Hot Temps even after installing new fan

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?

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.

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.

Jordyi said:

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.