CPU temperature skyrockets and causes crashes, but only when gaming

[skarvika]

I've run into a pretty odd problem. I've waded through tons of threads on the site about people with similar issues, but there's always differences in the small details.
My CPU (AMD FX-8150) idles at around 40-45 degrees celcius but when I launch a game, it'll steadily go up until around 80-85 degrees, then it just crashes. I can run older games like GTA 3, but anything newer causes a shutdown within minutes.
This is a relatively new problem that just began about 10 days ago. I'm using a liquid cooler (Asetek 570LX) and the manufacturer's site says it should have about 2 more years of life left. I've since dusted my computer, checked for malware, changed the thermal paste and made sure the cooler is attached correctly.
I'm really at a loss as to what the problem could be. Only solution I can think of now is to replace parts, but I'm hesitant to do this because my CPU and cooler seem to be working fine whenever not in game. Any ideas?

 

[GhislainG]

I don't know how you read temperatures on that CPU, but checking the thermal margins at full load with AMD Overdrive would be very useful. If they are less than 10°C, then the cooler no longer is working properly.

 

[skarvika]

I don't know how you read temperatures on that CPU, but checking the thermal margins at full load with AMD Overdrive would be very useful. If they are less than 10°C, then the cooler no longer is working properly.

Thanks for the response. I just installed AMD Overdrive to test. When launching a game, Overdrive consistently displayed the thermal margin in the negative. This would suggest my cooler is indeed faulty if what you're saying is true. I'm still a little skeptical though; I've heard that if the cooler wasn't working, then the computer would barely even be able to boot, is that true?
Would you definitely conclude this is a problem with the cooling system and would it be worth replacing the thing entirely or is there some kind of fix?

 

[GhislainG]

How negative are the thermal margins? Your system will definitely boot fine even if the cooler doesn't work properly; it may take a tiny bit longer because the CPU may sometimes throttle to 1.4 GHz. Your cooler is a closed unit and you need to replace the complete unit; RMA it if under warranty and use the stock cooler until you get a replacement.

Unlike what you wrote in your first post, the cooler does not seem to be working fine.

 

[skarvika]

How negative are the thermal margins? Your system will definitely boot fine even if the cooler doesn't work properly; it may take a tiny bit longer because the CPU may sometimes throttle to 1.4 GHz. Your cooler is a closed unit and you need to replace the complete unit; RMA it if under warranty and use the stock cooler until you get a replacement.

Unlike what you wrote in your first post, the cooler does not seem to be working fine.

Interesting, seems I may have been misinformed then. The lowest negative I've seen was -13.2, but the average seemed to fluctuate in between -4 and -9. I'll look into getting a replacement cooler and will post back here when that happens.
Thanks for the help!

 

[GhislainG]

It definitely is the cooler. At less than 0°C the CPU should be running at 1.4 GHz; it can't run at it's normal speed when under load.

 

[skarvika]

It definitely is the cooler. At less than 0°C the CPU should be running at 1.4 GHz; it can't run at it's normal speed when under load.

Just confirming that you're right. Got a new cooler and it's working well. Thanks again for the help.