Hey everyone! I built my machine a while back, but I've been facing a troubling issue recently. For the past week, it's been running a bit slow and stuttery, and over the last couple of days, it suddenly shuts down whenever I try to start a heavy application. I noticed the CPU temperatures were hitting really high values (95-105°C) in both Linux and the BIOS. After seeing these readings, I decided to do some troubleshooting.
After rebooting, I went straight to the BIOS where the temperature climbed from an idle 64°C to about 90°C within just 1.5 minutes. My setup includes a Corsair water cooler, and the fans seemed operational. While on Linux, I checked the pump and it showed it was working fine with a water temp around 35°C, and I did feel warm airflow from the fans pushing through the radiator, so my gut says the cooling's working well.
I opened the case to check the CPU area; everything felt warm but not overly hot, and the pump tubing was warm too, indicating circulation. I detached the cooler and measured the CPU temp with my phone thermometer at about 32°C (90°F) with some thermal paste still on it. This leads me to suspect the CPU temperature sensor might be malfunctioning, but I think it's part of the motherboard. Is there an easy fix for this sensor, or am I looking at a motherboard replacement?
Am I missing anything crucial in diagnosing this? The shutdowns seem to coincide with heavier loads, which suggests the sensor isn't entirely dead, but its readings appear way off. Any thoughts? Thanks a lot for any help you can offer!
4 Answers
If you’re worried about the high readings, double-check to make sure the AIO pump is connected properly to your motherboard. Sometimes the pump speed can be checked in the BIOS and if it's showing as good, that’s usually a good sign. Keep in mind, though, that the temperature you're measuring is the IHS, and CPU die temps might be higher than that.
Glad to hear you found a fix! It sounds like you've managed to isolate the issue fairly well. Keep an eye on the new setup to make sure your CPU doesn't go rogue again. Hopefully, the other computer doesn’t need too much TLC either!
Update: After swapping CPUs, it looks like you narrowed it down! Your problem is likely with the CPU itself or its built-in sensor. It seems like your setup is good to go now. Just be careful with the heavy loads, as that's when issues really show up. And as for your spouse... maybe it's a sign to monitor temps more closely, or to ease off on rendering with Blender!
It sounds like your cooler is doing its job, so it might be the CPU sensor that's got issues. If your CPU is reading such high temps while you've verified everything else is okay, that definitely raises a red flag. Usually, the sensor is integrated into the CPU die, so you wouldn’t easily replace it without swapping the CPU itself.
Thanks for confirming that! I just found out the same info, so I guess it sounds like I'm looking at a CPU swap. That could help me pinpoint the issue.
Good point! I did feel like the pump was working based on the feedback I got from Linux, but I’ll definitely take another look at the BIOS settings to confirm the RPM.