Question CPU temps rise to 90C idling in BIOS -- how to troubleshoot?

[tylerhadd]

I just took my PC on a long road trip during which it was subjected to a lot of vibration but nothing crazy. Upon hooking it back up and powering on, the CPU is not cooling properly anymore. Before the road trip this was not happening. At idle in the BIOS the temperature rises from ambient up to 90C in about 5 minutes before I turn it off to stop it from roasting itself.

I'm posting here to get some advice on what steps to take first to troubleshoot what the heck is going on. Whatever it is I assume it was somehow caused by the jostling/vibrating the PC was subjected to on my drive here...

It's an Intel Core i7-10700KF 3.80 GHz cooled with a Thermaltake RGB AIO 240MM.

The only thing I've tried is tightening of the screws mounting the plate to the CPU, just in case the vibrations from the road loosened them. They did turn a little but they definitely didn't seem loose. I have not noticed any unusual or out of the ordinary noises coming from the cooler.

 

[drea.drechsler]

There's not much of anything you can do in BIOS to reduce CPU load since it's already about as light of a load as it will ever see. So if there is a problem it is most likely with CPU cooling. But one thing I would do is a CMOS reset in case there are strange settings for CPU power management contributing to this.

First (since you do it with the system OFF) is make sure the pump/water block is properly mounted and tightened. This could be where the problem is if it came loose in the movement.

Another thing to do is make sure the AIO pump is working at full speed. Check where it's attached (if using a motherboard header) and in BIOS find fan profiles and adjust that header for DC control, +12V (or 100%) across all temperatures. If that's too complicated, attach it directly to a SATA power connector using an adapter (one might have been included in your AIO kit).

 

[tylerhadd]

There's not much of anything you can do in BIOS to reduce CPU load since it's already about as light of a load as it will ever see. So if there is a problem it is most likely with CPU cooling. But one thing I would do is a CMOS reset in case there are strange settings for CPU power management contributing to this.

First (since you do it with the system OFF) is make sure the pump/water block is properly mounted and tightened. This could be where the problem is if it came loose in the movement.

Another thing to do is make sure the AIO pump is working at full speed. Check where it's attached (if using a motherboard header) and in BIOS find fan profiles and adjust that header for DC control, +12V (or 100%) across all temperatures. If that's too complicated, attach it directly to a SATA power connector using an adapter (one might have been included in your AIO kit).

The pump is reported by the BIOS to be running at a constant 3500 RPM and is set to be 100% at all times. I will try completely re seating the water block to the CPU with new paste to see if anything changes but I am suspecting the cooler is shitting the bed so I will probably have no choice but to replace it.

 

[drea.drechsler]

... I am suspecting the cooler is shitting the bed so I will probably have no choice but to replace it.

That's a very real possibility with Thermaltake AIO's as they have been prone to that. The move could have jostled loose some of the jelled contaminant that forms in them from a location where it was harmless to the water block fins or some other place just as critical.