i5 3570 running hot

[rowanlad]

Hello all, this is my first post as I am quite new to CPU cooling and I had hoped some of the fine people here my be able to answer a question or two.

I bought my current rig in mid Nov 2012 from a custom PC company in Melbourne. It consists of a Ivy Bridge i5 3570 CPU on a Gigabyte GA-Z77MX-D3H mobo with a nVidia 660 Ti GPU. Cooling was all Intel stock but despite this I was able to run Crysis 2-3 with temps barely reaching 40-50 degrees maximum (idle temps more like mid 30's as long as it wasn't 40 degrees outside). However, in the last ~4 months I have seen this creep upwards. Idle temps rose to ~45 degrees on average and load temps shot up to the high 80's.

When I first noticed the problem I thought perhaps the stock thermal paste was to blame. I thought perhaps it had degraded, and so quickly went out and bought whatever was on the local computer shop's shelf (terrible idea probably, but, I am learning) which was some $5.95 no brand compound.

After reading some guides I thoroughly cleaned the old compound off and put far too much of the stuff on. This had little effect on my temps except slightly increasing the load maximum somewhat. Next I cleaned it all off and tried a thin layer on the heatsink. I believe I put far too little on because this was a terrible result (prime95 pushed all 4 cores to 105 degrees before I could blink).

I cleaned this off too and tested the tried and true method of simply putting a small dollop on the CPU and locking it all down tight. This created the best result (still an idle average of around 45 degrees but Prime95 load temps down to about 70 degrees).

So my question... is this the best I am going to get with stock? If so, why can't I seem to get back to how it was when it was first put together?

I have the money to go out and buy Arctic Silver 5 and a Cooler Master 212X but is it something I am doing wrong? Or my equipment?

Thanks for any help you may be able to provide

 

[redduc900]

What does CPU-Z show as the Vcore at idle and while running Crysis?

 

[rowanlad]

Ill check after work.

 

[rowanlad]

The core voltage while playing Crysis 3 sits around 1.141-1.152.

That seems pretty normal to me, but it has made me aware that the motherboard is another factor I hadn't considered. I have never updated the BIOS and I wonder if it might be some part of it. Would it be worth flashing the BIOS?

 

[rowanlad]

anyone?

 

[redduc900]

You didn't mention what the Vcore is at idle, but try lowering the voltage to ~.95v, then run Prime to check for stability.

 

[rowanlad]

Sorry about that. Idle Vcore ranges from about 0.83 - 0.9. Thanks for the advice, i'll try lowering the voltage.

 

[rowanlad]

ahh... well my CPU is a i5 3750 not a i5 3570k so it seems my BIOS won't let me lower the voltage.

 

[freakdiablo]

Really? That's surprising, I was under the impression that the only difference between the non-K and K versions of a cpu were the unlocked multiplier, maybe the iGPU

Can you not find it or is it there but grayed out?

 

[rowanlad]

Oh I found it. It says "Auto" and won't let me select it. So not 'grayed out' as such but still seemingly unavailable.

Edit: Just checked again, all the power settings are set to auto. Very few are grayed out but I still can't select them.

 

[RnRollie]

before getting completely off to a voltage/bios tangent, let's verify the basics:
Any enviromental changes? Like granny knitted a swell cover "for that ugly box on your desk" or you have moved the case so that airflow is hampered. And most importantly how's the dust buildup? Any of that nasty red sand found its way into the case? Your fans & airfilters not clogged up with hair/fur of domesticated animals?

What case do you have? what fans? how are they oriented? Posting a picture & some "awesome paint skillz" might help.

PS: if you really want to buy something, the CM 212 is good; but the as5 is NOT the best TIM choice, it's showing its age. My preference is Prolimatech. But all in all, the mount/contact is more important as the TIM - i am a firm believer of lapping the IHS & HSbase

 

[rowanlad]

Nothing has changed outside the case, it is still in the same place I've had it since the beginning.

There has been one small change inside the case: the addition of a Xonar DX sound card (which I have tried removing to see if it makes any difference). It's wires do sit in the air flow path of the system but as I said I have tried taking it all out but it didn't make any difference.

As for dust, that is the first thing I considered. It was when a thorough clean made very little difference to the temps that I started looking closer at all this.

Update: I completely removed the motherboard and re-applied the TIM, this time making sure all the pins were secured properly. This HAS helped temperatures but in an odd way: when I first turn on the machine it actually holds a very decent idle temp of about 36-39 degrees. However, once I crank it all up with Prime95 it still hits 85-87 degrees and then never seems to cool down as low as when I first started it (maybe 42-45 degrees). Same with games with maybe a slightly lower max temp while playing Crysis 3 and then never cooling down as low as when it started. Is this pretty normal?

I will take some pics tomorrow and post them. Thanks for the ongoing advice everyone

P.S. Case is a Cooler Master 430 Elite. All fans are stock.

 

[RnRollie]

Nothing has changed outside ....

Update: I completely removed the motherboard and re-applied the TIM, this time making sure all the pins were secured properly. This HAS helped temperatures but in an odd way...

uh , what?

...never cooling down as low as when it started. Is this pretty normal?

might indicate a recirculation problem or "hot" air being "trapped" in the case.. basically an airflow problem.

P.S. Case is a Cooler Master 430 Elite. All fans are stock.

For this case i'ld recommend putting all fans as intake, except the rear one.
-The roof has dust filters, so the fan(s) should be set to take air into the case.
-The front should be intake by default
-If you have a floor fan, it should be intake
-Side panel fans is a waste of time most of the time; not because they dont help, but because they add fiddling Depending on the GPU you have, it might or might not help - need pic to check.

This leaves the rear fan to take the brunt of the exhaust work. Which is perfectly fine. But it means it cant be a puny, asthmatic "silent" one. It has to be the same or better as the other fans.

Which leads to my question... what does "stock" mean? Are these the CM "BC" series? Or something else?
Ideally, you should have 5 (or 6) JetFlo 120 PWM fans inthere, strapped together by a PWM splitter with the PWM signal driven by the MD header which gives you automatic speed/flow control in function of temp.

 

[rowanlad]

uh , what?

You asked if there had been any environmental changes. That's why I had said nothing changed outside the case.

The pins I refer to are the push pins on the Intel stock cooler. I had never removed the motherboard before which was why I said this time I was able to make sure the pins were all secure as I was able to see them clearly. I hadn't been able to do that in the past with the mobo in the case.


Air flow is a great thought and something I hadn't highly considered. I have just spent the morning moving my HDD out of the front fan's way and strapping up the cables that were also in it's path. This has helped in the speed at which the temps lower after a stress test which is a good result.

However, I noticed while testing airflow that it still didn't feel that hot above the CPU fan despite its temps rising to 87 degrees in the stress test this morning. This brings me to the conclusion again that either:

1] I am terrible at applying TIM. Despite the recent re-application lowering idle temps.

2] The cooler is not snug enough over the CPU despite all pins completely secured.

3] I am not sure... something wrong with the chip itself? I have heard IB do run hotter but it was never this bad in the past.

P.S. I have 1 intake fan at the front and an exhaust at the rear. I am afraid I didn't put this build together and therefore aren't certain of the series. Both are Cooler Master. I turned off the machine to see if I could determine the series but neither are clearly marked.

Camera isn't great but this is what it looks like:

 

[rowanlad]

The cables are a horrid bunch at the moment because I tried to pull them all out of the way so as to allow a test of maximum air flow from the front fan to the CPU. I also tried putting the chunky 660 Ti in a different slot to allow more air flow to the top of the case but it doesn't get detected in any other slot except the top one.

 

[MongGrel]

Ick, get rid of the stock CPU cooler.

At least get an EVO 212 and MX-2 or something and stick it in there.

For starters.

 

[rowanlad]

Yea that's the conclusion I am coming to.

It is rather confusing I can't get to my old temps with the stock equipment... but lets face it, it is pretty horrid to work with.

 

[RnRollie]

If you do get an EVO -which is a good idea anyways- make sure to mount so the airflow is directed to the rear exhaust. And while you're at it, grab an extra fan to mount as intake in the roof above the memory

 

[rowanlad]

Yea sounds good. This may be the only solution