Why is my PC overheating when all the fans are working?

[Logomachist]

(I'm going to vent here because no one ever reads my blog.)

I assembled a computer (first time I built my own) and then let it sit in an attic for a few years. Got it out a few months ago, added a hdd and tried it out. EasyTune6 says it's overheating. At first I thought it was just the scorching summer temperatures aggravating things, but the ambient temp's dropped down to 75°F or less and it's still complaining.

View attachment 207100

Checked the fans and they all seem to be working and there's no dust build-up. So I'm scratching my head.

1) Could I have screwed up the build and assembled components that just run too hot?
2) Are the 3 hard drives I have in there running hotter than anticipated?
3) Is there a more endemic problem with the heat sinks? I found this advice through Google:

Tune Up Heat Sinks: If your CPU is overheating, its heat sink may not be seated correctly or its thermal paste may be old. You may need to remove the heat sink and apply new thermal paste before reseating the heat sink properly. This tip applies more to tweakers, overclockers, and people who build their own PCs, especially if they may have made a mistake when originally applying the thermal paste.

<cite>https://www.howtogeek.com/174288/ho...puter-is-overheating-and-what-to-do-about-it/</cite>

4) ????

What do you guys suspect to be the most likely culprit? What should I attack first? Is there a fourth option I haven't thought of? Nothing is overclocked.

 

[freakdiablo]

Doesn't look like your attachment is working - could be something on my end though.

Try a few different temp monitoring programs, like HWMonitor and coretemp. Also, can you post all system specs?

Adding a HDD may hurt a little, added heat plus blocking airflow if it's sitting right in front of a fan. Could be old thermal paste as well, even knocking the heatsink loose when you moved it. There could be several things happening.

Personally first thing I would do is take off the CPU heatink, clean and re-apply thermal paste, then re-mount. It's a pain, but if it's dust-free and all the fans are turning then that would be the next step.

 

[Alaric]

Personally first thing I would do is take off the CPU heatink, clean and re-apply thermal paste, then re-mount. It's a pain, but if it's dust-free and all the fans are turning then that would be the next step.

That's my first thought. "In the attic for a few years" says to me long periods of higher than average temps, along with simple aging.

 

[ehume]

This is the first computer you built, so it might not have the best of cases. The least expensive, least effort-consuming approach is to open the side panel and use a room air fan, directed at your heatsink. Doing this will tell you if you need to monkey with the other bits.

 

[yoadknux]

We first have to diagnose the problem in using a global language. When talking about overheating components, you must report exact temperatures. I don't know what Easytune is. I don't know which component is overheating and I don't know what criteria this software uses to know if a component is overheating.
So I would suggest you download Hwinfo to measure all the temperatures available OR MSI Afterburner for a friendlier interface.
Now that you monitor the temperatures correctly we could move on and try to see which components overheat and in under which conditions. Does it heat when you play games? Or maybe when you just browse the internet?
Start with my suggestions.

 

[ehume]

We first have to diagnose the problem in using a global language. When talking about overheating components, you must report exact temperatures. I don't know what Easytune is. I don't know which component is overheating and I don't know what criteria this software uses to know if a component is overheating.
So I would suggest you download Hwinfo to measure all the temperatures available OR MSI Afterburner for a friendlier interface.
Now that you monitor the temperatures correctly we could move on and try to see which components overheat and in under which conditions. Does it heat when you play games? Or maybe when you just browse the internet?
Start with my suggestions.

Easytune is a utility Gigabyte used to use with their motherboards. It is no better or no worse than an MSI product. HWinfo, OTOH, is open source and contains lots of info.

 

[trents]

Logomachist,

Your attachment is broken so we know nothing about the hardware components of your build. Please list the components such as:

1. Case (make and model). How many intake (putting air into the case) and exhaust (taking air out of the case) do you have installed.
2. CPU make and model. Is the CPU overclocked?
3. Motherboard make and model.
4. Memory amount installed.
5. CPU cooler make and model. If you don't know, at least we need to know if Is this a stock, from the factory cooler or aftermarket? Air cooler? Water cooler? If it is water cooled then the pump could have seized up.

Regardless of what EasyTune is saying, does the computer show actual signs of overheating like bluescreening, spontaneous restarting or the CPU cooling fan running loud, at full speed all the time?

As others have said, have you tried reading the actual temps with monitoring software such as HWMonitor or HWinfo64? A sceen shot of one of those attached to your next post would be very helpful. You can attache images like that directly to your posts using the Go Advanced button.

 

[GreenSmoke]

My bet is on the thermal paste, especially if it was your first time applying it. I am also thinking the heat warning would be from the CPU but I'm just guessing.

A few pics of your system would also help to understand what might be going on. If not a pic, how many intake and exhaust fans do you have? Are the ones in the front sucking air into the case and the one in the back blowing air out of the case?

1) Could I have screwed up the build and assembled components that just run too hot?
------- It's possible, on your first build, that you did something that might cause it to overheat - like not use enough thermal paste or it could have just dried out. It is probably not the components you choose, but sure, that is possible also.
2) Are the 3 hard drives I have in there running hotter than anticipated?
-------Probably not. I am not sure what you anticipated but they would take a while to heat up. If they aren't a RAID, you could unplug all but the OS and see if it makes a dif.
3) Is there a more endemic problem with the heat sinks? I found this advice through Google:
------- Google is smart, especially when it agrees with me
4) ????
-------- You are probably over-thinking this. Heat is a fairly easy thing to diagnose and fix.

 

[Logomachist]

Working on getting y'all the info you requested. I'll start by posting the EasyTune screenshot (again, but hopefully it'll take this time), then add the rest as I find it.

 

[Logomachist]

Logomachist,
does the computer show actual signs of overheating like bluescreening, spontaneous restarting or the CPU cooling fan running loud, at full speed all the time?

The fans are loud but that might just be because I bought loud fans. The computer has spontaneously restarted once. No internal alarms... the main reason I'm concerned about the heat is the software alerts.

 

[ehume]

The problem I always had with EasyTunes of that generation was that they did not separate Core temps from package temps.

 

[Logomachist]

HWinfo, OTOH, is open source and contains lots of info.

It is? I just downloaded and ran the HWInfo from https://www.hwinfo.com/ - that's... the HWInfo program we're talking about, right? It has a EULA, doesn't look to be open source.

Anyway, I'm attaching the report summaries from HWInfo and CPU-Z.

 

[Logomachist]

Does it heat when you play games? Or maybe when you just browse the internet? Start with my suggestions.

As near as I can tell, it's overheating no matter what I do. I log in, and the alert settings are already in the red.

 

[Zerileous]

It looks like the alarm is set at 40C. I'm not familiar with this generation of CPU's, but I don't think 40C is bad. According to the reports you posted, the max temp is 67C for the tcase (i.e. the edge of the die, or the substrate under the IHS) and 100C for the die itself. Unfortunately we don't know which of these the first screenshot is measuring. Can you post a screenshot from HWINFO instead of the report. If you open it up and click on sensors, under CPU it will display temps.

 

[trents]

Logomachist, we still have specifics about your system components and you are starting to link pics again instead of attaching.

 

[Logomachist]

HWiNFO Sensor status

Can you post a screenshot from HWINFO instead of the report. If you open it up and click on sensors, under CPU it will display temps.

Here you go:

Logomachist, we still have specifics about your system components and you are starting to link pics again instead of attaching.

I didn't mean to do anything wrong, I thought the "Insert image" was apropos for displaying screenshots in my posts. I'll make sure to use the "Attachments" button hereon. (Zerileous requested this latest one so I thought I would provide it).

Next I'll get specifics on my case.

 

[Mr.Scott]

So....Gig X58 board with a 115w 4c/8t processor.
You're a little hot at idle. Should be in the 35c-40c range.
Stock cooler I assume?
I'd repaste and see if that makes a difference.
If that don't do it, better cooler, better fans.
They're hot running processors man.

You're getting a warning on Easytune because your warning set point is set to 40c. You need to move that up to around 70-75c
Better yet, don't use that program at all. Remove it.

 

[Logomachist]

More about my case

1. Case (make and model). How many intake (putting air into the case) and exhaust (taking air out of the case) do you have installed.

I have a CoolMaster Centurian 534 case. Three fans- one for the CPU, one exhaust and one intake. See attached spec sheet:

View attachment Centurion_534_Plus_Product_Sheet.pdf

2. CPU make and model. Is the CPU overclocked?

I have an Intel Core i7 CPU 920 @ 2.67GHz. No, it's not overclocked.

3. Motherboard make and model.

GIGABYTE EX58-UD3R

4. Memory amount installed.

6 GBytes

5. CPU cooler make and model. If you don't know, at least we need to know if Is this a stock, from the factory cooler or aftermarket? Air cooler? Water cooler? If it is water cooled then the pump could have seized up.

Just air-cooled, nothing fancy. As far as I remember they're from the factory. I certainly haven't replaced any.

 

[trents]

Logomachist, it would be more effective to put all that system information in a Signature so it automatically shows with every post you make. To Create a "Sig" just click on Settings in the upper right corner of any forum page, look down the left side of the Profile page until you see Edit Signature.

The pic you attached of HWinfo64 is not very helpful since the CPU does not appear to be working under full load. But if those are idle temps they are too high. They should be in low or mid 30s Celcius at rest.

I"m wondering also if your CPU heat sink is clogged with dust. Have you removed the case side panel to check on basic things like that? That is an old system and has had plenty of time to build up dust in the interior. An air compressor would take care of that nicely. Just don't let the fans spin with the jet of compressed air or it will likely ruin the fan bearings.

If I were you I would replace this Seagate hard drive before it fails. The sector reallocation count has been exceeded and there are no more spare health sectors to move data to.

 

[Zerileous]

Nice catch Trents