Computer Overheating

[Trevor.Dennis]

I mentioned that my CPU temperatures were high in another thread a couple of days ago.  This is a 3930K using the Intel badged liquid cooling.  So I pulled it out this morning, and gave it a birthday, and while it did need doing, it was not desperate.  After cleaning and putting it back together again, the CPU was at 75°C on start up, and continued up to 90°C and cut out.  The fan is going, but I don't think the radiator was getting hot, so I'm thinking it is either the pump, or the liquid has warped into a parallel universe.

Is that a reasonable assumption?  Is there any other way I can test the pump?  I assume the pump is integral to the block that attaches to the CPU, but as this is a closed system, I'm guessing there is no alternative to changing the entire thing?   The system only runs at stock nowadays,, and will be handed over to my wife as soon as I can get a new box put together [1], and she will only use it for the Internet (although she does hold the world record for number of active tabs and browser windows), so can I get away with a non liquid cooling option?

[1] I've looked at Ryzen 7 1800, but it is not much better than my 3930K, and I am not finding any firm release dates for Threadripper and the i9X processors.  Especially for 7900X and beyond.  At the moment, I am still thinking 7920X, but if the Threadripper chips are not too far away, I'll wait and see how they stack up.  It's still a bummer that my current box chose to play up right before I was about to change it.

[RoninEdits]

intel liquid cooling must be an AIO? those AIO's only last around 3-5 years before they stop working. normally the pump makes noise, so you might be able to hear if its working or not. the closed systems aren't made to be torn apart and repaired. if you cant fix it you may want to get a large air cooler, like one from noctua, to replace it and not worry about another liquid cooler failure or leak. the large air coolers from noctua may actually work better than the intel liquid cooler you have now, if its one of the small 120-140mm rads.

[Trevor.Dennis]

I started this thread after having limited time to evaluate things and having to leave to go to work, which is where I started the thread from.  I am back home now, and have set the computer up in my workshop where I can get a better idea of what is going on.  So I have to apologise, but my rushed assumptions earlier on were wrong.

• The ambient is 15°C  (60°F) and the CPU showed mid 60s C on startup.
• The radiator inlet _did_ get warm, but the radiator and outlet stayed cool.
• Opening Photoshop, but not even opening a document, sent the CPU to the mid 80s C

So a bad situation just got worse as it looks like the pump is working, but the CPU might be dying.  Is that a reasonable assumption, or how can I test it some more?  Would it be worth trying a decent air cooler like one of the Noctuas?  The NH-D14 is NZ$130

If the CPU is fried, I'll need to replace it with the cheapest chip that will fit my X79-UD5 motherboard, as my wife will not be pushing its performance, and I'll need to make the best of it while waiting for i9X.   Even then my options are limited with that board.  Something like low end Xeon perhaps. An E5-2603v2 is NZ$322 here.

Am I reading things correctly, or am I miles out?

[Trevor.Dennis]

OK, I've been thinking some more about this, and with the CPU getting that hot, if the pump was working properly, the radiator would have to get hot, and it was only warm.  So the pump was just barely moving the liquid.  After the last post I left it running on idle for twenty minutes, and with only a browser window open, it got into the mid 80s°C again.

So I'll order an air cooler in the morning,, and I suspect that will get things under control.  Thanks Ronin for your input.

[RoninEdits]

its far more likely the liquid cooler is bad, than the cpu. the noctua NH-D14 has two versions, one is the 2011 edition that should work with your motherboard. the noctua d15s has more socket compatibility, if you are worried about using it on other motherboards too. those noctua air coolers are kinda big, and don't fit it every case. so double check your case dimensions to make sure you get a cooler that fits inside.

if you do end up with a new cpu, you might want to get one with a faster clock speed. the E5-2603v2 is only 1.8ghz and that will be noticed for lots of things like web browsing which only use one or two cpu cores. you might find better prices on used cpu's that are compatible with that motherboard on ebay or other similar sites.

[Bill_Gehrke]

I prefer the Coolmaster Hyper 212 as it is almost as good as the Noctua but much less expensive and then I add a second fan for push-pull operation.