36 replies to this topic

[Madw0lf]

My main system, a desktop, has been salvaged and pieced together with parts across a good 7 years of hardware. Its never been a great performer but the only "new" part that ever went into it was an Intel E5200 dual core CPU when I first scrounged it together almost five years ago.

Ive recently noticed that, when idling, its core temperature is at about 45C, when gaming (MWO, Minecraft, X3 etc) it rapidly rises to 99C and then seems to throttle the clock speed down. Temperatures measured with RealTemp

This has happened across two different MBs, Ive cleaned and re-applied thermal paste several times. Ive cleaned up the interior of the case as much as possible to provide good air flow as well as added in more fans to assist in bringing in more air. The cooler and fan on the CPU are both stock.

Id really prefer to not have to upgrade anything, if at all possible, but Im out of ideas on how to cool this thing down and help my performance.

[Coleman Rendar]

id have said the thermal paste idea since i had same issue and that fixed it

No other way to see what the problem is really unless you try some other heatsink.

Maybe its not seating properly

[Madw0lf]

Coleman Rendar, on 30 January 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

id have said the thermal paste idea since i had same issue and that fixed it

No other way to see what the problem is really unless you try some other heatsink.

Maybe its not seating properly

Ive had that problem before with another rig (that one would shut down though) So Ive made sure its seating correctly :/

[Rushin Roulette]

Do you have the box CPU cooler, or do you have a 3rd party CPU cooler (Mostly much better than the box CPU coolers).

Are the cooler vanes completely dust free and is the fan bearing running smoothly?

[Madw0lf]

Rushin Roulette, on 30 January 2014 - 07:08 AM, said:

Do you have the box CPU cooler, or do you have a 3rd party CPU cooler (Mostly much better than the box CPU coolers).

Are the cooler vanes completely dust free and is the fan bearing running smoothly?

Cooler is stock, from the box (I know thats not the best, but when I origionally got the CPU I wasnt even sure the MB would work....). Its all very dust free, and I think the bearing is running smooth, its fairly quiet. That one Ill have to check tonight to be sure.

EDIT: To be clear, Ive made sure the entirety of the case is dust free, including the case fanse and vents.

Edited by Madw0lf, 30 January 2014 - 07:11 AM.

[Grotoiler]

Coleman Rendar, on 30 January 2014 - 06:43 AM, said:

id have said the thermal paste idea since i had same issue and that fixed it

No other way to see what the problem is really unless you try some other heatsink.

Maybe its not seating properly

Unfortunately i can't help with a solution at all; but for a spot of comic relief, only slightly Off-topic - have you tried installing a double heatsink?

Edited by Grotoiler, 30 January 2014 - 07:10 AM.

[Madw0lf]

Grotoiler, on 30 January 2014 - 07:10 AM, said:

Unfortunately i can't help with a solution at all; but for a spot of comic relief, only slightly Off-topic - have you tried installing a double heatsink?

Theres an idea, even "poor-dubs" would help out alot!

[Catamount]

Even a dusty cooler shouldn't have any trouble keeping an E5200 very cool.

OP, it's probably not your case either, but just out of curiosity, does your GPU get hot as well? That would be revealing of a high ambient temperature.

What kind of paste are you using?

Also, what voltage is your CPU running at? (not likely the issue across two mobos, but worth checking maybe)

When you re-applied the paste, did you thoroughly clean off both the CPU and heatsink with something appropriate like 91% alcohol? Is there any crud left on either that might be interfering with the thermal interface? Does either the cooler or the CPU IHS have any scratches of note?


Honestly, if you can't find the cause, I'd just get a new CPU cooler. You can get something adequate for $20. Hell, you could probably get something adequate for $10.

Edited by Catamount, 30 January 2014 - 07:22 AM.

[Ragashar]

I would suggest getting a new cpu cooler. As others have stated, you can get one relatively cheap and getting a good cooler will enable you to move it into the next computer you put together... Since you are into that kind of a thing. And getting a really good heat sink will keep an old cpu cool with no sound.

Just get the double hs for 1.5 million

[Madw0lf]

Catamount, on 30 January 2014 - 07:20 AM, said:

Even a dusty cooler shouldn't have any trouble keeping an E5200 very cool.

OP, it's probably not your case either, but just out of curiosity, does your GPU get hot as well? That would be revealing of a high ambient temperature.

What kind of paste are you using?

Also, what voltage is your CPU running at? (not likely the issue across two mobos, but worth checking maybe)

When you re-applied the paste, did you thoroughly clean off both the CPU and heatsink with something appropriate like 91% alcohol? Is there any crud left on either that might be interfering with the thermal interface? Does either the cooler or the CPU IHS have any scratches of note?


Honestly, if you can't find the cause, I'd just get a new CPU cooler. You can get something adequate for $20. Hell, you could probably get something adequate for $10.

Im not sure if the GPU gets hot, one more thing to check/test tonight, as well as the voltage.

Each time I re-applied I cleaned them thouroughly, it might not of been 91%, but very close (ie what I had on hand) and I made sure there was no gunk, no scratches etc either. The paste I used was Arctic Silver 5.

I may have to, but considering I have no idea how long the major bits of this thing will last as it is, Id hate to throw any money at it.

Then again.... maybe I should just "accidentally" spill some water into it.....then I should be able to convince my wife I need to spend the money on it

[Madw0lf]

Ragashar, on 30 January 2014 - 07:28 AM, said:

I would suggest getting a new cpu cooler. As others have stated, you can get one relatively cheap and getting a good cooler will enable you to move it into the next computer you put together... Since you are into that kind of a thing. And getting a really good heat sink will keep an old cpu cool with no sound.

Just get the double hs for 1.5 million

Any thirdparty cooler would have to be compatible with the LGA775 that the E5200 uses quiaff? so would probly not be compatible with say an LGA 1155 cpu later on?

[Rogue Jedi]

have you checked that the CPU fan is spinning?

Have you checked BIOS (usually accessed by pressing [f2] or [Del] on boot), their is often an option regarding temperature at which the CPU fan comes on or goes to full speed., ensure it goes to full speed before reaching 60 degrees C (140F).

[Madw0lf]

Rogue Jedi, on 30 January 2014 - 07:59 AM, said:

have you checked that the CPU fan is spinning?

Have you checked BIOS (usually accessed by pressing [f2] or [Del] on boot), their is often an option regarding temperature at which the CPU fan comes on or goes to full speed., ensure it goes to full speed before reaching 60 degrees C (140F).

Yes its spinning. I had tried to find an option of that sort, but I dont think I ever did. Ill have to look again...

[Lord Letto]

2 Things come to Mind for me:
1) Could be a Bad/Faulty Heat sensor on the Mobo, or Mobo is just so old it got none.
2) CPU is Old, Could be that the Silicone or whatever just gave out and time to get a new CPU.

Have you tried it with another/spare CPU to check if another CPU cools OK with it? Where about do you live and how hot do it get there? What are your full system specs currently?
My Understanding is the CPU was the last brand new thing to go in it and that was 5 years ago, I think #2 is most likely, it's likely just old and worn out. time to join the 21st Century and get a new computer. Then again, How long Do CPUs Normally Last OCed or Not? Did you OC (Overclock) The CPU at all? Cause that will Reduce the Lifespan of the CPU, Considering it's a Duel core and 2.5GHz Stock, I think it's safe to assume it was due to MWO being Very CPU Intensive and not liking Duel Cores very Much (Based on what I've seen in other threads on here). What performance were you getting when playing MWO?

Edited by Lord Letto, 30 January 2014 - 08:19 AM.

[Catamount]

Madw0lf, on 30 January 2014 - 07:34 AM, said:

Any thirdparty cooler would have to be compatible with the LGA775 that the E5200 uses quiaff? so would probly not be compatible with say an LGA 1155 cpu later on?

If you're worried about keeping it around later for the next system, many coolers are multi-socket. They come with multiple mounting systems for whatever you need. However, with that said, I'd get a nicer cooler. If you are just trying to keep this system limping, however, there's nothing wrong with spending $10 or $15 to do it, imo. A Cooler Master Hyper 101i would do just fine. If nothing ends up fixing it, you're only out $15 you'd be saving up for another system.

[Madw0lf]

Lord Letto, on 30 January 2014 - 08:11 AM, said:

2 Things come to Mind for me:
1) Could be a Bad/Faulty Heat sensor on the Mobo, or Mobo is just so old it got none.
2) CPU is Old, Could be that the Silicone or whatever just gave out and time to get a new CPU.

Have you tried it with another/spare CPU to check if another CPU cools OK with it? Where about do you live and how hot do it get there? What are your full system specs currently?

The state of the sensor has occurred to me, in which case im SOL unless Im replacing things....Itd most likely be the processor seeing as it happened with both MBs.


I do think Ive got a spare Celeron in another system that would be compatible with this board so I could try that.

Origional specs Gigabyte GA-G33M-D2SR MBhttp://www.newegg.co...N82E16813128053with 2 GB of DDR2 800 ram, and a no-name brand 512MB 9600GT all wrapped up in a Cooler Master CM-690 case. with the E5200. Different MB now, all I can remeber atm is its an ASUS Asrock. Ive also got about 3 HDD in there, all SATA along with a DVD-r drive which is also SATA. I live in the Buffalo NY area, so Ive considered piping in the outside air lately....the room its in is usually around 70F (21 C) degrees year round (maybe gets upwards of 80 sometimes)

Edited by Madw0lf, 30 January 2014 - 08:23 AM.

[Madw0lf]

Catamount, on 30 January 2014 - 08:15 AM, said:

If you're worried about keeping it around later for the next system, many coolers are multi-socket. They come with multiple mounting systems for whatever you need. However, with that said, I'd get a nicer cooler. If you are just trying to keep this system limping, however, there's nothing wrong with spending $10 or $15 to do it, imo. A Cooler Master Hyper 101i would do just fine. If nothing ends up fixing it, you're only out $15 you'd be saving up for another system.

Hmm 15 bucks, I think I have some spare 80mm fans too if needed. Compatible with some other sockets as well. If I cant find an easy fix this may be the way to go

[Durant Carlyle]

Even with the stock Intel cooler, 45C at idle is high, and 99C is definitely way too high when gaming. It shouldn't even get that high with Prime95 testing, and that's WAY more CPU-intensive than gaming ever is.

I'd recommend a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (or whatever the newest version is). It's $30, and one of the best air coolers out there. You could transfer that to any new system you get and it'll be effective for that as well.

[Madw0lf]

Durant Carlyle, on 30 January 2014 - 11:09 AM, said:

Even with the stock Intel cooler, 45C at idle is high, and 99C is definitely way too high when gaming. It shouldn't even get that high with Prime95 testing, and that's WAY more CPU-intensive than gaming ever is.

I'd recommend a Cooler Master Hyper 212 Evo (or whatever the newest version is). It's $30, and one of the best air coolers out there. You could transfer that to any new system you get and it'll be effective for that as well.

Any idea why it would be running so hot? And, could running at these temps for a prolonged period (I have no idea how long this had been going on before I found out about it) could damage the CPU?

That one looks good too, however it doesnt list supporting the LGA 775 socket?

[Smokeyjedi]

Madw0lf, on 30 January 2014 - 12:34 PM, said:

Any idea why it would be running so hot? And, could running at these temps for a prolonged period (I have no idea how long this had been going on before I found out about it) could damage the CPU?

That one looks good too, however it doesnt list supporting the LGA 775 socket?

Well any cpu running at thermal throttle point for more than a few minutes let alone prolonged use @ extreme temps will result in unexpected Heat/performance issues......sometimes they are okay. other times the cpu cooks.......

Edited by Smokeyjedi, 30 January 2014 - 12:54 PM.