operation I would revisit the CPU cooler installation. I would remove and dbl. check the thermal paste spread and also before remove see if you can wiggle the cooler. It's normal for the paste to spread and leave the cooler needing to be re-tighten just a little. If you can take pictures of the paste on both surfaces and hit us back with the info and pictures.

 

[TwoCables]

Taking the computer out from under my desk hasn't really made any change in the temps. I'd agree that it's probably some problem with air intake within the case though. I've replaced CPU fans in the past and know very well the process of removing and re-applying thermal paste. As has been said, with the temps being the same, perhaps it's a problem with the case itself.. But I wouldn't know where to begin.

I have space for 2 fans on the side which are currently fitted and 1 fan at the back. I don't know if these are good brand fans though (doing their job properly..) and I wouldn't know what is a good brand fan or if even replacing it would be worthwhile..

Suggestions?

@ essenbe I'm currently at University and don't have access to a house fan :\, though that sounds like a pretty good suggestion. I should probably mention that the new CPU fan I installed was brand new.

Oh another thing, my GPU is currently idling at 54 degrees too.. Not sure if this is too high or not..

UPDATE: After removing the side panel and opening a window, Idle temps are now down from 48 to around 40.. So are we to think room temp or airflow is to blame here?

I have a few questions now:

1. Do you have a front intake fan? If so, then what size is it?
2. What size is your rear exhaust fan?
3. What size are your 2 side fans?
4. What computer case do you have?

54 is not a normal idle temperature for the 6870. 54 is approaching a normal load temperature.

How much of a drop in temperature would you say happened when you opened the window?

Sometimes, removing the side panel and seeing this big of a drop in temperature is a sign that there is insufficient airflow in the case.

 

[essenbe]

Jordyi, it sounds like your efforts have shown that twocables was correct. By putting more fresh air into the case, the temps have dropped about 8°C, which is a significant drop, but still 40° at idle is still a little to high, in my opinion. It can be a combination of needing more airflow and ambient room temps. The cable management inside the case can also cause what airflow you do have to be blocked. You have several options. Replace the fans you do have with higher output fans, but that usually means more noise. The eternal fight is, and has always been, higher airflow or a quiet computer. If you can't do it, being at a university means you have people there who could make more fan mounts in your case relatively easily, or get you a new case with good airflow and good cable management. It would also help some to lower your ambient temps in your room. But, do not put the case back in the hole. Some combination of these ideas will help your situation. Heat has always been the #1 killer of computer components. And, yes idling at 54 is way too high for a GPU. 55-60 should be your gaming temps for your GPU. Mine hits 55 after playing BF3 for several hours, for example. That is due in part to keeping my case clean of dust and having a high airflow case.

 

[kbrady1979]

I apologize if I missed it, but what kind of case do you have and how many fans are in it? I have my Antec 1100 in a desk cubbyhole, and it only has 2 fans in it(one being the Intel Water Cooler RAD fan) and the temps are just fine. Are you doing any OC'ing? Also, can you describe the process you used to clean off the old thermal paste and apply the new paste? How long has it been since you took the PC out and gave it a thorough cleaning?

It sounds like there could be a few problems all culminating in excess heat. Best bet is to read the advice above, single out each piece of advice, and try them one at a time. These guys know what they are talking about.

 

[Jordyi]

Hi all. Sorry for the late reply.

@TVelben - Bios is reporting the same temps as is Everest

@linnemeyerhere - The computer is custom built using a CiT Vantage Warlord case, using all of the pre-installed fans. I have checked the majority of the case and it seems relatively dust free. I intend to look over the CPU fan installation again but as mentioned earlier, I was having the same problem with the stock cooler, so I don't know if this will help in the long run.

@ TwoCables - As you can see in the link above, there are 2 fans on the side, both standard size. The same with the rear exhaust fan, but only one on this occasion. I think there is also a front fan intake, though it's positioned in front of the HDD, which is on it's side (Horizontally) so not sure how much use it has.

The GPU didn't drop much in temperature, maybe a few degrees.

@ kbrady1979 - Not currently overclocking at all. To clean off the old paste, I used some Isopropyl Alcohol swabs on the cpu before applying a pea size amount of thermal paste to the cpu. As mentioned earlier, the pc is fairly new but I'll admit it's been a while since I gave it what you can call a 'proper' cleaning, but with having to open it up so often due to problems, there's nothing I notice in it as being generally dusty/unclean.

A few things I should update with since last time, it seems whenever I put it under even mild load, the temps go up to around 60 and stay around there, no matter what (Mild load being around 10-15% of CPU useage). So we're seeing a large increase in temps after even a small increase in load. Also, Everest is reporting some unusually weird voltages across the board whereas speedfans seem normal..

Everest's Sensor temps @ Idle are -

Field Value
Sensor Properties
Sensor Type ITE IT8705F (ISA 290h)

Temperatures
Motherboard 21 °C (70 °F)
Aux 47 °C (117 °F)
Seagate ST2000DM001-9YN164 30 °C (86 °F)

Cooling Fans
CPU 173 RPM

Voltage Values
CPU Core 1.92 V
+2.5 V 2.02 V
+3.3 V 2.53 V
+5 V 4.52 V
+12 V 10.82 V
+5 V Standby 5.38 V
VBAT Battery 2.19 V

The Cooling fans RPM seems pretty low too whilst reporting at running about 1000 RPM higher than that in speedfan.. Not sure if this changes anything, but thought I would include it. I should also mention at this point I don't have access to a DMM to clarify this unfortunately.

Really appreciating the help from everybody and can't wait until we can get to the bottom of this.

 

[essenbe]

If you look at the voltages, almost every one is reported as being low. That leads me to believe the program is reading values wrong, or there is a problem with the PSU. As you mentioned, the cooling fan at 173 RPMs, is either wrong or the fan needs replacing. Personally, I think the program is reading everything wrong. If your +12V was as low as reported, I'm not sure your computer would even boot. But, that is Twocables' expertise. I'm not sure what the Aux temp is, but that is the only temp I see that is too high.

 

[Dwarf]

Of the fans you have connected, which are exhaust and which are inlet? The rear mounted one should be exhaust - check its orientation. If you have too many fans pushing air in, then this can lead to a pressure increase inside the case which can result in heat build up. If you have a front fan (which should be an inlet), then try disconnecting and removing the side fan(s) to see if it makes any difference. You could also try using adapters to enable the fans to run directly off the PSU instead of the motherboard. My opinion on cooling is that the fans are there to assist the natural flow of air through the case.

 

[Dwarf]

I would tend to agree with essenbe. If the 12V reading was that much out (and at just 0.02V above the lower 10% tolerance limit for that line), I wouldn't expect the system to be able to boot. Given that all your other voltages are reading incorrectly as well, I would also suspect that it is also reading the temperatures incorrectly as well.