Core i7-2600 Overheating 87 C in BIOS and from 60-98 C in OS

[Xuhybrid]

I bought this computer a few years ago and I've been using my spare PC for about 6 months now. I was unable to fix the problem due to GPU failure. Having read around a lot of threads about overheating CPU and applying thermal compound I'm now resorting to making my own thread in hopes that I can get a more specific answer.

Specifications;
OS: Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bit
CPU: Intel® Core™i7-2600 Quad Core (3.40GHz, 8MB Cache)
RAM: 8GB KINGSTON HYPER-X GENESIS DUAL-DDR3 1600MHz
Motherboard: ASUS® SABERTOOTH P67 (NEW REV 3.0)
GPU: 2GB NVIDIA GeForce GT 730 (both my GTX 560 Ti's failed so this is temporary/cheap)
Water Cooling: COOLIT ECO II A.L.C

About 6 months ago I noticed my CPU temps gradually rising, and they eventually ended up at around 90 C under load and 75 C idle. Games started going slowly as I guess the CPU was being throttled. Nothing serious happened, no crashes or power outs so I decided to buy some Arctic Silver 5 thermal compound. I must have tried applying it at least 5 times without getting any differences in temperature. It would take only 10 minutes to shoot back up to 70 C idle. Each time i would clean it with a cotton bud without rubbing alcohol, then spread it with a card or make a cross or a dot and let the heatsink spread it... nothing changed the results.

Today I've been trying again as i got a new graphics card delivered (my 560 Ti failed at the same sort of time, stopping me from fixing the CPU overheat). I've tried applying 2 times by using a glove (non-latex) to spread it evenly and very thinly. I was very confident with this compared to previous attempts but i'm still seeing 70-98 C when idle-load, sometimes even 90 C when idle. I've been using RealTemp and Prime 95 to benchmark and check the sensors. Previously i was using MSI Afterburner to check CPU temp while in my OS.

Now, here is the reason i made this thread primarily. Nobody else seems to be using Water cooling so "check/clean your fan" advice isn't really useful to me. Is there anything i need to know about my water cooling system, maybe its not fully operational? Maybe i need to replace the liquid or something? Questions directed at PC Specialist (where i built/ordered the PC) weren't met with any useful answers unfortunately.

I just ordered a couple things from Amazon; (delivery 3-7 days)
Rubbing Alcohol - Isopropyl Alcohol 70%
Arctic Cooling MX-4 4g Thermal Compound

If there is any more information i can provide i'll be monitoring this thread, let me know.

Regards,
Chris

 

[mlga91]

You dont need to spread the paste, take a look at this video:
[video="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hNgFNH7zhQ"][/video]

Just a little pea in the center of the cpu is enough, also, i see that you have a 2600, non a k version, dont you have the stock cooler laying around there? so you can try with that and discard a failure with the water cooler.

 

[scout_03]

the fan on the liquid cooler work but what about the pump does she work if not the liquid wont go around in the cooler and will stay high in temp do you have your old air cooler around you could use for a test .

 

[Xuhybrid]

The system came with the Water cooling, no spare fan was provided as a backup. The side of the case feels cold but i'm not sure how else to tell if the water cooling is operating, or perhaps at half functionality. Thanks for the video mlga, having tried all the methods i realise maybe i wasn't putting enough compound on. Everyone says it needs to be a very thin layer so i can try once more with twice as much and see if it's more effective.

 

[mlga91]

The system came with the Water cooling, no spare fan was provided as a backup. The side of the case feels cold but i'm not sure how else to tell if the water cooling is operating, or perhaps at half functionality. Thanks for the video mlga, having tried all the methods i realise maybe i wasn't putting enough compound on. Everyone says it needs to be a very thin layer so i can try once more with twice as much and see if it's more effective.

Just put a little pea in the middle, spreading it leaves air bubbles between the cpu and the heatsink, try to get a air cooler, stock intel coolers are around $10.

 

[scout_03]

that is your cooling system and it as a fan check this it could not plug in the motherboard correctly http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOcKukHHJhc

 

[Xuhybrid]

Amazing, i added a huge blob and pushed down as hard as i could, not allowing it to release while i screwed it on. Im getting Idle temps of 40-45 C. I can't believe it was as simple as not using enough Thermal Compound. Unfortunately after some mild use on Twitch TV the temps have gone a bit wild again. I'll keep testing.

 

[Xuhybrid]

Temperatures have steadily gone from 70 C to 98 C again over the course of watching twitch.tv/riotgames ... Perhaps it is the cooling system, i'll try and get a fan to see if that's the problem.