I7 920 @ 2.67 overheating

[Cyriano]

Hello all

My system is:
Asus Rampage II Extreme Mobo
intel core I7 920 @2.67 cpu
gainward geforce gtx460 1gb gpu
OCZ 3gb ddr3 3ple channel
tagan piperock 700W psu
and thermaltake armor case

In the past I had cooling problems again with my cpu, and had found out that the stock fan could not make contact so I replaced it with a Coolermaster 520 @ 1800 rpm

My cpu temps go for:
58-60C on idle
64-68C on not heavy load(world of warcraft i.e.)
about 72C on heavier (starcraft 2 i.e.)
and 76C+ on things like battlefield bad company 2.
mobo's chipsets vary from 56-62C and the most I have seen the gpu heat for games use is at 71C.

Looking at the temps I think my i7 is comparatively hot. I have checked the cooler's seating and the thermal paste and all are ok. I had already replaced my cases stock fans with stronger ones and removed the upper fan for better airflow (it had 3) Any ideas?

Thanks for the help

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Aside from the CPU, other temps seem ok. Looks like you've messed around with your case.

You say you've removed a fan for better airflow?
How did you apply your thermal compound?

 

[Leeky]

Put the upper fan back, and try again for differences in temps.

I don't think an i7 should be running that hot, at stock speeds using the supplied cooler. I would look at getting some decent thermal paste, cleaning the old stuff off, and reapplying a new paste.

What fans do you have, and how are they setup (in terms of airflow).

 

[Cyriano]

The fan I have removed was on the upper part of my case I also closed the opening
it had there

From what I know it is better in most cases to have a straight airflow from the front to the back rather than have openings that will make that main airflow weaker.
As for how I applied it I used the plastic transparent tool that had in the package to apply it on all the surface of the coolers cooling surface and then made sure it has full seating and contact with the cpu

edit @ leeky : I had worse overall temps in the case while having the upper fan and have put on it really good thermal paste I have bought seperately
(Arctic Silver 5 if I recall)

New fans I have Nexus at 2000 rpm max and the setup is the one in front taking air in and the one at the back blowing air out

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

Who else thinks thats wrong in context?

 

[Leeky]

edit @ leeky : I had worse overall temps in the case while having the upper fan and have put on it really good thermal paste I have bought seperately
(Arctic Silver 5 if I recall)

OK, I still think its worth removing the heatsink, cleaning the old stuff off, and then re-applying it - Its possible you've used too much, or too little, both of which result in higher cpu temps. We've all done it mate, me included. the last time I had this problem I removed the heatsink, cleaned and then reapplied and it dropped the temps by nearing 20'C. So it is worth trying to be certain.

How are your fans setup? e.g. where are they? What direction are they flowing?

Who else thinks thats wrong in context?

Sorry HK, what do you mean?

 

[Cyriano]

How are your fans setup? e.g. where are they? What direction are they flowing?

The one at the back is at the middle of the case's height and is blowing air out.

The one at the front is a bit lower and is taking air in.

 

[Cyriano]

Do you guys think a better cpu cooler would be a good investment atm or the problem is elsewhere and t would be wasted money?

 

[Arris]

Coolermaster 520 @ 1800 rpm

The fan on the CPU heatsink is adjustable speed? Controlled in bios or by CPU temperature(smartfan)? If it is a set speed of 1800 (had a little look at here and looks like it is) then it might struggle a bit in a hot environment, I always prefer smartfans where possible. Although for a 92mm fan at 1800 rpm, 43.8 CFM seems decent enough. Especially since the cooler has a dual fan setup. Maybe the exhaust/back fan of the cooler is causing the air to be pulled through too quickly and not letting it actually cool the heatsink. Could perhaps try disabling the exhaust/back fan and see how the affects the idle and light load temps.

 

[Cyriano]

Nice idea Will try that and idd the fan is set from bios to work @1800 all the time

Thanks for the help

 

[Arris]

Nice idea Will try that and idd the fan is set from bios to work @1800 all the time

Thanks for the help

If the setting allows it you could try increasing the speed of the fan in the Bios to 2500ish or whatever the next setting is and see if that make much of a difference to the temps. And on a large fan the speed increase shouldn't be accompanied by much of an increase in noise.

 

[LNCPapa]

I'm betting on too much Thermal Paste. Those temps are pretty high - considering my 930 idles at 31-32 C and under load (Prime) peaks around 58-59. You want a very thin layer of AS5 on there - just enough to fill gaps in the irregularities of the metals that are supposed to be touching. You also want a really tight/secure connection between your heatsink and the processor. I can't imagine that even the stock HSF would run that proc that hot.

 

[hellokitty[hk]]

I did ask how he applied thermal compound in my first post...awaiting an answer.