I'm having overheating issues

[smartie279]

Ok, so I have an Athlon X4 760k , and it works perfect for league, the only game i really play. ive been going fine for a long time, but lately, i started seeing drops to even 45 fps in game, it is pretty low seeing as how i should be getting well above 120.

I've been looking high and low for a reason on why my fps was so low, and im pretty sure i've figured it out. I'm pretty sure my CPU is going well beyond the temp it should be, like way beyond.

Right now while im idle, typing this out, Core temp says im at 90 degrees celcius, HWmonitor says the exact same thing, and while im playing any game, or under any kind of load at all, it goes up to 120 degrees, ive seen it go as high as 125.

The first thing i thought of is that my computer was hella dusty, and while there was some dust in there. i clean it fairly often. So i almost thought that i just had a sensor issue, but my fans are always screaming at me and the case is warm to the touch.

Now i think that since i have a mini tower, that all of the cords are blocking some airflow, add that to the fact im using a stock cooler , sounds like a recipe for disaster. You'd think with 120 degrees, it would just shut itself off before it melts.

I'm going to start looking for a new case and cpu fan soon, but i thought i'd ask you guys first to see if you had any other ideas on the cause maybe? I'm all out of ideas

 

[genthug]

I would think it is definitely some type of sensor issue. 90C at idle means you didn't even put a cooler on it. And the recommended temps are 74C. Nevermind the "120" that HWMonitor thinks you're hitting. It would definitely shut itself down before it hit that mark.

Are you overclocking? What case do you have? Yes definitely get an aftermarket cooler, stock coolers are awful.

 

[StormBrew]

Ok, so I have an Athlon X4 760k , and it works perfect for league, the only game i really play. ive been going fine for a long time, but lately, i started seeing drops to even 45 fps in game, it is pretty low seeing as how i should be getting well above 120.

I've been looking high and low for a reason on why my fps was so low, and im pretty sure i've figured it out. I'm pretty sure my CPU is going well beyond the temp it should be, like way beyond.

Right now while im idle, typing this out, Core temp says im at 90 degrees celcius, HWmonitor says the exact same thing, and while im playing any game, or under any kind of load at all, it goes up to 120 degrees, ive seen it go as high as 125.

The first thing i thought of is that my computer was hella dusty, and while there was some dust in there. i clean it fairly often. So i almost thought that i just had a sensor issue, but my fans are always screaming at me and the case is warm to the touch.

Now i think that since i have a mini tower, that all of the cords are blocking some airflow, add that to the fact im using a stock cooler , sounds like a recipe for disaster. You'd think with 120 degrees, it would just shut itself off before it melts.

I'm going to start looking for a new case and cpu fan soon, but i thought i'd ask you guys first to see if you had any other ideas on the cause maybe? I'm all out of ideas

Definitely temperature. Any CPU hitting 120 degrees Celsius is essentially ripping itself apart. However, depending on your case, you may be able to get by with simply adding a few new fans and a better CPU cooler. AMD's old coolers are absolutely atrocious, and cannot handle cooling in any way.

While I do not know what case you are using, I picked this Mini-ITX case to demonstrate what typically fits in systems like it. I would recommend checking the clearance and fan slots on your case before purchasing anything.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $37.49
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-25 20:16 EDT-0400
I picked this cheap Cryorig cooler because, A. It's low profile. B. It looks amazing. C. It performs well above the AMD stock cooler.

Alternatively, if your case allows for it, you could choose a cheap all in one liquid cooling solution, which would definitely solve the issues of cooling.
PCPartPicker part list / Price breakdown by merchant

CPU: AMD Athlon X4 760K 3.8GHz Quad-Core Processor (Purchased For $0.00)
CPU Cooler: Corsair H55 57.0 CFM Liquid CPU Cooler ($57.99 @ Micro Center)
CPU Cooler: CRYORIG C7 40.5 CFM CPU Cooler ($37.49 @ Amazon)
Case: Cooler Master Elite 110 Mini ITX Tower Case (Purchased For $0.00)
Total: $95.48
Prices include shipping, taxes, and discounts when available
Generated by PCPartPicker 2016-05-25 20:18 EDT-0400

Remember, for air cooling in general, you need at least one fan bringing in air to the case. With liquid cooling, you can generally avoid the hassle of airflow, seeing as you only use a CPU, and not a GPU.

Best of luck to you!

 

[smartie279]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147166
this is my case. I did some fiddling in my bios, and it seems that OC genie was on , i turned it off and now it's idling around 75-90 instead of 100-120 , still tool high, but doesnt seem as face melting.

also makes it seem like its not a sensor issue. Also if i can ask, how does water cooling work? I'm still probably going to get a bigger case and fan, the case because having no room to work with is really no bueno.

 

[StormBrew]

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811147166
this is my case. I did some fiddling in my bios, and it seems that OC genie was on , i turned it off and now it's idling around 75-90 instead of 100-120 , still tool high, but doesnt seem as face melting.

also makes it seem like its not a sensor issue. Also if i can ask, how does water cooling work? I'm still probably going to get a bigger case and fan, the case because having no room to work with is really no bueno.

Great to hear. Water cooling works by essentially having 3 main components, the pump, heat sink, and radiator. The pump moves water in a cycle between the metal contact of the heat sink, and to the radiator. The water in the tubing, moves the heat produced by the CPU, into a radiator, where it cools down with the help of a fan. Then the water returns to the heat sink and begins the cycle again. It will definitely be quieter than the AMD cooler. This method works at dissipating heat much better than most air cooling methods. (Some air coolers can match and beat out water coolers, but for a higher price). Whatever you choose to go with, please do upgrade that cooler. It will definitely help your temperatures.

 

[genthug]

Don't water cool that. If you're looking at watercooling something, simply get better components. Water cooling is an enthusiast or an I-live-in-the-desert necessity. For the price of watercooling that CPU you could grab yourself an i3 + motherboard/ most of an i5 + motherboard depending on the LC you go for.

I would look into what stormbrew posted. Stock coolers are absolutely horrendous.

 

[smartie279]

Don't water cool that. If you're looking at watercooling something, simply get better components. Water cooling is an enthusiast or an I-live-in-the-desert necessity. For the price of watercooling that CPU you could grab yourself an i3 + motherboard/ most of an i5 + motherboard depending on the LC you go for.

I would look into what stormbrew posted. Stock coolers are absolutely horrendous.

i think im just gonna go with the hyper 212 evo, it seems pretty standard, i'm about as far away as i can from living in the desert, i live in Alaska, so it stays around 50-60 degrees in my home

 

[StormBrew]

Don't water cool that. If you're looking at watercooling something, simply get better components. Water cooling is an enthusiast or an I-live-in-the-desert necessity. For the price of watercooling that CPU you could grab yourself an i3 + motherboard/ most of an i5 + motherboard depending on the LC you go for.

I would look into what stormbrew posted. Stock coolers are absolutely horrendous.

i think im just gonna go with the hyper 212 evo, it seems pretty standard, i'm about as far away as i can from living in the desert, i live in Alaska, so it stays around 50-60 degrees in my home

Best of luck, hopefully your cooler solves the issue. If you are getting a new case, just make sure you have ample air flow.
A video explaining it can be found below:
[video="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OmkmluAYAQ"][/video]