New build: temperature shooting up

[mscholtz]

Just did my first mobo + CPU replacement, to an i5-650 w/ an ASUS board. Using the standard heatsink+fan. Also installed SSD and other new components.

In general things seem that have gone fine. Installed Win 7, system runs, and is fast. Problem is that CPU temps seem to be shooting up under load. Either that or temp. detector is wrong.

Haven't done any rigorous testing, but:
* seems to idle around 38-40 C
* normal light usage seems to pretty easily bump it up to 45 C
* even very short periods of heavier load will bump it up to 50, 55. Even got up to 60 or 62 once while I was watching, while extracting a 500MB zip file.
* am using both Speedfan and Asus' PC Probe to monitor temps, and they agree with each other within a degree or 2
* the CPU fan is turning, and reported RPM is round 2000
* I've seen high temps even with the case open, so it's not a case airflow issue

My questions are:
* am I right to think that this is not normal behavior, and is something to be concerned about?
* what could cause it? I'm pretty sure I installed the heatsink correctly, but how would I tell if I didn't? It came with pre-applied thermal paste, but did I need to peel off a backing or something? I just popped it in there straight out of the box.
* what do you recommend to pin down the culprit and address the problem? I'd rather not buy an aftermarket HSF right now if I can avoid it. The OEM HSF should perform better than this, right?

The one other odd symptom is that the machine periodically gives off wafts of a strange odor. Not a burning smell, but more of an acrid chemical odor. It's subtle but very noticeable. It doesn't seem to increase w/ reported CPU temps however, so may be unrelated.

Thanks!

 

[ksampanna]

Check your HSF installation once again. If needed, do apply additional thermal paste.

 

[Lmeow]

1) Temperatures shooting up during load is normal, it just depends on how much, and it does seem that those temperatures are a bit high.
2) In terms of probability, airflow, proper installation, thermal paste and chip ability.
3) Make sure that the push pins are all locked in and secure, there is not backing to peel off. Otherwise make sure there is proper airflow in the case. Unfortunately Intel's HSF aren't very capable, although those Core i5 650s should run pretty cool.

 

[mscholtz]

OK, maybe you can give me some advice on the HSF installation. I installed it w/ the mobo outside of the case, and pressed each pin pretty hard. Not every pin made a loud click, though - I think two of them did. I again pushed the other 2 pretty damn hard but didn't get the same click.

When I turned the mobo over and looked at the pins, it seemed all of them were seated, although there was a difference. There's a white outer part which hooks onto the back of the mobo, and then a black spindle inside that. In a few of the pins, it looked like the black spindle hadn't extended as far through the board as in the others. I don't know if it was the same 2 pins that didn't give me a click, but it could have been.

Does this sound like an incomplete install?

If so, now that it's in the case, with everything attached, I'd really rather not have to remove the mobo again unless there's no other choice. I'm new to this, and slow. But I also don't want to damage the mobo by pressing too hard while it's in the case. Advice?

BTW, it's not just the fact that the temps are getting high that's worrying me, but the fact that they're shooting up so quickly. My old machine (Sempron 3300, also stock HSF) ran cooler overall. Sometimes it would get up to 50C or so, but it would take several minutes to get there from 35C idle. This one goes from 40C to 62C in the blink of an eye.

 

[ksampanna]

Are you sure you aligned the hsf correctly? The manual will give you detailed info w/ figures how to install it. Did you follow them all? If you're not sure, then I'd say take out the mobo again & check. Sure, it'll be cumbersome & you probably want to tear out your hair right now. But think about what might happen if, due to incorrect install, the system becomes unstable due to heat.

 

[mscholtz]

Not sure what you mean by aligned. There were 4 holes, the 4 pegs went into the holes.

Bump. Can anyone else weigh in on whether this is likely a HSF install problem, based on my description above.

 

[Shaun o]

It`s an intel stock cooler,with push pin mounts.
So its likely one corner or push pin is not right down on the cpu heat spredder.
Take it off and re- seat it again.

 

[mscholtz]

OK, thanks for the advice, shaun.

Do you think I need to remove the mobo from the case in order to do this, or can i do it in the case? Any way to give the mobo extra support while I push on the pins?

And if I do this, do I need to re-apply thermal paste?

 

[mscholtz]

Best answer selected by mscholtz.

 

[mscholtz]

Thanks, Shaun! I took your advice, pulled off the HSF and then re-seated it, this time being careful to listen for the clicks. In some cases they were hard to hear (very quiet) and one pin made 2 clicks instead of 1. But I got clicks on all of them.

I did this w/ mobo still in the case (but w/ a finger supporting the heatsink while pressing on the pins) and without reapplying thermal paste.

After firing it back up, I'm now idling at more like 28C, and few seconds of moderate load is raising me 6-8 C, rather than 20. Seems more like it!

Thanks for the help, everyone!