Question PC overheating (HELP)

[Serebron]

Hello everyone!

Recently I have been trying to troubleshoot my case.
So, this is the situation:
CPU: Intel i7 12700F
GPU: GeForce RTX 3070 Ti
PSU: Zeus Force 600S
Mobo: B660MX-E
CPU Cooler: Arctic freezer 34

So my CPU temps are good but my motherboard temp is extremely high (according to HWMonitor and Speccy) and PC throttles while heavy gaming (Think BG3 and the likes)
I am thinking a few things:
-It might be something to do with PSU
-CPU cooler is ok but heat in large part goes to Mobo
-CPU is not good enough

If anyone has anything helpful to say I would greatly appreciate it!
HWMonitor screenshot:

https://imgur.com/a/H7lcewg

 

[mikeymikec]

Some readings are basically bunk. I've got an AUXTIN0 reading of 83C right now despite my system being idle.

The motherboard temperature readings I would consider to be remarkable are ones reported in the BIOS.

When you say your PC throttles, by how much are we talking?

 

[Serebron]

FPS dropping from very high (60+) down to 1-9 range for like 10 seconds, on relatively regular intervals (something like 1 minute).

Also the outside of a PC gets very hot to the touch. And only in one specific are - near CPU but closer to the back and basically right where the pins from PSU are connecting (That's part of the reason I am thinking it might be something faulty there)

 

[mikeymikec]

Thanks for the information, the throttling you're experiencing is definitely worth investigating. Is the screenshot you posted from when the PC is supposedly idle? If so, that CPU temp is way too high, my guess is the processor cooling system is not properly installed. Having said that, your screenshot also suggests that at least one P-core is being pushed to its limit at the point the screenshot was taken.

"Pins from PSU" - I presume you mean the connector from the PSU that supplies the processor (traditionally a 2x4 pin connector) with power? Is the connector itself getting very hot? Is it fully locked in?

 

[mikeymikec]

I think your processor's heatsink is probably under-spec'd for the job but it won't be (if properly installed) the reason for such severe throttling.

 

[mikeymikec]

I expect modern CPUs I'd to idle around 35-45C, assuming an ambient of say 17-21C. If the CPU temp is much higher when the system is idle, then something is up. Confirm that the system is idle through task manager; the CPU usage should be less than 5% and I would expect the clock speed to be less than 2GHz.

For example, with an ambient temp that I guess to be 20C here, my CPU (Ryzen 7800X3D) is idling between 37-40C. I would expect to see that idle temp with virtually any properly installed cooler when at idle.

 

[Serebron]

Yes, yes that is what I mean for "Pins from PSU". Just the area around it, but I guess it could be from CPU that just "spills over".

I thought about a heatsink too, I am not sure about it tho.

Here is another screenshot, made just now under full load:

https://imgur.com/a/WCugZuX

I guess I am going to try to upgrade CPU cooler and see if that solves it.
If it doesn't maybe I should change motherboard/PC case (because of airflow) as it is not up to the task

 

[Serebron]

Also, TMPIN0 correlates to temperatures Speccy is showing for motherboard so I am not sure if those are actually for motherboard or CPU.
In case TMPIN0 is not CPU temp then Idle temp is 40-50 range

Edit: Core Temp shows this when idle

https://imgur.com/a/1jLAN9c

P.S. Thank you for your time, I really appreciate it!

 

[mikeymikec]

The technique that you're using isn't stressing the processor that much, the processor is only logging 44% utilisation.

I don't have much experience with the last two generations of Intel CPU, maybe others can make more targeted suggestions.

It seems to me like your heatsink is properly installed because you're seeing idle temps in the thirties so that's OK. IMO if it was just a problem with the heatsink not being adequate under that CPU's full load then I'd expect say a 20% performance drop-off when the CPU throttles a bit, but dropping as much as you're seeing IMO suggests another cause.

Did the heatsink paste come with the heatsink (ie. already applied and ready to use)?

 

[Serebron]

For CPU cooler I applied my own paste, it did not come with anything (it was in the box but not pre-applied).
Installation of the cooler is actually the only thing I am certain of as I did it myself. (I changed from the stock cooler PC came with)

 

[mikeymikec]

For CPU cooler I applied my own paste, it did not come with anything (it was in the box but not pre-applied).
Installation of the cooler is actually the only thing I am certain of as I did it myself. (I changed from the stock cooler PC came with)

Yep, I was reaching with that one. I personally haven't encountered before what a heatsink minus paste does to a modern processor in terms of temp/load/throttling. Hopefully someone else will chime in with a few suggestions, later in the day when the Americans wake up, perhaps.

You could test out the capabilities of the heatsink further by disabling turbo/PL1/PL2 stuff in the BIOS and see whether you get more consistent FPS (albeit somewhat lower than the peak you mentioned). Also, HWMonitor during gaming to see what the peaks are (both with and without the setting changes I mentioned), check the maximum clock speeds too.

Prime95 would be my normal go-to program for CPU stress testing though I don't know how much it hits E-cores for example.

 

[In2Photos]

What case do you have and how many fans are you using? Can you post a picture of the system while turned off so we can see the fan orientation?

 

[Tech Junky]

@Serebron

CPU looks fine under 70C considering your output shows 2 fans in use which mean you have the CPU cooler fans and 1 additional fan somewhere else.

Grab the GPU temps as well as that's likely where the issue is. Chances are you're hitting the upper 90's when under load as GPUs tend to run hot.

I would then pull the GPU and check the fans for any potential damage and clean any debris that might be under the shroud. Since it's out though I would probably pull it apart and repaste it with some better paste. They tend to use some really cheap paste when putting them together and it will make a difference in the temps and performance. I repasted a couple of RX580's when I was playing around with mining and dropped the temps quite a bit allowing for a lower fan profile to be used to keep the noise down.

Overall this could be a $10 fix with some new paste.