Question What are these temps in HWMonitor and are they too high ?

[PostJC]

Hello, i have been using HWMonitor recently to monitor my prebuilt system as i'm having some performance issues with it, i have noticed 2 temperatures that go higher than anything else and i'm wondering what they are and do they possibly effect my CPU/PCs performance, the 2 temps are PCH from Motherboard and VR from my CPU.

My CPU is i5-12400F which has managed to get a pretty low score of 8,197 in 3DMark Time Spy, i was under the impression that it should be 10-12K.
Motherboard is Lenovo 3741, this is all i can get from HWMonitor.
Prebuilt is IdeaCentre Gaming 5 17IAB7 (RTX 3060)

If need more info let me know.

Here is the Time Spy results i ran few days ago if they show anything useful.
https://www.3dmark.com/spy/53525864

 

[PostJC]

Me again, i have received and installed somewhat succesfully the new parts, only took 2 days and i have never been so frustrated in my life, the worst part was putting the I/o shield to protect the MOBO ports, took like 2 hours because it did not want to go where it needed to go, then had some fan issues and cooler decided to join the party to ruin my mental health.

The case is like 3 times bigger than my old one the size of a toaster, cables are pretty messed up and cooler does not fit with fan lights but i honestly don't care anymore, i'm just happy that i somehow managed to build my first PC pretty much from scratch, performance wise nothing changed but i have access to XMP and a million other BIOS settings which make me happy compared to the... i believe 7 whole settings that Lenovo was offering.

I believe the problem is the GPU, there was quite a long timeframe where the fans sounded like jet engines because it was overheating (my guess) and it did some damage until i changed the dried up thermal paste and blew out the dust, so my next move is grabbing a new CPU/GPU and faster RAM next month, for now i'm more than happy with what i got.

Appreciate you for trying to help

(Looks a million times better than the old PC which i put a picture of above!)

 

[Darkbreeze]

Nice job man.

So, couple of questions because it's kind of important AND might be directly related to any problems you are having. Being as you have a new motherboard, did you do a clean install of Windows and then go to the product page for the new motherboard and download the latest chipset (.inf), networking adapter (LAN and WiFi (If equipped)), sound and if equipped, bluetooth drivers, and install them?

Did you download the latest Nvidia drivers directly from Nvidia and install them? Do you have afterburner or another GPU tweak program installed so you can control the fan behavior on the graphics card AND do you have that tweak utility set to start with Windows and reside in the system tray? Because if you don't have a tweak utility for the graphics card installed your fan noise issues are likely directly related to that, and if you do, but are still having issues, it's likely because you don't have the GPU tweak utility set to start with Windows and just run minimized, which is necessary if you want the settings to stick. Stupidly, none of the GPU tweak programs can keep their settings in effect if you close the program. The second you close it, those settings are out the window and the card will revert to it's stock hardware level behavior.

If you didn't do a clean install of Windows and are using the installation you already had from before you got the new hardware, especially when it comes to the motherboard and even more so when you go from one chipset to a different chipset, even if they are from within the same generation, it's a really good idea. Plus, having installed a new motherboard, if you didn't already, whether you did a clean install or not you might want to check in Windows settings and see if it's still activated. Usually when you change motherboards it deactives Windows and you have to jump through a few hoops to get it to reactivate by telling it you've installed new hardware. Good idea to also ALWAYS attach any Windows licenses you have to a Microsoft account that is attached to you, so you can move qualifying OS licenses from machine to machine (Motherboard to motherboard) when you do upgrades.

 

[PostJC]

Nice job man.

So, couple of questions because it's kind of important AND might be directly related to any problems you are having. Being as you have a new motherboard, did you do a clean install of Windows and then go to the product page for the new motherboard and download the latest chipset (.inf), networking adapter (LAN and WiFi (If equipped)), sound and if equipped, bluetooth drivers, and install them?

Did you download the latest Nvidia drivers directly from Nvidia and install them? Do you have afterburner or another GPU tweak program installed so you can control the fan behavior on the graphics card AND do you have that tweak utility set to start with Windows and reside in the system tray? Because if you don't have a tweak utility for the graphics card installed your fan noise issues are likely directly related to that, and if you do, but are still having issues, it's likely because you don't have the GPU tweak utility set to start with Windows and just run minimized, which is necessary if you want the settings to stick. Stupidly, none of the GPU tweak programs can keep their settings in effect if you close the program. The second you close it, those settings are out the window and the card will revert to it's stock hardware level behavior.

If you didn't do a clean install of Windows and are using the installation you already had from before you got the new hardware, especially when it comes to the motherboard and even more so when you go from one chipset to a different chipset, even if they are from within the same generation, it's a really good idea. Plus, having installed a new motherboard, if you didn't already, whether you did a clean install or not you might want to check in Windows settings and see if it's still activated. Usually when you change motherboards it deactives Windows and you have to jump through a few hoops to get it to reactivate by telling it you've installed new hardware. Good idea to also ALWAYS attach any Windows licenses you have to a Microsoft account that is attached to you, so you can move qualifying OS licenses from machine to machine (Motherboard to motherboard) when you do upgrades.

I did not perform a fresh windows install, not too long ago i got a 2TB SSD upgrade and it took like 5 days to install it full of games, not really looking forward to redoing it unless its guaranteed to do good towards my PCs performance, i downloaded Armoury Crate and it had some updates in it thats pretty much all i did, it had bluetooth and some other stuff in it not sure about the chipset stuff, this is all i updated below + some windows update stuff.

I only download drivers for my GPU through the NVIDIA App, i uninstalled with DDU i think and downloaded from their website directly like a month or 2 ago, i also tried using Afterburner few months ago but i was not comfortable messing around with it and risk damaging something so i only used its overlay to see system performance.

I grab Windows 11 to my USB drive and have it ready incase i need to do a full reinstall, only thing that happened is it asked me for my Bitlocker passwords when i moved over to this case and i had to delete volume on the other M.2 SSD i swapped for the 2TB one cause old MOBO only had 1 M.2 slot and formatted it afterwards, the loud fan thing happened and caused my PC to turn off after 2 minutes by itself, i reseated the RAM a few times because theres only a clip on 1 side that you push to secure the RAM and i was hesitant at first, right now the 3 fans i installed to the bottom run at 1,000 RPM while all others run around 750 RPM, it sounds like it keeps changing from 1,000 to 1,200 and is making a bit noise i don't know why, temperatures are awesome and when i had the window panel open the cool air blasting out this case is ridiculous, ain't nothing overheating in this thing, i could use it during summer to cool me off.

Oh, and apart from the fans everything is working surprisingly well, i only had to google about 2 cables and the rest i was able to figure out where they plug in, still would never do it again, i would rather go back to the lenovo toaster than install 1 more I/O shield.

 

[Darkbreeze]

not really looking forward to redoing it unless its guaranteed to do good towards my PCs performance.

It 300% will.

i downloaded Armoury Crate and it had some updates in it thats pretty much all i did

Oh, God. Sorry, but that crap (And Dragon center (MSI), each motherboard manufacturer's "bundled" utility for that matter) is the last thing you want to put on your system. Get it off. ANY driver updates you should download and install manually directly from the product page for your motherboard or other hardware, except for AMD chipset drivers. Those you should get directly from AMD no matter who the board manufacturer is. For graphics cards, directly from AMD or Nvidia, no matter who made the card. I can SHOW you at least 50 threads I've worked, plus can attest to my own experiences on the bench, where simply having one of those installed was the entire problem and removing it completely cured whatever issue they were having. They are like intentionally installing a virus, much the same as half the pre-installed crap that comes on OEM systems.

Using the built in options in the Nvidia installer and choosing clean install seems to work pretty good now. I'd do that most times. I'd only use the DDU if you have a problem that seems to be GPU related and nothing else seems to work. DDU is very good, but not always necessary these days if you use Nvidia or AMD's own clean install option.

WHICH DIMM slots, EXACTLY, did you install the memory in and YES, it absolutely does make a difference. Also, without having to go back through the whole thread, did ALL of the memory come together in one kit OR do you not really know for sure if it came with the system because OEM builders often will just slap crap together not caring about that part, which can mean a variety of issues, or none.

I'd really suggest starting from scratch, BUT, if you are planning to upgrade the CPU and memory soon, it might be worth waiting until you do that unless you don't mind having or maybe needing to install Windows twice. Surely you don't need EVERY one of those games installed right now AND more importantly, why are your game files installed on the same drive as your operating system? Not a good way to do it. Things you don't want to lose, and game files, should almost always be on a separate drive AND you should ALSO have ANOTHER drive that has those same files backed up to it in case something happens to the drive which it will. It is NEVER a question of IF, only WHEN, when it comes to drive failure.

 

[PostJC]

It 300% will.


Oh, God. Sorry, but that crap (And Dragon center (MSI), each motherboard manufacturer's "bundled" utility for that matter) is the last thing you want to put on your system. Get it off. ANY driver updates you should download and install manually directly from the product page for your motherboard or other hardware, except for AMD chipset drivers. Those you should get directly from AMD no matter who the board manufacturer is. For graphics cards, directly from AMD or Nvidia, no matter who made the card. I can SHOW you at least 50 threads I've worked, plus can attest to my own experiences on the bench, where simply having one of those installed was the entire problem and removing it completely cured whatever issue they were having. They are like intentionally installing a virus, much the same as half the pre-installed crap that comes on OEM systems.

Using the built in options in the Nvidia installer and choosing clean install seems to work pretty good now. I'd do that most times. I'd only use the DDU if you have a problem that seems to be GPU related and nothing else seems to work. DDU is very good, but not always necessary these days if you use Nvidia or AMD's own clean install option.

WHICH DIMM slots, EXACTLY, did you install the memory in and YES, it absolutely does make a difference. Also, without having to go back through the whole thread, did ALL of the memory come together in one kit OR do you not really know for sure if it came with the system because OEM builders often will just slap crap together not caring about that part, which can mean a variety of issues, or none.

I'd really suggest starting from scratch, BUT, if you are planning to upgrade the CPU and memory soon, it might be worth waiting until you do that unless you don't mind having or maybe needing to install Windows twice. Surely you don't need EVERY one of those games installed right now AND more importantly, why are your game files installed on the same drive as your operating system? Not a good way to do it. Things you don't want to lose, and game files, should almost always be on a separate drive AND you should ALSO have ANOTHER drive that has those same files backed up to it in case something happens to the drive which it will. It is NEVER a question of IF, only WHEN, when it comes to drive failure.

There are 4 DIMM slots, i put my RAM in slots 2 and 4, this memory is a 2x16GB kit which i bought separately to replace the prebuilt memory.

I also have a terrible attention span when it comes to games which causes me to swap between them constantly, i would say from the 61 games i play probably around 50 pretty regularly, also both the M.2s are loaded full with games, the main 2TB one only has like 50GB free so i had to start using the old 512GB one too, i spent so long with that crappy 512GB one and had to juggle games back and forth and its SO nice just downloading everything i want to play and actually get to play them when i feel like it instead of waiting a longtime to download it, by the time it's done i don't want to play it anymore.

I could try to do a fresh install now and see if it does anything, because i might buy a third m.2 SSD.....for more games and that would probably be another 1-2TB so better now than after and see if it changes anything, maybe it can save me some days worth of downloading games after i upgrade, also is having a Windows 11 installed to your USB drive not enough if something happens and you need to reinstall windows?

 

[Darkbreeze]

is having a Windows 11 installed to your USB drive not enough if something happens and you need to reinstall windows?

Wait. What?

 

[PostJC]

Wait. What?

Yeah, so i reinstalled last night i disabled one of my M.2 drives because i was too lazy to take it out and leave only 1 because apparently it causes issues if you have more than 1 in your PC because windows might try to put the files in a random M.2 SSD, worked perfectly and i installed chipset and some stuff from Asus website for my MOBO and did not get Armoury Crate, did clean install of GPU drivers and let the windows updates go through.

About the windows USB thing apparently i was incorrect, i never knew you have to buy a new licence if you swap motherboards because i never had it happen to me and i never heard anyone talk about it so i just assumed when you download it to your USB Drive and change your PC to boot into it so it starts you fresh and installs Windows 11 again to be the same thing as having the licence, but i was greeted by a product activation page when i reinstalled, i just clicked i don't have a product key and it let me select Windows 11 and proceed so i guess it worked without a key, no activate windows watermarks or anything on my screen.

Now about Performance, i had around 140-220 FPS in Counter Strike 2 which is where i like to get that extra performance in BEFORE the full wipe, now after playing for around 15-20 minutes i have 134-204 FPS, same competitive settings, same map, same areas of the map, i assume by time it will get back to 140-220 as i keep playing but basicly getting the drivers and reinstalling did nothing for my performance as i thought, it seems like changing resolution does nothing, reducing graphic settings does very little, reinstalling does nothing, i guess i will still continue to blame the GPU since it is the only thing i ever had problems with in the past, my CPU has been fine always so i can't blame it, i might concider ripping this card open and try to remove the stripped screw since i now have like 20 different types of screws leftover from this build (and i have a screw kit i randomly ordered earlier) maybe theres a replacement and i can clean the fans for the first time in..... 2 and a half years?

(Last time i tried to clean my GPU, no kidding i lightly shaked it facing the fans down and a pile of dust just fell to the floor, i feel like cleaning could do something if i can get in there)

EDIT: I also opened HWinfo and i see that my GPU has a thermal limit at 83℃, my GPU hotspot temp jumps to that in like 1 minute of just being in the game lobby, regular temperature max got to 72.4℃

Another edit: i attempted to swap the paste in the GPU and clean off dust and of course that went wrong, i managed to snap a black wire which destroyed 1 of my 2 GPU fans and now all that was for nothing, luckily i have 120mm fan below each GPU fan and i can just crank their RPMs a bit higher and pray that it solves this until i can get a new GPU, those wires were superglued in there and i tried to be very careful with them because i know people mess up with those cables, also i stripped 2 more screws so now 3 are broken on top of the wire.

I guess in the future i should maintain my hardware more regularly to make sure the cables dont get stuck like this and caked up with dust etc or just take my stuff to a repair shop, if i was patient enough i could pull the wire with pliers or something and place it back to its socket and hope that it helps temporarily but for now i'm going to test and keep my eye on temperatures of my GPU to make sure its fine without the fan.