The "if your temps are too high" thread

If your temps are too high please consider the following:

Before you do any of the below please make sure that you have no kinks (tight turns where the tubing is collapsing), if you do please remove them. Also please be sure that there are no air bubbles left in your setup and tilt your radiator so that the barbas are up so that air can flow out. If there are air bubbles please bleed the system some more.

1) Please take off your block, clean the cpu and block with isopropyl alcohol (70% or above), then apply a new layer of thermal paste (artic silver 5 or artic silver ceramique are recommended) and then remount the block following the instructions properly.

Block mounting instructions:

Dangerden:
http://www.dangerden.com/content.php?content.1
Dtek:
I was not able to find anything online, I think it ships with the block. However if you have a question here is the email address support [at] dtekcustoms [dot] com
http://www.ocforums.com/showthread.php?t=258339 <- for their whitewater block (intel version)
Swiftech:
Again I was unable to find anything online but I am pretty sure it ships with instructions. Support email address is help [at] swiftnets [dot] com
PolarFLO:
http://www.polarflo.com/index.asp?PageAction=Custom&ID=1
Silverprop:
http://www.silverprop.com/manuals.aspx

2) (Please read this before reading the rest of this thread) If you have a low flow pump and 2 waterblocks + a large radiator then the temps will be worse simply because the pump cannot push the water fast enough. My suggestion is to get a larger pump, however unless you are unstable or your temps are pushing 65C then there is no need for the larger pump.

3) if you have 2 waterblocks + 1 small radiator and your temps are high because the 1 small radiator cannot handle that much energy. Suggestion, get a larger heatercore (fedco 2-302). However once again if you are not unstable and your temps are not pushing 65C then you are again fine and should not spend money for a larger heatercore.

4) If you are blowing hot air (from the case) through your heatercore/radiator then again your temps will suffer. Suggestion, move the heatercore/radiator so you are blowing cool air through it.

5) Your temps will get worse in the summer because the ambient temperature goes up. The only solution to that is turning the a/c on high (expensive) or reducing your cpu voltage and your oc. So I suggest you live with it for the summer.

6) The integrated sensors are not placed in the best location to measure the temperature of the core of the cpu. This is because if it were on top of the core all cooling efforts would be greatly hindered by the sensor. So blocks like the Storm series (but not limited to) seem like they do not perform well because all their cooling effort is concentrated on where the core is and not where the sensor is. So the sensor reads a higher temperature than the core actually is.

7) (dangerous) If you have run your loop for a while and noticed worse temps then try cleaning your block out. Apparently this also happens on the newer G5s (maybe the swiftech G4s will have this also) where the jets are clogged because of shavings left in the block from making it. This is more of a problem on the Storm type water blocks since those jets clog rather easily. However this is a risky venture and please be sure to leak test before putting it back in.

That is a list of the most common reasons why you are seeing worse temps than expected.

Thank you Voodoo Rufus for suggesting tip #5
Thank you Cathar for pointing out tip #6 in one of your posts here
Thank you Joe Camel for pointing out tip #7
Thank you Etacovda for those excellent instructions in tip #2

Nice post. Sometimes stating the obvious helps to straighten things out for people.

Another thing to keep in mind is that people shouldn't expect wonders to happen because of H2O, especially in summer time.

Voodoo Rufus said:

Nice post. Sometimes stating the obvious helps to straighten things out for people.

Another thing to keep in mind is that people shouldn't expect wonders to happen because of H2O, especially in summer time.

Click to expand...

Thank you I added it to my first post

Great post BTW.

Also, since MOST peopel are using AS5, proper spreading of the paste is VERY helpful.

For chips with an IHS (Integrated Heat Spreader): Put a dot about half the size of a BB in the middle of the processor, and apply EVEN pressure to your HSF or Water block and allow the block to spread out the paste.

For exposed core chips: Get a plastic bag (a clean one), apply a small amount of paste to the core, and using your finger inside the bag, spread the past evenly and thinly across the top of the core. A credit card, or similar aboject may also help spread the paste evenly and thinly.

NOTE AS's FAQ is down for maintenance, but they have the instruction with pictures there.

Excellent thread.
These types of posts help with beginners and can save us all time.

Cheers

bump cause I want people to read this.

Jas said:

Great post BTW.

Also, since MOST peopel are using AS5, proper spreading of the paste is VERY helpful.

Click to expand...

According to the website, you actually don't spread the AS5 anymore. I know I did this on my last install and then went and read the instructions. It states to apply the amount of AS5 and then apply the HS/block without spreading. Here is the link. Sure makes things alot easier, adn apparently performs better as well.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions_big2.htm

capneedle said:

According to the website, you actually don't spread the AS5 anymore. I know I did this on my last install and then went and read the instructions. It states to apply the amount of AS5 and then apply the HS/block without spreading. Here is the link. Sure makes things alot easier, adn apparently performs better as well.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions_big2.htm

Click to expand...

Maybe you guys missed it but I have a ink to them in the first post, thank you capneedle

Yep I did miss your link, sorry about that. I just know I'm one of those guys who did the "spread it real thin" maneuveur many times, and I'm certainly happy I don't have to do that anymore. I think I get better heat transfers by not doing the spread method. Proper application of AS5 of other thermal conductive paste is critical to excellent cooling imho.

capneedle said:

Yep I did miss your link, sorry about that. I just know I'm one of those guys who did the "spread it real thin" maneuveur many times, and I'm certainly happy I don't have to do that anymore. I think I get better heat transfers by not doing the spread method. Proper application of AS5 of other thermal conductive paste is critical to excellent cooling imho.

Click to expand...

Yeah it is one of the most important parts because even if you have a bad heatsink/water block the difference between a good and a bad mount can be a lot. Also a good thermal paste can be a difference of anywhere from 1-5C.

bumpage so people can read this.

bump and added another piece of content

i mentioned this to a new G5 owner who seems to be having high temp problems:

if you have a "jet nozzle" design like the Storm, there could be some blockage of the nozzles.

its quite an undertaking, but well worth it if you end up having some of the center jets clogged.

I agree however that happens after a while and is usually a very unsafe venture resulting in a leaky block at worst. However I do agree that that could be a cause especially in an unclean loop.

Rather than saying 'your radiator is your problem', test your water temps to check - its the one thing that users can test easily themselves (unlike cpu temp) so you may as well do it properly.
Measure you water temp via the T-line or Res whilst the system is under full load (cpu burn, prime95, folding - whatevers your poison) then compare with the air temp at the radiators inlet side. An adequate radiator set up should keep the water within 5 degrees of ambient pretty easily. Higher than this will either require more airflow, more waterflow (least important) or a more efficient radiator.

SewerBeing said:

I agree however that happens after a while and is usually a very unsafe venture resulting in a leaky block at worst. However I do agree that that could be a cause especially in an unclean loop.

Click to expand...

OR in a brand new block that still has some "grindings" left over in it (all those NEW G5's out there)

Etacovda said:

Rather than saying 'your radiator is your problem', test your water temps to check - its the one thing that users can test easily themselves (unlike cpu temp) so you may as well do it properly.
Measure you water temp via the T-line or Res whilst the system is under full load (cpu burn, prime95, folding - whatevers your poison) then compare with the air temp at the radiators inlet side. An adequate radiator set up should keep the water within 5 degrees of ambient pretty easily. Higher than this will either require more airflow, more waterflow (least important) or a more efficient radiator.

Click to expand...

not everyone has a thermometer that can do that and not everyone is willing to do that. Btw if your water temperature is close to ambient you either have a damn big radiator which provides excellent cooling or a badly seated block which hence does not conduct heat well. So water temperature isn't the end all of water cooling.

@Joe Camel: I really did not know it was that big of a problem guess I was wrong.

I said within 5C of ambient, which doesnt require a particularly large radiator; a dual 120 will do the trick fine.

People come in and ***** and moan between waterblocks - and yet a 5 degree difference (about the difference between the 'worst' and the 'best' waterblocks) in a radiator is to be scoffed at? Water temp scales with CPU temp... 2 degrees higher water, 2 degrees hotter cpu.

Water temp (wrt radiator efficiency) is arguably one of the most important things in watercooling.

Etacovda: I disagree with you since the ultimate goal of water cooling is to get better temperatures on the cpu. I mean who cares what temperature the water is at as long as the cpu is cooled properly. Please re read my post above yours again. In the end as far as water temperatures go an improperly seated water block with a small radiator/fan combination can provide the same water temperatures as a properly seated block with a larger radiator/fan combination. Because in the first scenario you are dumping less heat in and can dissipate less heat where in the second scenario you dump more in and dissipate more. So which of the two would you rather have?

Stuck.