What are these spots on my CPU?

[Jawwad Iqbal]

My i3 2120 had been shooting up to 89 degrees in Crysis 3 and more than usual in other games for two days. I suspected that the cause must be from improper heatsink fitting to inadequate thermal paste. Since recently I had to disassemble my PC to take my mobo for a little resolder. Anyhow, I took the CPU out and found these black spots on the back. What are these?

The temperature issue has so far been fixed. With the max temperature being 81/82 in Crysis 3 and operating in 70s. Taking out the heatsink and fitting it again seems to have worked(although it didn't work the first two times).

If it helps, my PC hung up on me multiple times(still does) when I tried to run Core Temp or EasyTune. Sometimes it didn't but always for EasyTune. And once when I was browing Firefox and the screen went black twice then a green screen appeared.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/4/3qtd.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/818/5cf6.jpg/

I'm also attaching thermal paste close-ups so you can assess if it is fine or inadequate.

http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/826/kkxg.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/10/ogia.jpg/

 

[cin19]

Those are the burn marks. It maybe cause by the improper heatsink sitting. You need the new cpu and check the MB to see there is the burn marks too or not.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

But the CPU is running fine. Why do I need to replace it?

Apart from those instances I've mentioned, my PC is running 100% fine. No problems. Even games are running fine.

 

[clutchc]

Those are arcing spots from improper contact between socket and processor. I doubt the heat sync/fan and thermal paste was an issue. Check your socket to see if there are matching burn marks on the "pins". Looking at them under magnification, you may be able to see if some of them are not sticking up far enough.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

I checked and the pins are completely clean. No burn marks.

Temperature on idle is 41-45C and 85/83 in max in Crysis 3. Is it normal?

 

[clutchc]

Those are high temps. Idle should only be in the 30s for that CPU in a well ventilated case. And the max temp is above the recommended safe temp of 69.1C. It is getting near the temp it will begin to throttle back to save itself. Did you replace the TIM when you removed the cooler?

Do you have a pic of the socket?

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

No I didn't.

Check the pictures. Do you feel it is inadequate?

 

[clutchc]

No I didn't.

Check the pictures. Do you feel it is inadequate?

What? The thermal paste?
It WAS adequate. But if you didn't clean off the old and replace with new TIM, you are not getting full thermal transfer as you should. The stuff gets microscopic air pockets when the cooler is removed/replaced with the same old TIM. Air is an insulator. Plus, if it has been on for a couple years, it is probably dried out and needs replacing even more-so now that the seal has been broke.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

I bought the processor this year in April and the heatsink has been attached ever since. It was only a week ago that I had to remove the HSF and it has been giving me high temps ever since.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

Should I get a cooler? Thermaltake Contac 21 and Cooler Master Evo TX3 are two within my range and what's available in my city.

What do you have to say about the burn marks? The socket is clean. Checked it under a magnifying glass. Can it be causing problem?

 

[logainofhades]

The TX3 is a decent cooler. Sometime the factory heatsinks do not reseat well when removed. Intel really needs to ditch their stupid push pin design.

 

[clutchc]

I bought the processor this year in April and the heatsink has been attached ever since. It was only a week ago that I had to remove the HSF and it has been giving me high temps ever since.

Yes, removing the heatsync/fan w/o replacing the TIM will reduce thermal transfer... no matter how new the processor is. If you aren't O/C the processor, you probably don't need a different heatsync/fan. The pic you posted appears to show poor contact between CPU contacts and socket 'pins'. I don't know what to do about that other than replace the MB and/or CPU. Both drastic fixes.

First clean off the old TIM and replace it with something like MX-4. See if that brings temps back in line. It's not a solution if the contact pressure is an issue, but it will help. I'm assuming you aren't having any problems closing and latching the pressure plate on the socket.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835100010
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835186038

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

The processor sits on the pins fine. The pins seems in line and there are no problems with closing the latch.

Unfortunately, I do not have such variety where I live. I can arrange Artic Silver 5 but that will cost me almost as much as the Evo TX3 and Contac 21. So I will hopefully get the cooler tomorrow.

One question, I know Isopropyl alchohol is suggested for removing thermal paste but can I use white petrol instead? I don't have Isopropyl Alchohol.

 

[clutchc]

I don't know what white petrol is. Some kind of Fuel? I've never used anything other than commercial cleaner and isopropyl alcohol. Even just wiping the old stuff off thoroughly with a lint free wipe like a lens cleaner or coffee filter will be better than the white petrol. That stuff may leave residue. The idea is to get the surface as clean as possible.

Arctic Silver 5 is good also. Just remember it is electrically conductive. So you don't want to put on too much so that it leaks onto the MB or into the socket.
http://www.arcticsilver.com/intel_application_method.html#

 

[mc962]

If you have anything resembling a CVS/pharmacy near where you live they sell bottles of isopropyl alcohol and it's about $1-2

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

I think what I have is white spirit. Will that do?

 

[clutchc]

I think what I have is white spirit. Will that do?

Probably. Clean the old gunk off with it and see if it dries instantly. Then apply a dab of AS5. It has to be better than what you have between the CPU and cooler now.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

Bought the Evo TX3 and the temperatures have stabilized now. Staying in 30s overall and only goes in 40s for a brief second. Unfortunately, my GPU has suddenly stopped giving display. So I cannot check the performance in games.

 

[cin19]

Bought the Evo TX3 and the temperatures have stabilized now. Staying in 30s overall and only goes in 40s for a brief second. Unfortunately, my GPU has suddenly stopped giving display. So I cannot check the performance in games.

I still think that cause by the cpu not the GPU, you can try use the on board Intel HD graphics, If you can, then it may don't relate to cpu, because I did count them ( about 6 burn marks ) and each one you don't know what them relate to, like control temp, voltage, RAM, pcie or SATA ports, etc.
If you still have problem like the PC suddenly shutdown or no display that means you need change the cpu like I said before.

 

[Jawwad Iqbal]

My PC boots when I have the GPU plugged in. It beeps on boot and the keyboard lights up when it boots in windows. When I connect the HDMI cable my LCD goes from inactive to active but goes back to standby after giving the message "no signal". Does the same when I take "out" the cable. I have tried 3 different HDMI cables, used a DVI-HDMI cable and checked DVI port, and ran it on a second display... no luck.

I did get a blank screen for a second and then another, but then I heard that windows sound when you plug in a device or detects a new hardware. Probably because I cancelled the driver installation at first. It was probably installing the built-in display drivers.

 

[logainofhades]

Try doing a CMOS reset. Sometimes that fixes weird issues like that. I once had an issue that for some reason my monitor would only work with the VGA cable plugged in and not the DVI. I did a CMOS reset as a last ditch effort and it fixed it.