[SOLVED] Cannot seem to fix the CPU overheating problem. Replaced thermal paste and bought a new cooler.

[danii956]

Tried installing a new cooler (Corsair Hydro Series H60 AIO Liquid CPU Cooler). Tried using a new thermal paste (ARCTIC MX-4). Replacing the thermal paste worked for a bit - reduced the temperature to idle 54 degrees. But I applied the paste on June 19th, about a month ago, and now my computer is crashing due to CPU overheating (went up to 100 degrees celcius). I was running Monster Hunter World in High Graphics with OBS running. I've tried tightening the screws holding the cooler but no difference.

This is driving me nuts. I'm more than willing to replace the CPU if you think upgrading the CPU from i5 7600k will fix the issue. Or do I need a better cooler? Or is it possible that there is insufficent contact between the cooler and the CPU due to a faulty motherboard design? I have Gigabyte LGA 1151 Motherboard. If I have to buy a new motherboard and basically start from scratch, so be it!

CPU is at < 1.2 V

My Fan RPM: https://ibb.co/rMdvcKK

Here are my fan placements:
https://ibb.co/TMz2r4d
https://ibb.co/J5zk4L7
https://ibb.co/Vg9M4ts

Just need a best educated answer so that I don't buy too many unnecessary parts.

Edit:
Took a look at the performance and it seems like CPU utilization is 88% while GPU utilization is 12%. GPU is way too underutilized.

 

[pccrack]

I guess the cooler is good and maybe look for the contact between them try that by inserting a paper, It should not go in between them. If you think cooler might the suspect then try and use the stock cooler if you have it lying around, just for testing purpose. Measure the idle temps with that one. Any Overclock in place?

There is no need to buy new parts at all, you have a good PC, hell way better than mine. Check this much and inform, we'll do further troubleshooting if necessary and also make sure you have all the drivers installed and BIOS.

 

[thx1138v2]

One thing I noticed immediately is that your cables and/or hoses may be restricting air flow. Just as a test take the side cover off and see is the temperatures go down. If they do you have blocked air flow somehow.

See if you can route cables/hoses around the fans or under the floor of the case. Using right angle elbows in your hoses might make that easier. Air flow through the case needs to be maximized.

Try those steps before purchasing new components.

 

[danii956]

I guess the cooler is good and maybe look for the contact between them try that by inserting a paper, It should not go in between them. If you think cooler might the suspect then try and use the stock cooler if you have it lying around, just for testing purpose. Measure the idle temps with that one. Any Overclock in place?

There is no need to buy new parts at all, you have a good PC, hell way better than mine. Check this much and inform, we'll do further troubleshooting if necessary and also make sure you have all the drivers installed and BIOS.

Bad news! Found this on my slip of paper https://ibb.co/mGv5CvX. I'm not sure how to fix this issue because I can't screw in tighter than what I've already done. Unfortunately, I don't have any stock cooler and I don't overclock my CPUs. Is there a solution to this?

If it helps, when I had my old cooler the temperature didn't go down and hovered around 70 degrees. Only when I applied the thermal paste did the temperature go down to 54ish.

 

[danii956]

One thing I noticed immediately is that your cables and/or hoses may be restricting air flow. Just as a test take the side cover off and see is the temperatures go down. If they do you have blocked air flow somehow.

See if you can route cables/hoses around the fans or under the floor of the case. Using right angle elbows in your hoses might make that easier. Air flow through the case needs to be maximized.

Try those steps before purchasing new components.

I've opened up all my cases and hovers around 54 degrees Celsius if idle, maybe few degrees down. I don't have much room for fans but should I go adding more to increase airflow?

 

[geofelt]

Your idle temperature should be 10-15c. over ambient if your cooler is working and mounted well.
Try remounting your pump again.
Clean off the old paste with alcohol first.
Do not use too much paste.
A rice sized drop in the center will spread out under heat and pressure.
Did you remove the protective mylar film from the pump before installing?
When you tighten down the pump, do so gradually in a criss cross manner to get the pump seated evenly.

I would also relocate the top fan to the front to provide additional air intake.
As it is now, it is diverting cooling air from the radiator to the top.
H60 coolers are not particularly good but it should be able to do the job.
If you want to replace it, the noctua coolers like the NH-D15s are really good.
They are easy to mount and quiet.

 

[CompuTronix]

... new cooler (Corsair Hydro Series H60 AIO ... ARCTIC MX-4 ... idle 54 degrees ... applied the paste on June 19th ... 100 degrees celcius ... i5 7600k ... Gigabyte LGA 1151 Motherboard ... CPU is at < 1.2 V ...

danii956,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

It appears that you're somewhat frustrated by this problem, but rest assured that you do not need to replace your CPU or motherboard. There's always at least one reason for high Core temperatures; it just hasn't been revealed ... yet.

First, we need more information, so here's a few questions ...

• What is your ambient (room) temperature? (The International Standard for "normal" is 22°C or 72°F.)
• How long have you had your rig, and did you build it yourself?
• Has it ever cooled properly, and if so, when was the last time it did?
• Is your H60 actually "new" out of the box, or is it "used" and is just "new to your rig"?
• What was your previous cooler, and if it was an air cooler, do you have still have it?
• Have you removed the pump to check the contact pattern of the paste on the CPU and cold plate?

If you haven't paid close attention to the contact pattern when you last removed the pump, then please remove it again. Very carefully examine the contact pattern for even disbursal of paste.

Although it's an extremely rare occurrence, the 3 screws that fasten the CPU retention bracket to the motherboard backplate can be just very slightly less than snug. Almost no one ever checks these screws. If they're not tight, it will cause a poor contact pattern of paste, because the coolers is seated partially on the perimeter of the retention bracket, but not completely on the CPU. Please check the 3 screws for tightness. 2 different sizes of Allen or Torx are needed.

Also, even if your H60 is brand new out of the box, it's still possible to receive a bad unit.

Although your case airflow would definitely benefit from a second intake fan, that doesn't account for high Core temperatures, especially with case covers removed.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

 

[danii956]

Your idle temperature should be 10-15c. over ambient if your cooler is working and mounted well.
Try remounting your pump again.
Clean off the old paste with alcohol first.
Do not use too much paste.
A rice sized drop in the center will spread out under heat and pressure.
Did you remove the protective mylar film from the pump before installing?
When you tighten down the pump, do so gradually in a criss cross manner to get the pump seated evenly.

I would also relocate the top fan to the front to provide additional air intake.
As it is now, it is diverting cooling air from the radiator to the top.
H60 coolers are not particularly good but it should be able to do the job.
If you want to replace it, the noctua coolers like the NH-D15s are really good.
They are easy to mount and quiet.

I tried mounting the pump again using criss cross manner but didn't work. I relocated the fan to the front so it should have additional intake. I tried pressing the cooler against the CPU and the lowest it got was 35 degree celcius (nowhere near 10-15c). Does this mean the mounting is wrong?? I'll take a picture of it and post it later.

 

[geofelt]

35c. is fine at idle.
I suggested 10-15c. ABOVE ambient which is normally about 22c.(72f.)

 

[danii956]

danii956,

On behalf of Tom's Moderator Team, welcome aboard!

It appears that you're somewhat frustrated by this problem, but rest assured that you do not need to replace your CPU or motherboard. There's always at least one reason for high Core temperatures; it just hasn't revealed ... yet.

First, we need more information, so here's a few questions ...

• What is your ambient (room) temperature? (The International Standard for "normal" is 22°C or 72°F.)
• How long have you had your rig, and did you build it yourself?
• Has it ever cooled properly, and if so, when was the last time it did?
• Is your H60 actually "new" out of the box, or is it "used" and is just "new to your rig"?
• Was your previous cooler, and it it was an air cooler, and do you have still have it?
• Have you removed the pump to check the contact pattern of the paste on the CPU and cold plate?

If you haven't paid close attention to the contact pattern when you last removed the pump, then please remove it again. Very carefully examine the contact pattern for even disbursal of paste.

Although it's an extremely rare occurrence, the 3 screws that fasten the CPU retention bracket to the motherboard backplate can be just very slightly less than snug. Almost no one ever checks these screws. If they're not tight, it will cause a poor contact pattern of paste, because the coolers is seated partially on the perimeter of the retention bracket, but not completely on the CPU. Please check the 3 screws for tightness. 2 different sizes of Allen or Torx are needed.

Also, even if your H60 is brand new out of the box, it's still possible to receive a bad unit.

Although your case airflow would definitely benefit from a second intake fan, that doesn't account for high Core temperatures, especially with case covers removed.

Once again, welcome aboard!

CT

• What is your ambient (room) temperature? (The International Standard for "normal" is 22°C or 72°F.)

74F

• How long have you had your rig, and did you build it yourself?

I had the rig for more than 2 years

• Has it ever cooled properly, and if so, when was the last time it did?

I don't think it ever had. I always thought that my rig couldn't play high-end games at high graphics but turns out that my CPU kept on crashing the PC due to high temp.

• Is your H60 actually "new" out of the box, or is it "used" and is just "new to your rig"?

It is actually new.

• Was your previous cooler, and it it was an air cooler, and do you have still have it?

The previous cooler was Corsair H60 54 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler and unfortunately I don't have it anymore. The performance difference was negligible when I installed the new cooler WITHOUT the ARCTIC MX-4 thermal paste. The temp improved a lot with the thermal paste from 70c idle to 50c idle.

• Have you removed the pump to check the contact pattern of the paste on the CPU and cold plate?

Yes. I reapplied the paste but it vaguely looked like this. I'm not sure why it doesn't have an even disbursal since I applied a very small amount of paste to the CPU. It does not cover the whole CPU the last time I checked.

About the CPU retention bracket, I will have to do more research on that but I'll get back to you again after checking the screws. Thank you for your assistance!

 

[geofelt]

The paste should not cover ALL of the cpu.
But, it should look regular and round in shape, reaching close, but not touching the edges.
If your link is a drawing, you are ok. But, if it is a photo, it should look more rounded and even.

 

[danii956]

I SOLVED IT! I'M SO DUMB! The Intel backplate screws were loose! I replaced it with a new one that came with the new cooler and now the temperature hovers around 32c! You guys were all so helpful and thanks for the quick replies!

 

[Karadjgne]

One thing that might apply, not all motherboards are equal. Corsair mounts have had an issue on some motherboards with the risers being loose as the screws bottom out before fully seating. This can often be fixed by use of some 1mm Teflon washers on the back of the mobo, underneath the mounting backplate. That extra space allows the risers to seat to the motherboard fully and firmly which translates into the top bracket putting higher pressure on the pump housing, forcing it to sit tighter to the cpu. I've also seen ppl bend the arms slightly upwards, forcing the center of the top bracket to sit tighter when snugged. Tightening the thumb screws does nothing, that's just holding the bracket, sandwiched between riser and thumb screw. It's the position of the bracket itself in relationship to the cpu that's important.

 

[Karadjgne]

Hah, I saw someone posting just as I started writing the above, go figure it was about the same thing, the risers.

Good that you got it figured out though.

 

[pccrack]

I SOLVED IT! I'M SO DUMB! The Intel backplate screws were loose! I replaced it with a new one that came with the new cooler and now the temperature hovers around 32c! You guys were all so helpful and thanks for the quick replies!

dude 🤣🤣 lol.. good for you.