CPU Overheat

[Tanziebob]

I bought a PC specialist computer via PC World summer last year .. it has been whisper quiet but then the last few months it seems like it has been getting noisier .. fans getting louder. A week or so back, I was in the middle of playing a game - nothing too strenuous, certainly not for the computer I have - and the screens went black, the machine made a grating/machine gun type noise for quite some time .. long enough for me to recover from the surprise and try the keyboard, etc .. before restarting and coming back to a screen stating the CPU had overheated. On the same screen it shows 65c, and then asked me to check fan settings. I had no idea what to do, picked "quiet" fairly randomly, and then it reloaded Windows.

I've since downloaded a few different monitoring programmes to check the CPU temperature, and googled what sort of temps I should be expecting - suggestions appeared to be around 50c when nothing much was happening, up to around 80-85c when playing an intensive game.

I have two screens (nothing huge or particularly snazzy), and usually run multiple things at the same time - email, various office programmes, discord, a CCTV monitor, browser when working. Gaming is either Candy Crush or World of Warcraft, neither of which I believe should be particularly intensive.

The monitoring software shows the graphics card hardly ever breaks a sweat .. I've not even noticed the fans come on it, yet. The CPU during idle is usually at around 55c .. if something is being downloaded (an update, etc) it will go up to the high 80s and, playing WoW, mid-90's. The current monitoring software I'm using shows a min-max and, since I started it this morning, all I've done is work, no gaming, and it shows a range of 52-90c. Simply loading up WoW, and doing a quick "fly around" and logging out .. it reached 100c. The fan kicks in to faster speeds at around 75, and higher again once it hits around 85 ish.

I'm pretty sure it shouldn't be getting this hot .. I have very little experience with computer hardware - I can change a graphics card/ram chip and that's about it, anything else feels a bit beyond me. Is something broken? All the fans seem to be running, I've given it a thorough clean as I thought perhaps it was the radiator bit behind the fan for the CPU cooler unit, but it doesn't seem to have made much difference - the temp dipped slightly for a day, but it's back to very high levels, as far as I can tell, now.

This is the computer spec:

Case	COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 GAMING CASE Change to: COOLERMASTER MASTERCASE H500 ARGB GAMING CASE
Overclocked CPU	Overclocked Intel® Core™ i7-10700K Eight Core (3.8GHz @ up to 3.8GHz)
OC BIOS FIle
Motherboard	ASUS® TUF Z490-PLUS GAMING (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - RGB Ready Change to: ASUS® PRIME Z490-P (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)	16GB Corsair VENGEANCE DDR4 3000MHz (2 x 8GB)
Graphics Card	8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive	2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive	512GB Intel® H10 NVMe SSD + 32GB Intel® Optane™ (upto 2300MB/sR | 1300MB/sW)
DVD/BLU-RAY Drive	NOT REQUIRED
Power Supply	CORSAIR 650W TXm SERIES™ SEMI-MODULAR 80 PLUS® GOLD, ULTRA QUIET
Power Cable	1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling	PCS FrostFlow 120 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste	STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
LED Lighting	50cm RGB LED Strip
Sound Card	ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card	WIRELESS INTEL® Wi-Fi 6 AX200 2,400Mbps/5GHz, 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD + BT 5.0
USB/Thunderbolt Options	MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS

 

[NoddyPirate]

My guess would be that something has happened to that cooler. I wonder if the noise you heard was the pump giving up? There has been much discussion on here about PCS coolers. I think for tower air coolers they are perfectly fine as little can go wrong, but when it comes to an AIO you really want longevity and reliability which probably means investing in a good quality brand.

Those temps are too high for sure and need to be brought back under control.

 

[Tanziebob]

My guess would be that something has happened to that cooler. I wonder if the noise you heard was the pump giving up? There has been much discussion on here about PCS coolers. I think for tower air coolers they are perfectly fine as little can go wrong, but when it comes to an AIO you really want longevity and reliability which probably means investing in a good quality brand.

Those temps are too high for sure and need to be brought back under control.

I must admit that is what I'm concerned about. To be completely honest, I didn't even realise what type of cooler it was, when I bought it - it wasn't something I was focussed on and every computer I've bought before this was cooled by fans/radiators. I've sent messages to PCS through the support system but not yet had a reply - once I'm not inundated with work, I'll have to give them a ring but then I'm worried it's something I'm actually going to have to fix myself, which is well outside my comfort zone. Plus there's the added problem that I use the computer to work from home .. so going without for any length of time is difficult.

 

[Steveyg]

My guess would be that something has happened to that cooler. I wonder if the noise you heard was the pump giving up? There has been much discussion on here about PCS coolers. I think for tower air coolers they are perfectly fine as little can go wrong, but when it comes to an AIO you really want longevity and reliability which probably means investing in a good quality brand.

Those temps are too high for sure and need to be brought back under control.

The pump and that overlock BIOS file could be the problem if you have it applied? Although it would be strange for it to work fine and then suddenly get extreme temp problems.

Sounds like a CPU cooler failure

 

[Tanziebob]

The pump and that overlock BIOS file could be the problem if you have it applied? Although it would be strange for it to work fine and then suddenly get extreme temp problems.

Sounds like a CPU cooler failure

No I didn't apply the BIOS file .. when I first got the computer I asked PCS if I needed to do anything with it, and they said no .. so I've not touched it. Hadn't even realised that link was there until I came back to look at it for this problem. I don't like fiddling with the BIOS, unless absolutely necessary

 

[Steveyg]

It's a bit of pain mate if it is the CPU cooler, just because it's fiddly if you haven't done it before it can be intimidating. You'll have to remove the cooler and CPU. Clean the thermal paste residue from the CPU and then reseat it, reapply thermal paste and then install the new cooler.

It's not overly difficult but it's honestly the most intimidating part of a computer build in my opinion.

No matter how many times I've done it, it always feels like I'm doing something wrong that could desperately ruin everything. Then again that could be just me

 

[NoddyPirate]

It isn't a big job really to replace the AIO - disconnecting a couple of power plugs - unscrewing the radiator and CPU block - and then resintalling a new one in reverse.

However I would think everyone here would say spend your money wisely and get a decent well-known quality brand AIO of a similar size - particularly for an Overclocked system and even more particularly for an Overclocked Intel system which could cook burgers with a sideways glance from a few paces I would expect - the gurus here will advise accordingly. Thermal paste will be needed also.

You may have a bit more fiddling related to the CPU block standoffs and so on depending on what you buy - but again it isn't a difficult process really. Taking your time and studying a bit beforehand you could have it all done in 15 minutes comfortably.

 

[NoddyPirate]

It's a bit of pain mate if it is the CPU cooler, just because it's fiddly if you haven't done it before it can be intimidating. You'll have to remove the cooler and CPU. Clean the thermal paste residue from the CPU and then reseat it, reapply thermal paste and then install the new cooler.

It's not overly difficult but it's honestly the most intimidating part of a computer build in my opinion.

No matter how many times I've done it, it always feels like I'm doing something wrong that could desperately ruin everything. Then again that could be just me

Ha ha! We crossed there @Steveyg ! And with totally different views on the subject!!

 

[Steveyg]

Ha ha! We crossed there @Steveyg ! And with totally different views on the subject!!

yeah I noticed mate haha

it's the part I like doing the least so maybe it's just my own bias, but yeah it takes around 15-20mins to do

 

[NoddyPirate]

What has always worried me with CPU work is static discharges - but there are a few basic things that can be done to avoid all those issues too......

 

[Tanziebob]

oh god .. that all sounds awful :-(

 

[NoddyPirate]

oh god .. that all sounds awful :-(

It's fun! What better way to pass a morning that with a screwdriver, a tube of sticky thermal paste, a cuppa tea, and an anti-static wrist strap? Much better than talking to humans at least......

It is entirely doable, but can certainly be daunting if you haven't done it before or fiddled around inside a PC case. Any buddies nearby that could give you a hand? (I had to figure this sort of stuff out on my own as I have no friends as Line 1 indicates)

 

[Tanziebob]

Unfortunately I'm the most techy person I know .. so that's not saying much

 

[Tanziebob]

I mean .. if I try to fix this myself by getting in there .. and I break something .. I'm assuming that's it. It is no longer covered under warranty and I have an expensive breezeblock ...

 

[NoddyPirate]

I mean .. if I try to fix this myself by getting in there .. and I break something .. I'm assuming that's it. It is no longer covered under warranty and I have an expensive breezeblock ...

You would have converted the elements you have broken into useful mug coasters - yes.

RMA may be your best choice.....

 

[Tanziebob]

You would have converted the elements you have broken into useful mug coasters - yes.

RMA may be your best choice.....

I've actually just been on the phone to them. It does mean I'll be without a computer for around a week or so (or at least, that computer), but they're going to pick up on Friday and repair it for me. I'm assuming it will just be like for like components and, from what I gather, it sounds like you guys don't rate this cooler much, but having any that works is better than one that doesn't

Luckily my son has a spare computer (it's not spare .. he uses it for running a games server on, or something) which can keep me up and running in the meantime .. even if it does mean lugging it up and down stairs depending on who's turn it is to use it

Thank you for your help

 

[NoddyPirate]

I've actually just been on the phone to them. It does mean I'll be without a computer for around a week or so (or at least, that computer), but they're going to pick up on Friday and repair it for me. I'm assuming it will just be like for like components and, from what I gather, it sounds like you guys don't rate this cooler much, but having any that works is better than one that doesn't

Luckily my son has a spare computer (it's not spare .. he uses it for running a games server on, or something) which can keep me up and running in the meantime .. even if it does mean lugging it up and down stairs depending on who's turn it is to use it

Thank you for your help

Don’t get me wrong - It’s not that I would expect the PCS cooler to fail at all - it shouldn’t - but it is basically impossible to equate it to the same level of reliability as a well known brand and model.

That being said - statistically it could be argued (inaccurately I might add) that your odds of having a trouble free second cooler installation have increased dramatically! 😀

I’m glad you have a resolution your happy with though - cos that’s all that really counts.... 👍

 

[SpyderTracks]

It's an overclocked build and that cooler is nowhere near strong enough to cope with an overclock long term.

I would just remove the overclock.

 

[A L-pc]

I've actually just been on the phone to them. It does mean I'll be without a computer for around a week or so (or at least, that computer), but they're going to pick up on Friday and repair it for me. I'm assuming it will just be like for like components and, from what I gather, it sounds like you guys don't rate this cooler much, but having any that works is better than one that doesn't

Luckily my son has a spare computer (it's not spare .. he uses it for running a games server on, or something) which can keep me up and running in the meantime .. even if it does mean lugging it up and down stairs depending on who's turn it is to use it

Thank you for your help

As you'll still be under the warranty and they're going to replace it, you could ask them to upgrade to a better cooling system and pay the extra. On a recent RMA, I took the opportunity to upgrade the PSU.

Others would be able to advise on a suitable choice.

 

[SpyderTracks]

As you'll still be under the warranty and they're going to replace it, you could ask them to upgrade to a better cooling system and pay the extra. On a recent RMA, I took the opportunity to upgrade the PSU.

Others would be able to advise on a suitable choice.

If the budget affords, I'd go with the H100i Platinum, if not then the Coolermaster 240mm.