[SOLVED] CPU temps drop by 10c with case OPEN. Help needed.

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agonydear

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Nov 26, 2018
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Hey guys, I'm really desperate for some help/recommendations here, so any advise would be appreciated. Thanks for taking your time.

Specs with pics:
i7-4790K No OC
H97 Pro7 Mobo
Deepcool Gammax 400
Case is pretty small

https://imgur.com/a/jgqwQvO
View: https://imgur.com/a/jgqwQvO


These are the concrete ones, I will add other ones if you ask. So basically my problem lately is cooling. When I first got this PC from my office, which is second handed, it was ok, temps were 29-31c on idle, maximum of 72 when playing games with case CLOSED. About 1 month ago I've noticed temps rising more and more, to the point where it gets up to 85c during gaming and 34 minimum, but mostly 37 when idling, FAN spins up faster nearly on every task now. I reapplied thermal paste many times differently (pea, line and etc.), attached the cooler as properly as it can be, checked many times, even reinstalled Windows and it's still the same. Now, when I open my case, it actually drops to "before normal" temps. The ones that I had before, with case closed. I've been told that it may be cooler going bad, that heatpipes should be at least warm on load and that's exactly the thing, when I touch the heatpipes when gaming, they are just a bit warm, like just a bit, and only some of them, not all. They never get any hotter than that no matter what I'm doing. Increasing fan RPM doesn't help at all.

So that's what I wanna know, what's the deal here. Is it my case? Is it because of warmer weather? Because I bought this PC in December. Now it's warm outside, so is that it? Or is really my cooler going bad and needs replacing? It wont be a surprise because this PC is second-hand. I just wanna know what is exactly the cause and should I just get a new cooler, which is what I'm planning to do, but before that, I need a clarification.

Again, thanks for taking your time and reading this, I hope someone will help me out.
 
Solution
Rogue Leader
Everything in that case looks dusty as hell, I'd bet money your intakes are clogged with dust. I even see a lot of dust on the cooler tower itself.

Thoroughly clean all of it, then see where your temps are at.

Feeling the heatpipes is a waste of time, your hand is not a proper nor accurate measure of temperature.
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Everything in that case looks dusty as hell, I'd bet money your intakes are clogged with dust. I even see a lot of dust on the cooler tower itself.

Thoroughly clean all of it, then see where your temps are at.

Feeling the heatpipes is a waste of time, your hand is not a proper nor accurate measure of temperature.
 
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Solution
Rogue Leader said:
Everything in that case looks dusty as hell, I'd bet money your intakes are clogged with dust. I even see a lot of dust on the cooler tower itself.

Thoroughly clean all of it, then see where your temps are at.

Feeling the heatpipes is a waste of time, your hand is not a proper nor accurate measure of temperature.
Click to expand...

Thanks for replying.

I actually did clean it before, it never changed anything. It's not as dusty as it looks, just a bit. My co-worker's case is much more dusty because he has tons of more fans and his temps are still the same. He is actually the one who built this PC the way it is now, he's very experienced and it took him couple of hours to set and test everything properly and he keeps telling me that he doesn't like my cooler and it needs to be replaced. I just need a confirmation.

BTW my company is all about PCs so I know all this stuff except this situation where I can't really understand what is the reason..
 
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Running it with the side panel off its not surprising to see a huge temp difference. Warmer ambient temps are also going to affect your temperatures as well.

Coolers don't wear out, the fan on the cooler however the bearing could wear out especially if there was a lot of dust in there. I'd find a new PWM static pressure fan to replace just the fan, or replace the whole cooler if you're so inclined, but the actual cooler part is fine.
 
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agonydear said:
Thanks for replying.

I actually did clean it before, it never changed anything. It's not as dusty as it looks, just a bit. My co-worker's case is much more dusty because he has tons of more fans and his temps are still the same. He is actually the one who built this PC the way it is now, he's very experienced and it took him couple of hours to set and test everything properly and he keeps telling me that he doesn't like my cooler and it needs to be replaced. I just need a confirmation.

BTW my company is all about PCs so I know all this stuff except this situation where I can't really understand what is the reason..
Click to expand...
What about airflow? I have 3-in 3-out and my case is fairly small, but my cpu even OC`d with 1.4v cannot go beyond 71C
 
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From your photo it looks like the power supply is above the cpu cooler. Which way up is the power supply fan? Also it looks like there are some cables dangling in front of the cpu fan, it might be worth moving those so there is little to no obstruction between the front case fan and cpu cooler.
 
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If you've completely cleaned the fan blades and airways (this include CPU cooler fins) and no real difference in temps, it's time to examine the fans, make sure they're doing their job of spinning AND moving air. You can visually tell if it isn't or if it's barely spinning.... You'll need software to get an exact RPM though. Also make sure you don't have any software that decided to change their settings.

Also mentioned is cable routing, if the cables are too close to the fans, or blocking airflow to or from the cooler, you can get higher temps.

If all the fans are spinning, and spinning as fast as they should....
If the dust has been removed from temperature sensitive components, fans and airflow paths...

The next thing to look at is the cooler itself. It's not impossible to bump the cooler so that it's contact with the CPU was momentarily broken. This means removing the cooler, cleaning off the old thermal paste/compound and putting some new on it and re-seating the cooler. (Make sure you're completely powered down while doing this.)
 
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Does your case have any exhaust besides the PSU fan? If not, try installing an exhaust fan to the back. And like others recommended, make sure to clean the dust out from any air passages or filters. I have to do that for our shipping computer every couple months, because the cardboard dust floating around clogs things up and then the fans start to spin a lot faster to keep the thing from overheating.
 
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A cpu cooler needs a source of fresh air to let it do it's job.
From the photos, it looks like an old case with limited front intake.
A decent cooling case will have at least two 120/140mm front intakes.

Adding a couple of exhaust fans to the rear may help, but exhaust fans are not as effective as intakes in the front.


If you have no way to fit such, buy a new case.
A more modern case will have much better airflow and will not be effective.
$35 might buy one.
But, I would bust your budget for a case you love; it will be with you for a very long time.

What is the size of your motherboard?
ATX will have 7 expansion slots, M-ATX will have 4.
 
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Guys, you were right! I just took my time and cleaned cooler tower and cooler itself and everything now is fine as it can be! BIOS shows 25c on CPU, before it was 31-34 and 37 mostly in Windows, that's amazing! Also it's amazing how such a small pile of dust can make THAT BIG of a difference!

Thanks everyone for taking participation in this thread, it's been great!
 
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