CPU Core temperatures at 100C idle

[nighght]

Hello!

So for the last three years up until a couple of days ago I've been a little bit too stupid to pay attention to my temperatures. My liquid cooling started to make a humming noise constantly, so I saw some videos online that suggested taking the liquid cooling off and simply moving it around to move the liquid about. I noticed the thermal paste but didn't really know what it was and stupidly just reattached my liquid cooling over the old thermal paste.

My computer ran beautifully for a full day until I restarted. Then my liquid cooling made some different noises (listen here) and my computer shutdown due to overheating. I pulled up SpeedFan quickly before to find that my CPU was at 110C+ before it turned itself off.

I decided to investigate this thermal paste stuff and realized I needed to replace it. So I got some 99% isopropyl alcohol and cleaned up my liquid cooling/CPU. Then I noticed that my liquid cooling looked as if the metal had bubbled and peeled off. (see here) The white part is metal showing underneath the layer of copper-like metal. You can see some brown gunk on my CPU as well. (see here). I cleaned them off again (after touching with my bare fingers like a jerk) and applied the thermal paste in the pea style. My CPU core temperature on average is now 100C, which as far as I know is really bad.

It's clear that my neglect of the computer I bought pre-built has got me here, so that's gonna change. Sorry for all the cringing you experienced reading this. My question now is, what do you think I have to replace? Do you think my CPU is heating up too much for my liquid cooling to handle? Or do I just have to replace the cooling? Is it a power issue?

Here are my specs:

Intel i7 960 Processor (4x 3.20GHz/8MB L3 Cache)
20GB DDR3-1600
Gigabyte GTX 770 2GB
Gigabyte GA-X58A-UD3R w/ 4x PCI-E 2.0 x16
Windows Drive: 1 TB 7200 RPM
OS X Drive: 3 TB 7200 RPM

Thanks in advance for any help I can get!

 

[unknownofprob]

bad, bad and bad. You need a Decent CPU Cooler like the cooler master hyper 212 EVO, it's around $40 but does a superb job at keeping temps down.

 

[faalin]

yeah its time for a new cooler, just throw the AIO cooler in the trash, its done for. Ive never found all in one water coolers to be that useful, a good air cooler will do the same and be cheaper, or go all out and put in a custom water loop. If you go back to water cooling run core temp in the system tray, it will pop up and worn you if things start to get a little hairy on the temps.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Your cooler looks in worse shape than your CPU, so I'd start with that. The cooper base seems to have partially melted and this uneven surface will disrupt cooling. I also suspect that the pump is no longer working as an uneven base won't affect your temperature in the way you're seeing.

The fact that your computer still boots is proof that the CPU is fine and the damage is cosmetic. The problem is definitely with the cooler.

 

[Eggz]

Oh no! Sorry that happened. It's hard to be certain whether you fried anything, but the suspicion is that your CPU and cooler might have gone bad. My plan of attack would be to try the easiest and least expensive things first. Since you already tried cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste, you can rule that out. My next step would be to do the same again with a new CPU cooler and hope for the best. If not, then you'll need a new processor eventually, but it seems to be working for the time being.

Testing the CPU: A sign of a dying CPU is that it idles hot, but that is assuming a proper cooling setup. To test his, get any reputable all-in-one liquid cooler (e.g. H80i, H100i, H110i, 212 EVO, etc.), clean off your processor's paste, and install the new cooler. Give the past about 30 minutes to set before you heat things up (not 100% necessary, but I like to do it). Then you'll be ready to test. Download Prime95 and run it for a while, watching your temperatures as it goes. The program runs a math problem that goes on forever, so it can max out any processor indefinitely and is used for stress tests. Don't worry, though, you can stop it by just closing Prime95 from the system tray. If things run hot (e.g. upward of 85-90 C), then your processor's life likely is coming to an end. If not,then rock on! You'll be good to go if you temperatures remain within 15 degrees C of 60 C (i.e. 45-75) while running Prime95. Actual temperatures will depend on which cooler you get, but 45-75 ranges from excellent to perfectly acceptable.

If the CPU tests reveal a dying CPU: You have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see what you should do next. Shop for the same processor on line to check prices. Compare those prices to new processors. Maybe it's about time to upgrade. You can save money while waiting for that processor to die.

Other possible concerns: One annoying possibility is that your CPU may have fared the weather just fine, but that the components surrounding it didn't (e.g. motherboard, RAM, etc.). It's annoying because the only way to tell whether this was the case is to replace the processor and see if there are still issues. My guess is that problems are isolated to the CPU and cooler, but who knows. When stuff like this happens to older machines -whether its a computer or a car - its always worth looking into replacing the entire machine if the cost justifies doing so.

Good luck! I hope it's just a simple matter of replacing the cooler.

 

[nighght]

Hey guys, the support on this site is absolutely phenomenal. I'm hooked. Thanks a million. I'm off to get a new cooling system from ncix. I'll probably actually bring my system in so we can figure out what fits best and I can get some pointers on how to install it properly.

You guys are the best. I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help others out. After I've been at this long enough hopefully I can give some back. I'll keep updating the thread as I figure this out.

 

[nighght]

Oh no! Sorry that happened. It's hard to be certain whether you fried anything, but the suspicion is that your CPU and cooler might have gone bad. My plan of attack would be to try the easiest and least expensive things first. Since you already tried cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste, you can rule that out. My next step would be to do the same again with a new CPU cooler and hope for the best. If not, then you'll need a new processor eventually, but it seems to be working for the time being.

Testing the CPU: A sign of a dying CPU is that it idles hot, but that is assuming a proper cooling setup. To test his, get any reputable all-in-one liquid cooler (e.g. H80i, H100i, H110i, 212 EVO, etc.), clean off your processor's paste, and install the new cooler. Give the past about 30 minutes to set before you heat things up (not 100% necessary, but I like to do it). Then you'll be ready to test. Download Prime95 and run it for a while, watching your temperatures as it goes. The program runs a math problem that goes on forever, so it can max out any processor indefinitely and is used for stress tests. Don't worry, though, you can stop it by just closing Prime95 from the system tray. If things run hot (e.g. upward of 85-90 C), then your processor's life likely is coming to an end. If not,then rock on! You'll be good to go if you temperatures remain within 15 degrees C of 60 C (i.e. 45-75) while running Prime95. Actual temperatures will depend on which cooler you get, but 45-75 ranges from excellent to perfectly acceptable.

If the CPU tests reveal a dying CPU: You have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see what you should do next. Shop for the same processor on line to check prices. Compare those prices to new processors. Maybe it's about time to upgrade. You can save money while waiting for that processor to die.

Other possible concerns: One annoying possibility is that your CPU may have fared the weather just fine, but that the components surrounding it didn't (e.g. motherboard, RAM, etc.). It's annoying because the only way to tell whether this was the case is to replace the processor and see if there are still issues. My guess is that problems are isolated to the CPU and cooler, but who knows. When stuff like this happens to older machines -whether its a computer or a car - its always worth looking into replacing the entire machine if the cost justifies doing so.

Good luck! I hope it's just a simple matter of replacing the cooler.

Alright, so I got myself the H100i. When I'm running Prime95, my cores peak at 58C. I let it run for about a half hour before I was satisfied. As far as I can tell, the only thing that was dramatically damaged was the pump and thankfully I don't have to replace anything else! Thanks so much for your help. : )

EDIT: I am, however, getting a high-pitched whine from the unit. I don't know if this is because it's working too hard to keep up with my CPU or if it's just loud. I'll keep investigating.

 

[unknownofprob]

Oh no! Sorry that happened. It's hard to be certain whether you fried anything, but the suspicion is that your CPU and cooler might have gone bad. My plan of attack would be to try the easiest and least expensive things first. Since you already tried cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste, you can rule that out. My next step would be to do the same again with a new CPU cooler and hope for the best. If not, then you'll need a new processor eventually, but it seems to be working for the time being.

Testing the CPU: A sign of a dying CPU is that it idles hot, but that is assuming a proper cooling setup. To test his, get any reputable all-in-one liquid cooler (e.g. H80i, H100i, H110i, 212 EVO, etc.), clean off your processor's paste, and install the new cooler. Give the past about 30 minutes to set before you heat things up (not 100% necessary, but I like to do it). Then you'll be ready to test. Download Prime95 and run it for a while, watching your temperatures as it goes. The program runs a math problem that goes on forever, so it can max out any processor indefinitely and is used for stress tests. Don't worry, though, you can stop it by just closing Prime95 from the system tray. If things run hot (e.g. upward of 85-90 C), then your processor's life likely is coming to an end. If not,then rock on! You'll be good to go if you temperatures remain within 15 degrees C of 60 C (i.e. 45-75) while running Prime95. Actual temperatures will depend on which cooler you get, but 45-75 ranges from excellent to perfectly acceptable.

If the CPU tests reveal a dying CPU: You have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see what you should do next. Shop for the same processor on line to check prices. Compare those prices to new processors. Maybe it's about time to upgrade. You can save money while waiting for that processor to die.

Other possible concerns: One annoying possibility is that your CPU may have fared the weather just fine, but that the components surrounding it didn't (e.g. motherboard, RAM, etc.). It's annoying because the only way to tell whether this was the case is to replace the processor and see if there are still issues. My guess is that problems are isolated to the CPU and cooler, but who knows. When stuff like this happens to older machines -whether its a computer or a car - its always worth looking into replacing the entire machine if the cost justifies doing so.

Good luck! I hope it's just a simple matter of replacing the cooler.

Alright, so I got myself the H100i. When I'm running Prime95, my cores peak at 58C. I let it run for about a half hour before I was satisfied. As far as I can tell, the only thing that was dramatically damaged was the pump and thankfully I don't have to replace anything else! Thanks so much for your help. : )

EDIT: I am, however, getting a high-pitched whine from the unit. I don't know if this is because it's working too hard to keep up with my CPU or if it's just loud. I'll keep investigating.

well glad to know the temps are good now. Now with your whining noise, I am almost certain it's a coil whine from the graphics card, That is a manufacturing default and is of no damage to the graphics card at all, just really annoying. Same thing with my Gigabyte Windforce 3x R9 290X.

 

[bygbyron3]

Nice avatar.

 

[nighght]

Oh no! Sorry that happened. It's hard to be certain whether you fried anything, but the suspicion is that your CPU and cooler might have gone bad. My plan of attack would be to try the easiest and least expensive things first. Since you already tried cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste, you can rule that out. My next step would be to do the same again with a new CPU cooler and hope for the best. If not, then you'll need a new processor eventually, but it seems to be working for the time being.

Testing the CPU: A sign of a dying CPU is that it idles hot, but that is assuming a proper cooling setup. To test his, get any reputable all-in-one liquid cooler (e.g. H80i, H100i, H110i, 212 EVO, etc.), clean off your processor's paste, and install the new cooler. Give the past about 30 minutes to set before you heat things up (not 100% necessary, but I like to do it). Then you'll be ready to test. Download Prime95 and run it for a while, watching your temperatures as it goes. The program runs a math problem that goes on forever, so it can max out any processor indefinitely and is used for stress tests. Don't worry, though, you can stop it by just closing Prime95 from the system tray. If things run hot (e.g. upward of 85-90 C), then your processor's life likely is coming to an end. If not,then rock on! You'll be good to go if you temperatures remain within 15 degrees C of 60 C (i.e. 45-75) while running Prime95. Actual temperatures will depend on which cooler you get, but 45-75 ranges from excellent to perfectly acceptable.

If the CPU tests reveal a dying CPU: You have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see what you should do next. Shop for the same processor on line to check prices. Compare those prices to new processors. Maybe it's about time to upgrade. You can save money while waiting for that processor to die.

Other possible concerns: One annoying possibility is that your CPU may have fared the weather just fine, but that the components surrounding it didn't (e.g. motherboard, RAM, etc.). It's annoying because the only way to tell whether this was the case is to replace the processor and see if there are still issues. My guess is that problems are isolated to the CPU and cooler, but who knows. When stuff like this happens to older machines -whether its a computer or a car - its always worth looking into replacing the entire machine if the cost justifies doing so.

Good luck! I hope it's just a simple matter of replacing the cooler.

Alright, so I got myself the H100i. When I'm running Prime95, my cores peak at 58C. I let it run for about a half hour before I was satisfied. As far as I can tell, the only thing that was dramatically damaged was the pump and thankfully I don't have to replace anything else! Thanks so much for your help. : )

EDIT: I am, however, getting a high-pitched whine from the unit. I don't know if this is because it's working too hard to keep up with my CPU or if it's just loud. I'll keep investigating.

well glad to know the temps are good now. Now with your whining noise, I am almost certain it's a coil whine from the graphics card, That is a manufacturing default and is of no damage to the graphics card at all, just really annoying. Same thing with my Gigabyte Windforce 3x R9 290X.

Hey there, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately there's no doubt that it's the fans on the H100i. When I unplug the fans, the whining stops. I've heard the fans are much different when you plug them into the mobo instead, but I don't have the proper connectors to do that tonight.

 

[nighght]

Nice avatar.

Awesome.

 

[bicycle_repair_man]

Oh no! Sorry that happened. It's hard to be certain whether you fried anything, but the suspicion is that your CPU and cooler might have gone bad. My plan of attack would be to try the easiest and least expensive things first. Since you already tried cleaning and reapplying the thermal paste, you can rule that out. My next step would be to do the same again with a new CPU cooler and hope for the best. If not, then you'll need a new processor eventually, but it seems to be working for the time being.

Testing the CPU: A sign of a dying CPU is that it idles hot, but that is assuming a proper cooling setup. To test his, get any reputable all-in-one liquid cooler (e.g. H80i, H100i, H110i, 212 EVO, etc.), clean off your processor's paste, and install the new cooler. Give the past about 30 minutes to set before you heat things up (not 100% necessary, but I like to do it). Then you'll be ready to test. Download Prime95 and run it for a while, watching your temperatures as it goes. The program runs a math problem that goes on forever, so it can max out any processor indefinitely and is used for stress tests. Don't worry, though, you can stop it by just closing Prime95 from the system tray. If things run hot (e.g. upward of 85-90 C), then your processor's life likely is coming to an end. If not,then rock on! You'll be good to go if you temperatures remain within 15 degrees C of 60 C (i.e. 45-75) while running Prime95. Actual temperatures will depend on which cooler you get, but 45-75 ranges from excellent to perfectly acceptable.

If the CPU tests reveal a dying CPU: You have to do a cost-benefit analysis to see what you should do next. Shop for the same processor on line to check prices. Compare those prices to new processors. Maybe it's about time to upgrade. You can save money while waiting for that processor to die.

Other possible concerns: One annoying possibility is that your CPU may have fared the weather just fine, but that the components surrounding it didn't (e.g. motherboard, RAM, etc.). It's annoying because the only way to tell whether this was the case is to replace the processor and see if there are still issues. My guess is that problems are isolated to the CPU and cooler, but who knows. When stuff like this happens to older machines -whether its a computer or a car - its always worth looking into replacing the entire machine if the cost justifies doing so.

Good luck! I hope it's just a simple matter of replacing the cooler.

Alright, so I got myself the H100i. When I'm running Prime95, my cores peak at 58C. I let it run for about a half hour before I was satisfied. As far as I can tell, the only thing that was dramatically damaged was the pump and thankfully I don't have to replace anything else! Thanks so much for your help. : )

EDIT: I am, however, getting a high-pitched whine from the unit. I don't know if this is because it's working too hard to keep up with my CPU or if it's just loud. I'll keep investigating.

well glad to know the temps are good now. Now with your whining noise, I am almost certain it's a coil whine from the graphics card, That is a manufacturing default and is of no damage to the graphics card at all, just really annoying. Same thing with my Gigabyte Windforce 3x R9 290X.

Hey there, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately there's no doubt that it's the fans on the H100i. When I unplug the fans, the whining stops. I've heard the fans are much different when you plug them into the mobo instead, but I don't have the proper connectors to do that tonight.

Glad to hear that the cooler is now sorted.

The H100i fans are rated at 37.68 dBA which isn't exactly quiet. If the fans are regular 3 pin ones then I'd first connect them to the motherboard and reduce their spin rate. You should be able to do this is the BIOS, usually in the form of a percentage. The downside is that the fans will run at this speed all the time, so if you reduce the rate, things will get hotter under load and if you increase the rate, the fans will sound like a jet engine all the time.

Alternatively, look into aftermarket PWM fans if your motherboard will support them. PWM will automatically adjust the fan speed based on the temperature.

 

[unknownofprob]

fans don't tend to make a high pitched noise, That's why I thought it would be the graphics card, ah well. You can control the Fan speed using speedfan, which is an application.

 

[Eggz]

When I unplug the fans, the whining stops. I've heard the fans are much different when you plug them into the mobo instead, but I don't have the proper connectors to do that tonight.

H100i is known to come with annoying fans stock. Get these fans, which are made for radiators, are quiet, and are pretty sweet looking. They aren't very expensive, and you'll be able to use them in future computers.

Also, I'd advise against plugging fans directly into the motherboard. The "i" in your H100i stands for "intelligent" because it will control the fan speeds based on the amount of heat energy your CPU produces at any given moment. That's the reason there's a USB plug on the unit. It's way more sophisticated than a PWM fan, and you'll be able to use Corsair's software to control your system fans.

Just use the unit as intented, but use it with new fans