CPU Temp hitting 90 degrees Celsius?

[ADuLy]

Hello Tom's Hardware,

So today, I cleaned my PC. I vacuumed dust off the case and entrances but did not touch any fans/coolers, mostly just dusted off the interior and exterior of the case. Earlier that day I was using the PC with no problem. Around 30 minutes ago, I was in a cs:go match and my FPS took a huge hit and started dipping into the 10-20s... I normally sit around 200+ mark for reference. I immediately scanned my PC for viruses and opened RealTemp. No viruses were found but a reading of 90 degrees Celsius on my cpu temperature did... I turned off my PC and inspected the internals but the fans were running completely fine. I restarted my PC and RealTemp read 40 degree average idle, and the temperature spiked up to average mid 50s when I launched csgo, which is normal.

I don't want to assume that RealTemp gave a false reading, and I am worried that the temperature may spike up again in the future and potentially cause damage to my components. If anyone has any ideas as to what may have caused the spike to 90 degrees, please let me know.

EDIT: Just launched a bot game on cs:go for about 30 seconds and the temperatures spiked back up into high 90s. This has never occurred before today, and am wondering if I am need of a CPU cooler change ASAP, or there is some other cause.

Thanks

 

[SKIPPY PB]

What set up do you have? Name brand rig? Like lenovo, hp, dell, etc? Or custom? And what GPU do you have? What CPU cooler/heatsink?

You should run a stress test instead of the game and just monitor it while you testing it. Also what have you done recently? Did you take it apart, etc.

Try running the game with the case open maybe? Maybe the CPU fan is not running optimally?

 

[ADuLy]

Built it myself;
-I5 4460 (stock heatsink)

-GTX 960
In s340 case, but I doubt airflow is the issue; my exhaust fans are pushing out cool air)

Gpu runs at 40 degrees average in csgo, and I very recently opened up my PC to clean it out, I didn't not take it apart but I cleaned dust off external and gaps but never touching the CPU cooler

 

[kneeproblems]

The problem is the stock heatsink. You definitely need an aftermarket cooler. I was also experiencing temperatures in the 90s with my i7, but as soon as I switched to the hyper 212 evo, I never had an issue again.

 

[SKIPPY PB]

Built it myself;
-I5 4460 (stock heatsink)
-GTX 960
In s340 case, but I doubt airflow is the issue.

Bottom line if you are not doing anything out of the ordinary and the temps have suddenly just started shooting up (granted you where monitoring before and now.) something had to happen. Something factor changed causing it to do that. Unless you just didn't monitor it before.

Can you go into the bios and put the CPU fan on override and set it to like full speed. Then monitor the temps. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think 90 C is about the limit for intel chips about that is the unknown territory where thinks get iffy.

The question is what changed to cause a random spike and only when CSGO is open. Did you download some bootleg free hacks that have a virus in them or something? Make sure the fan isn't dogging its way along. I mean you can pick up an EVO 212 for like 25 bucks if your in doubt. Not a bad purchase if your using the stock setup


By the way, there is ESD and vaccuums cause major problems with that stuff as they make electrical/static currents. Maybe you touched the CPU fan and shorted it?

Also if its a stock set up, not OC'd, just running normally the stock cooler should be more than sufficient. The are not designed to be used for overclocking. They are designed to run at there original specification.

 

[kneeproblems]

Built it myself;
-I5 4460 (stock heatsink)
-GTX 960
In s340 case, but I doubt airflow is the issue.

Bottom line if you are not doing anything out of the ordinary and the temps have suddenly just started shooting up (granted you where monitoring before and now.) something had to happen. Something factor changed causing it to do that. Unless you just didn't monitor it before.

Can you go into the bios and put the CPU fan on override and set it to like full speed. Then monitor the temps. Someone correct me if I am wrong but I think 90 C is about the limit for intel chips about that is the unknown territory where thinks get iffy.

The question is what changed to cause a random spike and only when CSGO is open. Did you download some bootleg free hacks that have a virus in them or something? Make sure the fan isn't dogging its way along. I mean you can pick up an EVO 212 for like 25 bucks if your in doubt. Not a bad purchase if your using the stock setup

The CPU can typically handle up to like 100 degrees C, but if it ever reaches that point, it will start thermal throttling. Regardless, having temperatures this high will shorten the lifespan of the CPU.

 

[ADuLy]

The CPU fan is still running so I don't think I shorted it. I may consider grabbing a cooler if the problem does not get solved.

Have not downloaded any malicious programs. Scanned for viruses as well, none to be found.

 

[ryder57]

Built it myself;
-I5 4460 (stock heatsink)

-GTX 960
In s340 case, but I doubt airflow is the issue; my exhaust fans are pushing out cool air)

Gpu runs at 40 degrees average in csgo, and I very recently opened up my PC to clean it out, I didn't not take it apart but I cleaned dust off external and gaps but never touching the CPU cooler

I totally agree with Kneeproblems my I7 was hitting the 80-90 and its a Nehalem , as soon as I put the CM 212 Evo on, it never goes above low 60's under full 100% work load.

 

[AdmiralDonut]

If you didn't take the front panel off and clean out the front filter, you are going to have a bad time.

 

[ADuLy]

I have cleaned all filters in the pc case, and all fans are still working. That is why I am confused, I have no idea as to why the temps suddenly sy rocketed under load. I may just swap out the stock cooler but I did not 'mess' around with the internals, I cleaned the filters and exterior of the case and that's it. I am unsure why the CPU is hitting such a high temp when the fan is fully operational.

 

[AdmiralDonut]

I have cleaned all filters in the pc case, and all fans are still working. That is why I am confused, I have no idea as to why the temps suddenly sy rocketed under load. I may just swap out the stock cooler but I did not 'mess' around with the internals, I cleaned the filters and exterior of the case and that's it. I am unsure why the CPU is hitting such a high temp when the fan is fully operational.

Honestly, it just sounds like you knocked the CPU cooler at some point. If all the fans are clean, and the only thing different is that you've cleaned things, then it's a pretty safe bet that this is the problem. Get yourself a decent aftermarket cooler (most are quieter, more efficient, and far prettier than the stock one) and make sure to pick up not only some new thermal paste (Arctic MX-4 is my favourite) but also some isopropyl alcohol (either bottled or the wipes you can buy from chemists), give the CPU a good clean, and install the new cooler.

 

[ADuLy]

Solution selected by AndyD.

+Thanks. Also, is there any way to tell if my cleaning of the PC damaged the cooler in any way? If not for my fps hit in csgo, i most likely would never have noticed.

 

[AdmiralDonut]

Solution selected by AndyD.

+Thanks. Also, is there any way to tell if my cleaning of the PC damaged the cooler in any way? If not for my fps hit in csgo, i most likely would never have noticed.

It's not that you would have physically damaged the cooler, what is more likely is that one of the four pegs that holds the stock cooler to the motherboard was knocked loose, or you may have physically knocked the whole cooler, and dislodged it slightly.

 

[SKIPPY PB]

Solution selected by AndyD.

+Thanks. Also, is there any way to tell if my cleaning of the PC damaged the cooler in any way? If not for my fps hit in csgo, i most likely would never have noticed.

Cleaning electrical components with a vacuum is always risky. Best to do so with compressed air. The cans are expensive and I have a compressor I use for automotive tools. However you may want to invest in a little cheap compressor that you can get to work like a blow gun that can be used for bicycle tires, etc.

Look up videos and such so you can understand what problems can occur and why they do. This will be your best defense. Touching electrical components with bare hands will leave finger tip oils and can transfer static shocks to components.

 

[AdmiralDonut]

Solution selected by AndyD.

+Thanks. Also, is there any way to tell if my cleaning of the PC damaged the cooler in any way? If not for my fps hit in csgo, i most likely would never have noticed.

Cleaning electrical components with a vacuum is always risky. Best to do so with compressed air. The cans are expensive and I have a compressor I use for automotive tools. However you may want to invest in a little cheap compressor that you can get to work like a blow gun that can be used for bicycle tires, etc.

Look up videos and such so you can understand what problems can occur and why they do. This will be your best defense. Touching electrical components with bare hands will leave finger tip oils and can transfer static shocks to components.

As an addendum to this post, I would suggest looking at an airbrush/compressor set for model making, as they come with an in-line moisture trap which is essential for use around electrical components. A decent compressor/airbrush kit should come in at around $60 or so which may seem expensive, but the cost of canned air over the life time of your average PC will come to at least $500, so the compressor is a far superior option.