[SOLVED] Need some cooling advice

jexorz

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So im starting to notice my computer slowly running warmer and warmer as time goes on, so much so that the other day while playing a game the sound of fans started to seep though my headset and when i checked on the temps both the cpu and mobo were sitting just under 160f and the video card at 201f

my case has been cleaned fairly recently and does not have much dust buildup , Its also in an a cool room with a case with pretty significant fans (a kendoman deepcool) and the fans seem to still be moving fine and arent sounding sluggish or grindy

Idle temps and component spec

Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64-bit
CPU
AMD FX-8350 88 °F
Vishera 32nm Technology
RAM
16.0GB Dual-Channel DDR3 (11-11-11-28)
Motherboard
ASUSTeK Computer INC. M5A78L-M/USB3 (AM3R2) 105 °F
Graphics
C24 (1920x1080@75Hz)
8192MB ATI Radeon RX 480 Graphics (XFX Pine Group) 117 °F
Storage
465GB Samsung SSD 860 EVO 500GB (SSD) 83 °F
Optical Drives
No optical disk drives detected
Audio
VIA HD Audio(Win 10)


I know AMD is well known for running on the warm side but its never gotten that hot under load before and i dont really know the first thing about aftermarket cooling so if there are inexpensive cooling solutions that dont run a significant risk of me breaking something trying to learn as i go.

I would appreciate any reccomendations or just some extra advice on the subject
 
Solution
You have an FX cpu. I'd not trust Any temps read from Any software, especially speccy (written for Intel cpu's). There's only 2 reliable software for reading FX temps, Amd Overdrive and Coretemp, both of which read Thermal Margins, not actual on-core temps. The FX don't use the same thermal circuitry in the cpu, so can't reliably be read.

A Thermal Margin knows the limit of the cpu, and uses a complex algorithm made from voltages, ram speeds, memory controller speeds etc to decide how much thermal room you have left. All the FX have a maximum core temp of 62°C, which equates to Zero (0) as being no room left. A TM in the 40's is great, 30's less so, 20's is about normal, teens is getting warm, and anything in single digits meaning you...
It really depends on your ambient and what cooler you are using. 88F is 31c. 160f is 71c, a bit high up for that CPU.

As time goes on you also have to look into replacing the thermal paste, depends on what kind you used, as some tend to basically "wear out" and are not as effective at conducting heat as they were when they reach their maximum.
 

rubix_1011

Contributing Writer
Moderator
Also make sure to understand that 'hot for a person does not always mean hot for a machine'. There are thermal tolerances built into each piece of hardware that defines the acceptable working range of each.

Clean your fans, radiators and dust filters. Airflow is a requirement for good cooling. Also, as mentioned above, if your room temperature is warmer on some days than others, this will impact your temperatures since each of them are a relationship of temperatures over ambient.
 

jexorz

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Also make sure to understand that 'hot for a person does not always mean hot for a machine'. There are thermal tolerances built into each piece of hardware that defines the acceptable working range of each.

Clean your fans, radiators and dust filters. Airflow is a requirement for good cooling. Also, as mentioned above, if your room temperature is warmer on some days than others, this will impact your temperatures since each of them are a relationship of temperatures over ambient.
of course, I usually clean all of the filters every two weeks or so and the entire case and the fans get blown out with a pretty hefty blower once a month. And yeah i know 160f or so isnt much of a big deal but the gpu was just creeping into the potentially harmful temps and starting to impact performance. And as for the ambient temp it was pretty mild 60-70f

as for coolers its just stock cooling with the exception of extra fans in the case
 
The FX 8150 has a max operating spec of 61c or 141F per AMD. If it is pushing 160f (71c) then its getting hotter than spec. Of course this will depend on what you are using to measure the temperatures and what part of the CPU you are looking at temp wise.

201F is very high for even a GPU. The RX480 shouldn't hit that high if its an after market GPU. The reference RX 480 hit 83c 9181F) in THs review with an ambient of probably 25c (77F).
 

jexorz

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I was using a program called speccy for the temperatures.
and neither one is in aftermarket cooling. Im pretty sure i could install a new cpu cooler but when it comes to disassembling a gpu and adding heatsinks and things to it i have my doubts that it would go well, or even fit since the card is huge already
 

jexorz

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Oh im sure, Its a very simple and efficient design, ive had to take the shell off and clean it a couple of times because one a single hair or something gets in there and obstructs the flow it will run hot on youtube videos.

So i've been browsing some cpu coolers, and i see they all have RGB this and that, Now if i dont support that will the fan still work and i just wont get the colors? or do i need to find something else
 
Oh im sure, Its a very simple and efficient design, ive had to take the shell off and clean it a couple of times because one a single hair or something gets in there and obstructs the flow it will run hot on youtube videos.

So i've been browsing some cpu coolers, and i see they all have RGB this and that, Now if i dont support that will the fan still work and i just wont get the colors? or do i need to find something else

Any that have RGB will still work without it. You can probably find ones without it like a Noctua. If you want Water Corsair has the Hydro H100X which has just a white LED around the CPU block and comes with standard SP120 performance fans.
 

jexorz

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Righto, Thanks for the help did some digging around in my case and found where all the hidden fan plugs are so im thinking of grabbing a something like a deepcool gammaxx and maybe swap all the case fans out next month if i can find a decent deal on em.
 
Just remember that for cases you typically want high CFM air flow fans and depending on your case and how many you have you want to have the layout can help keep lower dust levels in the case. My current setup is pretty good at that, I don't have to dust my PC nearly as often as some.
 

Karadjgne

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You have an FX cpu. I'd not trust Any temps read from Any software, especially speccy (written for Intel cpu's). There's only 2 reliable software for reading FX temps, Amd Overdrive and Coretemp, both of which read Thermal Margins, not actual on-core temps. The FX don't use the same thermal circuitry in the cpu, so can't reliably be read.

A Thermal Margin knows the limit of the cpu, and uses a complex algorithm made from voltages, ram speeds, memory controller speeds etc to decide how much thermal room you have left. All the FX have a maximum core temp of 62°C, which equates to Zero (0) as being no room left. A TM in the 40's is great, 30's less so, 20's is about normal, teens is getting warm, and anything in single digits meaning you are pushing your luck. A Zero or negative number equating to you are now overheating the cpu, expect throttle/shutdown. The actual number is not that important, it's what that number represents that is.

It's the only accurate and reliable way to get temps on an FX, as they simply do not read the way an intel cpu does.
 
Solution

jexorz

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Ill give overdrive a look and see what it says, While i agree speccy is probably not all that accurate i can attest to the fact the machine was starting to run poorly. I've since ordered a replacement cpu fan with much more gusto than stock cooling, and spent two hours finding all the fan connectors for my case and should be able to replace them should the need arise.

Thanks for the info.
 

jexorz

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So i installed overdrive and my new cpu fan, following the advice of a few other i took my video card apart and replaced the old thermal paste and so far it's made a dramatic difference

At rest i have a thermal margin of 55c i have not played anything yet but i think im good to go for now. Thank you to everyone who helped.