Processor overheating

[Daefuin]

Recently my computer started overheating really bad. My processor hit 82 C and my HD hit about 60 C last night so I went and got some thermal paste and another fan. When just letting my computer idle my CPU was running at like 58-60C.

I put the thermal paste on today and I added a PCI slot fan. Just idling my HD is fine at about 30C but my processor is still running at about 47. I know 47 isn't BAD but this is without any load on it whatsoever. Also, when running WoW or whatever my temp goes up to about 65C which seems a bit hot. Is there anything else I can do to get the temperature down a bit more? I applied the thermal stuff to the heatsink but I don't know of anything else to do without really investing some money into like maybe a better CPU fan. I'm just using the stock one that comes with P4 processors.

Any ideas?

[Brohn]

65 isn't terrible, but it could be lower. Some CPUs just run hotter, but here's are some questions/suggestions I'd use if I were having this trouble.

Applying the compound:

You might have trouble if you didn't apply the compound properly. Did you clean the CPU and fan with isopropyl alchohol? A lot of fans come with a small pad of thermal tape already, and if you don't clean that off, your own compound will just interfere.

Also, make sure you only put the right amount of compound on the chip. I've seen some people put too much on, which actually makes it less effective.

Lastly, if you apply the compound and mount the fan, don't remove it without cleaning/applying again. Otherwise you can get air bubbles that will kill the heat transfer.

Air flow:

Adding a fan on the back of the case will help you with airflow, but there are some other things to be aware of. Most are common sense, but bear with me.

1) Wires - make sure you get these out of the way. If you can use rounded cables (IDE for example), it really helps the airflow. A lot of times the worst cables come from the power supply - especially now that video cards require power connections.

2) Additional fans - The shortest path between two points is a straight line. I don't have one, but a lot of people claim that a side fan (if you have a tower) is the best option for an exhaust because its airflow is parallel to the CPU fan. A fan mounted on the back can help, but since it's perpendicular to the CPU airflow, it's not as effective. An interesting option to consider is a PCI slot fan card. Mounted next to a video card, it can help cool down the entire case.

3) Outbound airflow - You can add all the fans you want, but if they all blow the air against a wall, or if you have your case in a desk compartment, it won't help. You have to make sure you have good outflow.

4) Inbound airflow - Sometimes, it's the air coming into the case that causes trouble. If it's not cooler than the air in the case, it won't help much. Along the same lines, you can get fans that suck air into the case. Sometimes depending on how you store the case, adding an intake fan can help more than an outflow fan.
Voltage:

The reason any component runs hot is due to the voltage running through it. Check your BIOS settings to check if you're running at the proper voltage for the CPU. If you're running higher voltage right now, it's probably to overclock. If that's the case, you're going to get a herring upside the head :D

If you have a newer motherboard/CPU, you might find that a windows application is changing your BIOS settings on the fly. I know that NVidia motherboards use nTune to do this...it adjusts settings to overclock on the fly. If you installed such a program, all your BIOS tweaks could be for nothing - check the app docs to see how to disable overclocking.

On the same topic, you can usually install a motherboard monitor to watch your CPU temp (I have AsusProbe). Make sure you get something like that installed so you can get a notification before you reach unreasonable temperatures.

- Brohn

[Daefuin]

Thanks for the response Brohn. I'm pretty sure I applied it correctly, and although I didn't clean the heatsink and CPU with alcohol, I scraped both pretty good with a sharp chisel.

My case has an intake and an outtake fan. The intake is directly across from the CPU fan, I guess I should switch that with the one on top to make the one across from the CPU blow air out?

I've considered adding an outgoing fan to the back of the case, but how much would just another fan help the processors temperature?

My processer is 2.8P4.. Can't remember what core it is =/.. Do you if they just run naturally hot? I'll check my BIOS later to see if it's running on a high voltage level, but I don't think it is.

[Ekimus]

Fans help the temp inside the case by a lot. If the temp of the air in your case is 10 degrees cooler because of more fans, then the heatsink fan is blowing 10 degrees colder air to cool the processor. I just built a new computer and the case has a controll to slow down and speed up the case fans, if I turn it all the way down my processor typically goes up by 10-12 degrees while idle after 30-45 mins. And if I'm playing something if I leave the fans on low the cpu will heat up quite a bit.

On my old case that only had 2 fans like you are describing and I had overheating problems a lot with a slow 2100+ amd processor.

[Daefuin]

That makes sense, thanks

[Brohn]

I might consider cleaning the CPU & fan with alcohol. The key to a good heatsink is to have nothing but the compound between the CPU and heatsink/fan. Even microscopic debris can interfere. Just looking at the arctic silver instructions I have, they make a point to stress using a cloth that won't leave fibers behind. It's something you can try without spending more cash, anyway.

I'm a purely AMD guy for the past few iterations, so I can't help much with stats on the intel chips. I'd bet that your motherboard manufacturer could give you stats on voltage, temperature, etc.

As for adding more fans, the more the merrier. The cooler the air in the case, the cooler your CPU will be.

Brohn

[Buto]

I just pour beer in my case when it overheats. Its like water cooling for rednecks.