My CPU is running very hot, suggestions?

[monitobeko]

Hello, my CPU is running very hot and I wonder if there is anything I can do about it. I want to even possibly overclock my Phenom II X4 965 to 3.8 GHz or something similar. My main question is will a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO improve temps a lot?

Currently I have a Cooler Master Hyper TX3 EVO cooler, which doesn't seem that much worse than the Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO (although I only really found 1 direct comparison) and I have a Thermaltake Commander MS-I case, which has 2x120mm fans on it, one on the back for exhaust and one on the front for intake. (Note: CPU cooler blows air upwards, there is a mesh there though for 2 top fans so the hot air isn't staying inside the case)

Obviously right now it's summer and my room is pretty hot (probably around 30-35 degrees or so?) but my Core temp right now is at 52C while just being in Chrome browsing the internet :/ It goes up to 62-64C while gaming. I am too scared to game too much during the day.

What's even worse is my CPU is undervolted and it still gets high temps. It's at 1.3V and stock speeds, this was as low as I could get it to be stable on my ASRock 970 Extreme4. My GPU never goes above 66C even when overclocked though, so I doubt the problem is my case airflow. I guess I could try redoing the thermal paste although I've already done that once in the past, no changes. I am thinking of getting a Cooler Master Hyper 212 EVO but I am wondering if it will yield any results? :/

Here are all of my specs:
Case: Thermaltake Commander MS-I
Motherboard: ASRock 970 Extreme4
CPU: AMD Phenom II X4 965 @ 3.4 GHz and 1.3V
Graphics card: Sapphire Radeon HD 7850 1 GB @ stock speeds and voltages
HDD: Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 1TB
Power supply: Seasonic S12II Bronze 620W

 

[laloadv]

Did you check your thermal paste recently? It could be dry. Also, what's your CPU usage?

 

[MalakiArtook]

66 is a fine temp I don't know why you are worried. Getting another cooler Isn't going to make much of a difference.

 

[Jcomptech]

Improve your room tempurature with a floor stand to circulate air in your room or try liquid cooling. Depending on where you live makes a big difference-- temps for your components. Buy a aftermarket cooler for your AMD cpu, considering your room temps and the temps with your cpu, get a liquid cooling solution or the Cooler Master 212 EVO. It should make a difference. It wouldn't "yeild" anything in regards to performance or temps but depeding on your computer case, it may or may not fit.

 

[bigpinkdragon286]

I wouldn't press my luck trying to overclock with temperatures like that. You need to find a way to bring your temperatures lower, as overclocking is only going to raise them, and you're already close to your thermal limits while gaming. Do you have Cool'nQuiet or any power saving features turned off in BIOS? That might account for your high idle temperature, and I doubt it will affect whether any overclock you can achieve is stable or not. A stable overclock should have zero problems with chip throttling.

If your thermal interface material is of low quality, or improperly applied, it can adversely affect heat transfer from your chip. The most reliable method described on Tom's seems to be the small dot in the middle method, I believe described as chickpea sized. Thermal paste tends to go bad over time, so depending on the length of time since you applied it, it may be time for another application. Make certain you clean both mating surfaces between applications of thermal interface material. If you have your fan connected to a controllable fan header, make sure the fan is running at 100%, rather than being throttled by BIOS or other software, and the same if you have it connected to a fan controller.

 

[monitobeko]

I wouldn't press my luck trying to overclock with temperatures like that. You need to find a way to bring your temperatures lower, as overclocking is only going to raise them, and you're already close to your thermal limits while gaming. Do you have Cool'nQuiet or any power saving features turned off in BIOS? That might account for your high idle temperature, and I doubt it will affect whether any overclock you can achieve is stable or not. A stable overclock should have zero problems with chip throttling.

If your thermal interface material is of low quality, or improperly applied, it can adversely affect heat transfer from your chip. The most reliable method described on Tom's seems to be the small dot in the middle method, I believe described as chickpea sized. Thermal paste tends to go bad over time, so depending on the length of time since you applied it, it may be time for another application. Make certain you clean both mating surfaces between applications of thermal interface material. If you have your fan connected to a controllable fan header, make sure the fan is running at 100%, rather than being throttled by BIOS or other software, and the same if you have it connected to a fan controller.

Yeah my fans are already at 100% all of the time. I used the small dot in the middle method too and it was the stock thermal paste that came with my cooler. I think it's identical to the one that comes with the Hyper 212 EVO too. I did clean both surfaces. I guess the paste might have gone dry. I will probably get some thermal paste and try to reapply it again. Cool'n'Quiet is enabled.

 

[Jcomptech]

I wouldn't press my luck trying to overclock with temperatures like that. You need to find a way to bring your temperatures lower, as overclocking is only going to raise them, and you're already close to your thermal limits while gaming. Do you have Cool'nQuiet or any power saving features turned off in BIOS? That might account for your high idle temperature, and I doubt it will affect whether any overclock you can achieve is stable or not. A stable overclock should have zero problems with chip throttling.

If your thermal interface material is of low quality, or improperly applied, it can adversely affect heat transfer from your chip. The most reliable method described on Tom's seems to be the small dot in the middle method, I believe described as chickpea sized. Thermal paste tends to go bad over time, so depending on the length of time since you applied it, it may be time for another application. Make certain you clean both mating surfaces between applications of thermal interface material. If you have your fan connected to a controllable fan header, make sure the fan is running at 100%, rather than being throttled by BIOS or other software, and the same if you have it connected to a fan controller.

Yeah my fans are already at 100% all of the time. I used the small dot in the middle method too and it was the stock thermal paste that came with my cooler. I think it's identical to the one that comes with the Hyper 212 EVO too. I did clean both surfaces. I guess the paste might have gone dry. I will probably get some thermal paste and try to reapply it again. Cool'n'Quiet is enabled.

Try Arctic Silver 5 thermal paste.