CPU overheating problems?

[ImmuneEntity]

I just built my new system with an ASUS P5Q Pro motherboard and an Intel core 2 quad core. However, I keep getting a "CPU Overtemperature Error" shortly after booting up, and then it shuts down. I looked in the BIOS and after having the computer on for only about 10-15 seconds, it's already at 80 C...and then it quickly gets higher and higher until it gets over 100 C and then it shuts off. Does this seem even normal for it to overheat so quickly in less than a minute? I ordered arctic silver thermal paste to replace the stuff the heatsink came with (it won't be here for a few days), but it almost makes me wonder if there's something wrong with the temperature sensor...

Any ideas? Basically I'm just wondering if it at all makes sense for a CPU to reach temperatures that high so fast. As far as I can tell, the heatsink is pressed down firmly. It uses those stupid popper things though.

 

[Nachos]

Check if the coolers are working.

 

[Tohsaka]

That's interesting, since I also use that MoBo and the Quad Core. It may be the CPU itself, you might want to contact Intel about it- Provided that you were using THEIR heatsink.

 

[ImmuneEntity]

Well is it the motherboard that has the temp sensor or is the sensor integrated onto the CPU chip somehow? Because I have a feeling that temperature just can't be right...

 

[shadow]

Is the heatsink fan spinning? Did you use thermal paste? Is the heatsink even on the processor, and is it secured properly?

 

[ImmuneEntity]

Yes, the heatsink fan is spinning. I simply used the thermal "pad" thing that came with the heatsink. I've ordered arctic silver 5 so I'm gonna try that once it arrives. The heatsink is on the processor, and as far as I can tell it's secured properly, as tight as it can be. Like I said, it has those annoying "popper" things for securing the heatsink to the motherboard.

 

[___]

One way to check if a heatsink is secure is to (GENTLY) twist it back and forth. You'll get just a tiny bit of give and you'll feel the viscosity of your thermal paste if it's on there properly. It'll also help it settle. If you BIOS has a fan speed control, try setting it to always run on max power and see what happens. If your fan is spinning at full speed and your heatsink is making proper contact, you probably have a manufacturing fault in your chip. Check that your heatsink is getting hot, too. If your processor is that hot, your heatsink should be hot to the touch within a second or two - be careful not to burn your finger though, 100c is pretty hot! If it's not, you're either not getting adequate heat transfer or your heat sensor is at fault. In any case except your thermal sensor being wonky, at that temp your chip is almost definitely toast at this point, so good luck with that.

I would say that perhaps you have your clock speed set wrong in the BIOS but iirc your chip should be enforcing its own clock frequency as well as your FSB, unless you've modified it, so I doubt that's the case. Can anyone verify that?

 

[shadow]

Yea the intel heatsink thermal pad should be more than sufficient. That's weird that it would be overheating with all the fans spinning.

 

[ImmuneEntity]

The heatsink doesn't budge when I try to move it, so it seems that it is firmly in place. I have not messed with overclocking at all, so hopefully all of the clock frequency stuff should be set correctly by default.

I had my hand placed on the heatsink as the temp reading was reaching and going over 100 C and it felt quite cool, not even warm...and remember that I'm having it reach this high of temp in less than a minute and then it shuts off. So either the temp reading is way off or the heatsink is not getting good heat transfer for some reason. I'm gonna wait until I get some higher quality thermal paste in and then try it some more...I don't want to continue to risk damaging the chip until I get better thermal paste if it really is overheating.

Still though...if I don't turn on the computer for an hour...then turn it on, as soon as I can possibly get into the BIOS it's already at 70 or 80 C...could it possibly be heating up that fast in a matter of a few seconds?? That seems so high so soon.

Part of the problem too is I can't spend too much time in the BIOS since it shuts down so quickly.

Another question I have is...if after I try the thermal paste and I am certain the heatsink is on really good and I still have this problem...and if it really seems like the sensor is just wrong, is there generally some sort of setting in the BIOS where I can disable the safety shutdown feature? Or would that just be too dangerous?

 

[___]

Yeah it's definitely possible to get that hot that fast. I would not disable the shutdown feature if it turns out your thermal sensor is bad, I would RMA that motherboard and get a new one. If you happen to have anything around that you can directly measure the processor temperature with that you know works, such as another thermal sensor or a thermal gun or even a simple thermometer that's small enough to fit around the heatsink, or if you can take the board out and feel the spot on the opposite side of the board from the processor, any of those methods should be sufficient to check if your processor is actually getting hot. You'd definitely be able to feel the heat through the board if it's at 80-100c. But yeah if it's just your thermal sensor, RMA the board. You don't want to run without that sensor as the board needs it to properly regulate your fan, and just because you'll regret having it the day your processor actually does overheat for whatever reason.

 

[___]

Another thing to think about is that it's possible your processor has an internal heat sensor, rather than your motherboard having an onboard sensor. Check your documentation, I don't remember which models are built that way and which aren't. You don't want to RMA the wrong device

 

[ImmuneEntity]

K just an update on the situation...I booted it up and for the first time it's in the 40's celcius. This happened after trying to reseat the CPU and the heatsink for like the third or fourth time, but I also pressed F2 to "load default settings" instead of pressing F1 to "choose settings manually", so maybe that made a difference? When I would press F1 before, it would shut off before I'd even have a chance to think about changing any of the settings.

I'll keep testing it but I hope the problem is fixed now...whatever fixed it...

 

[___]

Yeah it sounds like a clock frequency problem if loading the default settings worked. ASUS boards typically have intermediate to advanced options (that is, they give you enough rope to hang yourself with and don't have as many failsafes) so you're going to need to check the specs for your CPU and make sure you set everything up right.

 

[ImmuneEntity]

Well I'm still having problems. I finally got it to stop shutting off...but it often goes up to the 70s C when doing hardly anything and sometimes the 90s when I'm installing something, which still seems ridiculously high. But everything seems perfectly fine even when it's in the 90s C...which doesnt seem normal to me. Right now I'm trying to find a good CPU diagnostic/stability tool but for some odd reason I can't find any. If you guys know of any that give good error checking information let me know.

Basically I'm still trying to figure out if it really is that hot or if the sensor is just wrong. I'm also still waiting for that thermal paste.

 

[shadow]

I had a Pentium 4 that did that. It would go up to 100+ C but ran perfectly fine. The capacitors on the motherboard did eventually explode though...

 

[ImmuneEntity]

I ran Hot CPU Tester Pro 4 for about five minutes, with all four cores runing at 100%...and it says there were no errors at all. Does that seem at all possible if the CPU was above 90 C?

Also, I ran SiSoftware Sandra and got these results. Does any of this look out of the norm? I haven't messed with any overclocking at all.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e127/ ... Ustats.jpg[/img]


It's off-screen but it also says:

CPU Core Power:                                      76.83 W
CPU Cooling System Thermal Resistance:      0.46 degrees C per W
CPU Temperature:                                    64 C
Auto Fan Speed Control:                           Yes
CPU Fan:                                               1962 RPM
CPU DC Line                                           1.16V

 

[ImmuneEntity]

Well, it appears that the problem is fixed. All I did was reseat the CPU and heatsink AGAIN and now it idles at around 20 C in the BIOS, as opposed to 70+. The heatsink still feels like it's on as tight as it was before, so maybe the thermal paste just barely wasn't touching right or something? In any case, I'll let you guys know if it starts overheating again. Thanks for all your replies. I hope it hasn't been damaged

 

[___]

Sounds like you got away clean I would guess your heatsink was seated slightly up on a lip or something and just felt like it was locked in, I've done that plenty of times before. It's especially easy to do on the Pentium boards that have a full plastic housing around the CPU to secure the heatsink, those things are terrible.