Solved Windows crashes on startup only when powering on system

[Dave76]

Your welcome, let us know the results.

 

[MelancholyRose]

Well I'll run the test for a few minutes and it'll get up to 63 degrees. So I have to stop it then, I assume. I do have a bunch of internet windows open while running this, but I didn't think it would affect it.

 

[essenbe]

What CPU cooler are you using and what thermal paste did you use on it?

 

[MelancholyRose]

Stock cooler. Thermal paste came pre-applied.

 

[pooch]

Well, that's very good. I hope it stays working well for you. Seems that some builds go real easy, and some you have to pull your hair out a little to get them right. But, the end result is what counts. If you have a setting in bios to save these settings I think I would. If it gets messed up again you can always go back to here. If you have problems, we'll be right here. Pooch and Dave76 were the real helpers here, it wouldn't be running like it is without them. Good luck.

You are toooooooo modest mate lol you have been a big help here

 

[pooch]

63° is not a temperature I would tolerate but you are stressing the system and I wouldn't call it dangerous. A better cooler shouldn't cost you a great deal of money and may well be worth investing in especially as the PC is being used for games.

The max temp is 65° so as long as it stays under maybe leaving the side off and using a normal household ventilator would help

 

[MelancholyRose]

Well, it is actually pretty warm and humid in here today and I have no windows open or the A/C on, and I was leaving the side panels on. I could try changing all of those factors and also determining if it stays under 65. If it keeps getting too warm I could look for better coolers.

 

[pooch]

sounds like a plan to me
ps the CPU thermal cut out should automatically slow it down before it gets dangerously hot

 

[MelancholyRose]

I've got the A/C on and the side panel off and it hops around from 62 to 64 degrees, but it never stays at any of those solid temps, so I'm sure it's not too bad.

 

[pooch]

I've got the A/C on and the side panel off and it hops around from 62 to 64 degrees, but it never stays at any of those solid temps, so I'm sure it's not too bad.

If these are just peak temps I think you should be OK Just do not let it run to long, its best to err on the cautious side.

 

[essenbe]

I believe Tcase is 62°C. If you are using coretemp to read temps, they are reading the core temps. Core temps tend to be 5-10°C higher than Tcase. But the CPU has thermal throttling which will make it shut itself down if it gets too hot before any damage (but I don't trust that). But, if core temp is reading 65°C you should be OK. Personally, I tend to be more conservative than others and would shut it down around 68°. You may consider a little better cooler. There are several that are better than the stock one for 20-$25.

 

[MelancholyRose]

Well I ran the stress test for a couple of hours and everything seems nice and smooth. There were no errors or problems. Thanks guys!

I just have to remember to do all of this on my own machine when I get it put back together!

For the record, core temp never once got to 65. It stayed around 62-64.

 

[essenbe]

That's great news. I hope it keeps working well for you.

 

[MelancholyRose]

Thanks. You've been great

 

[Dave76]

Glad to hear the Prime95 torture test passed.
You should be good and not get any more crashes, if there are any issues just post back here, we will all get a notice.
If there are any other issues the settings might need a little tweaking, hopefully you are all set.

Since your two systems are basically identical, the same settings should work on yours.


Those CPU core temps are a bit high, AMD CPUs normally run cool, so this does indicate a cooling issue.

Can you give us the CPU idle and room temperatures?
Your CPU idle temps should be at most a couple °C above ambient temps.

essenbe is right, a rated CPU temp of 62°C is for Tcase, you add 5°C for core temps, this makes the recommended max core temp 67°C.
I tend to be a bit cautious when it comes to component temps, heat + electronics = trouble.

Staying under this temp, the temps you had, is acceptable but, as mentioned this is a high temp for an AMD CPU.

Monitor the CPU temps when stressing the system, playing games is a good test, they should be max in the high 40's.
Have seen many AMD CPUs run Prime95 in the mid 40's.

Check that the CPU cooler is firmly attached, if you need to take it off it is best to clean and then re-apply the thermal paste.

Information on CPU coolers and thermal paste.

80 Thermal Pastes Tested

Best CPU Cooler Performance AMD Socket AM3 Preview

 

[MelancholyRose]

Yeah, right now, his core temps are idle at 48c and I don't think they've been that way all day, but they may have been.

I'm not sure what the best thermal paste is to go with, I don't have any of the "good" stuff, just some off brand kind from Radio Shack, but I didn't use it on the CPU. The CPU heatsink came with thermal paste pre-applied. I don't think I restarted it after the stress test was done, so maybe it would change after I restarted.

What would be the best thermal paste and would it be available on newegg or something? Or from Best Buy or something like that?

 

[essenbe]

Most people here prefer artic silver 5.

 

[Britton30]

+1 on the Artic Silver. Very good stuff.
MAx temp is 62°C, 143.6°F
http://products.amd.com/pages/desktopcpudetail.aspx?id=617&AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1#

 

[essenbe]

MelancholyRose, If you are having temps like that, i would recommend a third party cooler. If you are not going to seriously overclock, you don't need to spend a fortune on one. Just buy something better than the stock cooler. It is no secert that both AMD and Intel put out some not so good stock coolers. Install it right and apply the thermal paste right, you will see a big difference, in temps as well as noise.

 

[Dave76]

Agree with essenbe AS5 is good.

That idle temp is way too high.
It will cool down fast after being under load, several seconds usually, a re-start won't help.

You need to get some new thermal paste, should be able to get AS5 just about anywhere, and clean the cooler and CPU, re-apply the thermal paste and re-seat the cooler.
Too much paste is not good, it can make the temps worse.

Read the 80 Thermal Pastes Tested, it is really good information.
You don't have to read the entire article, any paste on the last page Final Thoughts and Conclusion will do the job, if you can't find AS5.

Read the Application on HDT Coolers page, fill the gaps if your cooler has any, if in doubt use less rather than more.

I use the finger spread method, using plastic film (saran wrap) on my finger, to get a even very thin layer. It should be almost transparent, you are filling tiny holes in the metal, not making a layer of paste between the two metal surfaces.

If after applying the new paste and re-seating the cooler, you see any paste coming out on the sides, you put too much.

In a perfect world, no paste would be necessary, the above link will explain things.