HELP! CPU Overheating

[Outhouse]

I just ensembled my first PC Asus a7a266 Athlon 1.3 with
a coolermaster Volcano II heat sink & fan. I was sent a warning beep once the computer was on for about two minutes.
I am pretty sure the fan is on correctly. Do I need a more
powerful one? This is the one the store recomended?
Thanks

 

[AmdMELTDOWN]

>I just ensembled [sic] my first PC Asus a7a266 Athlon 1.3 with a coolermaster Volcano II heat sink & fan.

well what do you expect from a molten pos core and a volcano?

seriously if you're getting a warning beep after 2 mins, then maybe your hsf is not installed correctly, goto AMD.com for a proper installation guide.

also check your bios warning temp, you may have to adjust that to a higher but reasonable level and check the airflow of your case.

ps the thermaltake Volcano II may or may not be the best for the job but maybe it's just a bios configuration prob.

"AMD/VIA...you <i>still</i> are the weakest link, good bye!"

 

[khha4113]

Check to see if the tape that covers its thermal compound underneath HSF has been removed.
BTW, Volcano II is made by <font color=blue>ThermalTake</font color=blue> not <font color=blue>Coolermaster</font color=blue>

Good or Bad have no meaning at all, depends on what your point of view is.

 

[Crashman]

The Thermaltake VolcanoII is a good heatsink, and even has a good thermal compound applied (as long as you remove the tape!). The Coolermaster DP-6H51, on the other hand, is not really good enough for the Athlon 1.3. So which do you have?
If you do have the VolcanoII and it is just a little shy of adequate, try a better fan on it. I personally tested them and found them to be a very good cooler, in the same range of cooling as the Glabalwin FOP-32. So if it's too small for your stock processor, something else is wrong.

Cast not thine pearls before the swine

 

[Outhouse]

I made a mistake. I have the thermaltake volcano II. My research tells me that it is a good fan/heatsink for my
CPU. In regards to the thermal pad, I did not remove anything as the web site instructs. Between the heatsink & CPU is a pink "thermal pad". I have been advised by the
guy at the store to perhaps add some compound. Is that going
to work with the thermal pad? Also, the alarm seems to go
off at 160 dgrees F. Should I move the warning temp up? Is that a reasonable temp for a 1.333 Athlon?
thanks for all your help

 

[Kodiak]

70+ Degrees C is a wee bit hot I'd say...
You usually have to remove a piece of protective paper/tape from the thermal pad... if you haven't, check and re-check the manuals and instructions...

if you buy -good- thermal compound, I'd remove the thermal pad *completely* and use just the compound -- they are usually far better than pads but harder to work with. So if you're going to use one anyway, there's no sense in keeping the pad -- it's only there to save you the trouble of using the compound

 

[peteb]

160F (71C) is WAAAYYYYY too hot!

That setup is NOT correct and you may damage your system running it further.

Thermal compound will not rectify this.

You most likely have a defective installation.

There is usually (like always) a thin plastic covering over thermal pads that must be removed BEFORE use. If your system is running that hot, you either have not removed it, or the heatsink is not properly attached.

Shutdown. Take it apart again. Think to yourself how lucky you are it still works at all and make a choice. Examine the parts (cpu and heatsink). If you are 100% confident you know what the die should look like (shiny, almost silver with a faint green/blue tint) and the heatsink and thermal pad (pad is now probably history since they do not re-use well) try to clea both with a little nail varnish remover and lint free cloth and apply thermal compound per the <A HREF="http://www.articsilver.com" target="_new">http://www.articsilver.com</A> instructions (similar instructions whether it is ASII or radioshack) and have a go.

OR (and this is my advice) take it all to the dealer, ask them to assemble it properly and certify that the HS and cpu are all mounted correctly, carry it home, check all is still attached and then fire it up, forgetting about your narrow shave.


Seriously - if you do not install the HS properly on a 1.33Ghz Athlon it WILL die faster than you can get to the powerswitch....


Just another thought - you do have a fan on the heatsink and it is turning - right???

-* This Space For Rent *-
email for application details<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by peteb on 06/10/01 00:44 AM.</EM></FONT></P>