Question My cpu is suddenly reaching very high temperatures/thermal throttling

[Aqui_]

I was playing a game a few days ago when my computer started lagging a lot and eventually turned off without signal. When I turned it back on, I checked the temperatures and sure enough, they were reach temps of 90+ degrees within seconds of turning it on. For the next few days, I tried many different software tests etc, and decided it was a CPU only problem. ONLY the CPU was going to extreme temps (as high as 115) and making my computer throttle. The CPU never showed more than 30% load throughout this mess. This is unusual as I have had the PC for over a year (which, mind isn't long for a CPU to start acting up). A few days ago, I reinstalled windows and then eventually opened the PC up and changed the thermal paste. Whilst I was doing that, I also cleared out all the dust and anything that may have been blocking air in my system.
The computer now runs (at around 60-80 degrees), if I have a few chrome tabs opened, but as soon as I open a game or something in the least intensive it hops up to 95 degrees (and I don't stick around to see if it'll go any higher)

any help at all would be fantastic

The specs of the PC (small case):
ryzen 5 5600x
rx 6650xt
auros b450 pro
noctua front fan & noctua cooler/heatsink
16gigs ddr4
seasonic 650w platinum
silverstone sg13 case

what it looked like when the problem first started happening:

 

[Aeacus]

silverstone sg13 case

That's one, small, heat box.

noctua cooler/heatsink

Which one exactly? NH-L9a-AM4?

The computer now runs (at around 60-80 degrees), if I have a few chrome tabs opened, but as soon as I open a game or something in the least intensive it hops up to 95 degrees (and I don't stick around to see if it'll go any higher)

Too less mounting pressure perhaps, after repaste. Or not enough cooling around the PC case vents.

Where is your PC case actually? Tucked away neatly somewhere?

 

[Aqui_]

That's one, small, heat box.



Which one exactly? NH-L9a-AM4?



Too less mounting pressure perhaps, after repaste. Or not enough cooling around the PC case vents.

Where is your PC case actually? Tucked away neatly somewhere?

hey sorry for taking so long to respond. I've been trying many diff things since my forum post, and i have a few updates; but first to respond to your questions. the heatsink + fan is the nh-l9a-am4 i believe.

In terms of your suggestions, i re applied the thermal paste with a friend to make sure i was doing so properly, and tightened the screws as much as they'd go, including with a bit of cracking noises.
The not enough cooling thing could be right except its been running fine for the past year so i don't know why all of a sudden its not enough. The PC case is now opened whenever turned on, and has always been sitting on my desk next to my monitor.
The CPU fan sometimes won't turn on but if I give it a little bit of spin on boot, it manages to start running. this forum post explains my fan issue.

Other than that, I now have it on low power consumption constantly and it doesn't go above 70, usually from 50-60. The issue is I can't do anything at low power consumption, everything is forced at 60fps so games look trashy and video editing is impossible. If i put it back on "balanced" power, it instantly hurls to 85-95 range (and if I launch a game or try streaming there's no hope and it starts thermal throttling).


edit: also reinstalled windows a few hours after posting the first part of the thread and that changed absolutely nothing.
i absolutely believe the problem is CPU related (or at least a big part of it)-- whether its around the CPU cooling or the CPU is just straight up failing i don't know. Do ryzen series 5 cpus have a warranty for CPU failure?

 

[Roland Of Gilead]

Hey there,

I'd agree with @Aeacus , this for me is a cooler/airflow issue.

That case is pretty small, and is adding to more heat but not enough for what's happening. From what you've said the cooler sounds defective, specially if you have to turn it to get it spinning.
Sounds like it may not be functioning correctly. If the fans aren't spinning properly, naturally your CPU will heat up.

and tightened the screws as much as they'd go, including with a bit of cracking noises.

This does not sound good. Prob means it's too tight, and either mobo or CPU IHS is damaged.

 

[Aeacus]

Do ryzen series 5 cpus have a warranty for CPU failure?

Yes, all CPUs have warranty. Yours has 3 years for purchase date, given that you got it in a retail package. But if you got it as plain chip, it's OEM version and you need to contract your store, from where you purchased it.

Btw, if you can boot into OS, your CPU is fine.
And CPU running hot, isn't the CPU issue, but instead user's error, who doesn't provide sufficient cooling. E.g you can't slap small CPU cooler to Threadripper and then blame it on CPU for it running hot.

The CPU fan sometimes won't turn on but if I give it a little bit of spin on boot, it manages to start running. this forum post explains my fan issue.

Replace the Noctua fan. Replacement fan is: Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM,
specs: https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9x14-pwm
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9x14-Premium-Quiet-92x14mm/dp/B009NQM7V2

You can even RMA your whole CPU cooler, since Noctua offers it 6 years of warranty.

 

[Aqui_]

Hey there,

I'd agree with @Aeacus , this for me is a cooler/airflow issue.

That case is pretty small, and is adding to more heat but not enough for what's happening. From what you've said the cooler sounds defective, specially if you have to turn it to get it spinning.
Sounds like it may not be functioning correctly. If the fans aren't spinning properly, naturally your CPU will heat up.


This does not sound good. Prob means it's too tight, and either mobo or CPU IHS is damaged.

i was told to make it go until it cracked a bit. i didn't go too tight i can assure you that-

for the fan, i definitely agree, however i don't see it as being the main issue considering it does run at its normal rpm (also checked BIOS fan settings) when it does spin. Idk feels like there's a bigger problem here somewhere

 

[Phaaze88]

It takes a few years or more for the paste between the cpu and cooler cold plate to break on its own. Now, if someone smacked the crap out of the PC, that's a different story...
We can't be sure of this, but the cpu could've been reaching throttle temperature(95C) before all this, and something else is responsible for your problem.

 

[Aeacus]

when it does spin

I thought the issue was when it doesn't spin?

Your CPU cooler fan must spin at all times, when PC is running. You don't have semi-passive fan, which stops at low temps, like my Arctic Freezer i32 CPU cooler stock fan is.

 

[Aqui_]

I thought the issue was when it doesn't spin?

Your CPU cooler fan must spin at all times, when PC is running. You don't have semi-passive fan, which stops at low temps, like my Arctic Freezer i32 CPU cooler stock fan is.

i am aware. the fan sometimes just doesn't spin on boot and currently is not spinning no matter what i do.

 

[Aqui_]

It takes a few years or more for the paste between the cpu and cooler cold plate to break on its own. Now, if someone smacked the crap out of the PC, that's a different story...
We can't be sure of this, but the cpu could've been reaching throttle temperature(95C) before all this, and something else is responsible for your problem.

agreed.
so it's definitely a hardware issue. Thoughts on the order in which I should replace parts so as not to have to spend an incredible amount of money when the issue might be with only one piece of the computer (if any)?

 

[Aeacus]

so it's definitely a hardware issue. Thoughts on the order in which I should replace parts so as not to have to spend an incredible amount of money when the issue might be with only one piece of the computer (if any)?

Cheapest would be this:

Replace the Noctua fan. Replacement fan is: Noctua NF-A9x14 PWM,
specs: https://noctua.at/en/products/fan/nf-a9x14-pwm
amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Noctua-NF-A9x14-Premium-Quiet-92x14mm/dp/B009NQM7V2

 

[Aqui_]

Cheapest would be this:

you think that could solve the whole solution, and cool enough to avoid thermal throttling under balanced mode (currently still under low power consumption mode)?

 

[Aeacus]

you think that could solve the whole solution, and cool enough to avoid thermal throttling under balanced mode (currently still under low power consumption mode)?

This would be the 1st step and at current moment, most likely source of the issue. Of course, there could always be a MoBo issue, but replacing a MoBo is one tedious thing to do, not to mention the cost of a MoBo. Or when you suspect CPU to be an issue, new CPU isn't cheap either.

However, rather than replacing CPU/MoBo, i'd replace PC case with either a bigger one or better ventilated one, since you have issues with cooling. And that hotbox you have, is probably the main cause.
Now, i know that PC case is personal choice but there are things that can't be ignored, like putting way too powerful system into cramped small case, which wasn't designed to house such a hot running components.