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Old 2012-06-10, 16:40   Link #21
Dist
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I had the exact same fears that you do so I do understand you, especially so because I've used up a lot of money for my computer and can't afford to break something that warranty won't replace. But as I've overcome that fear I can say with confidence that it's really hard to break something unless you actually try. Just remember to stay clear of any static electricity .. So to say, don't clean the pc on top of the carpet, touch the case with your hands always before touching the components (touching the metal part should clear any possible static electricity on your hands) and so on.

I think that, if you choose to install an external cooler, it will be perhaps a little tricky. However, with enough patience to read over the instructions it should not be impossible feat to accomplish. In fact, if you install an external cooler you will be able to build and take apart your computer, since a cooler cannot be installed without removing the motherboard first. So be sure to have manuals that came with the computer. They also might have come with a sort of plastic bag where the MB was in, it protects from static electricity and is handy to have if you have to remove components from the PC as you can place them on top/inside of it.

But you can start with the can of air and hope that's enough. Just remember few things ;

Hold the can straight or what comes out is liquid and not air. (It's not dangerous but you need to wait longer for it to disappear on it's own).

When cleaning the GPU/CPU cooler, hold the fan with your finger while using the compressed air ; Letting the fan spin on it's own may damage it.

And wait few minutes before turning your computer on again after cleaning it, to wait that any possible moisture from using the air will dissipate on it's own.
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Old 2012-06-10, 19:15   Link #22
Urzu 7
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Thanks for all the advice. Went to give you some more rep points, but it said I have to spread plus reps to more people first.
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Old 2012-06-11, 20:31   Link #23
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I only know about my bios but there may even be an option for yours to choose a desired max temp for your cpu. My i5 2500's recommended max temp is 72 but I set my desired max to be 65 or so. It hardly ever gets even that high unless I'm playing something as graphically intense as Metro 2033 or Crysis 2.

Anyways I think it works by literally slowing down your processes (game gets laggy) until the temperature falls a bit. Has only happened with me in Crysis 2 during long distance action scenes (very few).
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Old 2012-06-15, 00:12   Link #24
Urzu 7
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So I cleaned it some days ago. It wasn't all that dusty. I tried taking the fan and heatsink off to clean them, but was having difficulty with that (more on that in a bit), so I just blasted it with some compressed air. I wanted to check the CPU temps while playing Skyrim again, but Skyrim is pretty buggy for me now (I think from a forced update, I'll work on solving the issue), so I just played a different game. I played a game for about 15 minutes and the max temperature recorded was 64 degrees Celsius. I'm not sure I really helped much by cleaning it.

So, when I went to take out my fan and heatsink, I had to unplug the fan from the motherboard. The thing is, I just couldn't do it. There is a tab to lift; a tab that locks it into place. The thing is, with the way the plug that has the fan cord in it is positioned, it is right in a corner of my case, and I just can't get both hands to it to lift the tab. I tried to lift the tab and pull the cord out with one hand, but it didn't work. I guess the thing to do would be to loosen or remove the motherboard if I ever want to unplug that. I'd rather not go through all that trouble just to remove what little dust I couldn't get with the can of air, so...

My CPU still runs hotter than it should. I expect to get a temperature reading of over 64 degrees Celsius when I next play Skyrim for half an hour or more. Should I just get a better fan and heat sink? Third party ones are almost always better than the default ones, right?
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Old 2012-06-15, 00:23   Link #25
Random32
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What is the ambient temperature in your room?
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Old 2012-06-15, 01:25   Link #26
Urzu 7
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I'd say 68 to 71 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Old 2012-06-15, 02:20   Link #27
Dist
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Not almost always, they are always better, as I have explained in my previous posts. There's also another solution ; replace the thermal paste on the CPU. But to do this, you'd have to take apart the whole thing, and because aftermarket cooler is still better than default one you might as well install a new cooler while at it.

I'm not sure how relevant on a CPU but a good case might help too .. If yours is tight and closed with no external fans on the case ; No wonder it runs hot. Replacing the case would get pricey though and doing just the aftermarket cooler should do the job well enough. Just get a good cooler .. I'll still suggest Mugen or Scythe Ninja .. price in medium range but they get the job done well. There's also Noctua but it's in '' high '' price range and it hardly is any better than the former two. But before that you would need to know and find out which socket your cpu/mb is before you go off and buy a cooler that doesn't even fit the motherboard. If I recall correctly your cpu type it should be AM3+ so just look for that specification in a cooler when picking one.
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Old 2012-06-15, 07:39   Link #28
Wandering_Youth
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Well since you cleaned your case and the temperatures only seem a little bit better, the next thing to look at is either your PC case, the thermal paste has gone bad (highly unlikely) or you need a new aftermarket heatsink and fan.

Is your PC case a mid, full or mini size case? Air flow is important as it blows out hot air and sucks in cool air so the heatsinks and fans work their best. The computer cable wiring inside the case might also be another factor as it might be blocking proper air flow within the case.
Spoiler for Good PC Case Air Flow:

The thermal paste might have gone bad, I know certain manufacturers such as Dell, Toshiba use some very cheap silicon thermal paste that goes bad in 2 years.
Example of bad application of thermal paste or use of cheap thermal paste.

Last you can try an aftermarket heatsink and fan, however if the main reason for high temps is the case then buying a aftermarket heatsink won't solve the problem because air flow usually the main factor in cooling.
Spoiler for Stock vs Aftermarket:


Too be honest, 60-ish C isn't very hot for a CPU when you start getting to 80 to 90 that's when you got a problem as those are abnormal temperature readings. I usually like it when my computer runs cool because electronic parts run their best at cool temperatures and they last longer and plus I like a slient PC, however you gotta pay for said attributes.
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Old 2012-06-15, 16:51   Link #29
BradleySmith
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Wink

Quote:
Originally Posted by Urzu 7 View Post
One of the fans in my computer get pretty loud when I play Skyrim (the only game I've been playing on my PC for some months now). I think it is my GPU fan. If I play for a few minutes, it gets loud, and then when I stop playing, a minute later the loud fan stops. It calms down after quitting the game and then things go back to normal in about a minute. Also, I notice the fan isn't working as hard when I pause the game and the screen is darker and there is less visual processing. So I think it is the GPU fan.

This concerns me. Should these things concern me? Or can I play games and things will be just fine. I stopped playing because I was afraid something isn't right. Can I play the game just fine? Is this indicative of a problem? What can I do to fix it?
How long have you had the GPU? chances are if its over 2 years the thermal paste needs replacing and it probably needs a dust out. If you do replace the thermal paste make sure you wtach a guide and do it properly, People now days put waay to much on.
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Old 2012-06-15, 20:18   Link #30
Urzu 7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dist View Post
Not almost always, they are always better, as I have explained in my previous posts.
I'm sure I read it and then just forgot about it. I probably read it days ago. Well, it is good to know a new fan and heat sink will reduce temperatures. My processor socket is AM3 (Phenom II X4). Edit: Re-read the post. I'll check for that type of fan. I'll see if it fits AM3.

So, the case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16811146061

That is my case. For the person inquiring about my case, maybe you can give me more advice based on what you see and read there. My case is specifically made for gaming. It isn't the greatest of gaming cases, but I gather it is good for mid-range gaming computers and a good case at an affordable price. Also, the other thing I mentioned that is worth noting is that my processor is recommended to go no higher than 62 degrees Celsius. Bringing it down to below that would be ideal.
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Old 2012-06-15, 21:17   Link #31
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AM2/+/AM3/+ all use the same heatsink mounting method. A heatsink that works for any AMx socket will work for all AMx socket CPU.

As for your case. I searched around for a few reviews. It has a lot of space for fans, but doesn't provide them. I would suggesting buying another case fan (intake fan in front probably) to improve airflow.
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Old 2012-06-15, 21:29   Link #32
Urzu 7
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It'd be a fan for the front, center, and bottom?
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Old 2012-06-15, 22:56   Link #33
Random32
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Front bottom. If you look at Wandering's diagram it would be the one taking air in. I assume that the one fan you got with the case is pulling air out the back right?
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Old 2012-06-15, 23:57   Link #34
Urzu 7
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Yep, that is correct. What would I look up at newegg, case fan?
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Old 2012-06-16, 00:36   Link #35
Urzu 7
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I looked up a scythe CPU fan and heatsink. It had a 5 out of 5 review, but I did find this on newegg: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16835118223

5 out of 5 review after more than 2,200 reviews. Also, people are saying it is an easy install for the AM3 socket, and people said that installing the scythe product is a pain in the neck, especially for beginners.

The Zalman product is $5 cheaper, too. I think that is the one I'm going to buy.
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Old 2012-06-16, 00:45   Link #36
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Quote:
6 fan capability ( one rear 120mm included )
NZXT Gamma... damn, this is basically a good gaming case to add up more fans with. Start with a push-pull cooling setup (that is, one fan in the front -- you'll probably have to pry the front panel to bolt the new 120mm -- and another in the rear; there should be no problem powering both with spare 4-pin Molex connectors from the PSU). Other than just two fans to easily cool the rig, you don't have to go full hog by filling in the remaining fan ports.

If you don't need to pimp up the rig with lighted fans, I'm happy with DeepCool's regular/black 120mm XFan series, which can move more air and use hydro-bearings, but very quiet and eats less power.
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Old 2012-06-20, 23:40   Link #37
Urzu 7
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So after cleaning my CPU fan and heat sink, Skyrim doesn't make the CPU get so hot. Things are good again. I just played Skyrim for an hour. Remember, my CPU is recommended to go no higher than 62 degrees Celsius. After playing Skyrim for at least an hour, two cores reached 63 degrees Celsius and two cores reached 62 degrees Celsius. That was the max temps recorded for the cores. I played Mass Effect 2 for 15 minutes and all four cores reached 64 degrees Celsius (but I'm not playing that game currently).

I'd like to buy a better fan for my computer. It'd be worth it. If a CPU goes a few degrees (in Celsius) over the manufacturers limit whenever you play PC games, that really isn't a big deal, huh? Your CPU will be just fine, it'll just shorten its lifespan, but not by too much? What can I expect for CPU temps from watching fansubs and DVDs? Lower temps than playing PC games?
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Old 2012-06-21, 05:52   Link #38
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^Idle temps I'd say .. I am not noticing any difference in my fan speed and temperatures while watching anime as opposed to not doing anything.

Also manufacturer's recommendation may not really mean anything, and it doesn't necessarily shorten it's lifespan either. Did you know that GPU manufacturers recommend 800W PSU's for the high-end ones? That recommendation is ridiculous because even a 600W can do the job perfectly. With that said, don't take every recommendation by manufacturer at face value .. But, if you can afford it and can bother to do it I'd still recommend you to buy an external cooler for the computer.. Aside from lower temperatures, you will notice considerably less amount of noise.
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Old 2012-06-21, 07:45   Link #39
Urzu 7
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The manufacturer says the CPU should have a max temp of 54-62 degrees Celsius. So it is possible that the max temp of 62 degrees Celsius from the manufacturer may just be the idle temp? So I might have been fretting over nothing? Crap.
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Old 2012-06-21, 08:34   Link #40
Dist
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Definitely not. An idle temp of 60C would be ridiculous. An idle temp is typically (for me at least) 15-20C less than when I am gaming. But there's no reason to be alarmed and stop playing just because your temperatures are exceeding the '' recommendation '' by few. It's just a recommendation, nothing more.. Ít's not a solid value where the CPU will explode if it is exceeded

The reason I mentioned idle temps is for the latter part of your previous post where you speak of temps while watching anime. Anime shouldn't put any strain on the CPU so it doesn't generate any heat, thus the heat should be about same as with idle temperatures.
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