It's Official, I hate computers.

[Callipygous]

its a 2.8ghz pentium 4. i cant seem to find serial or model numbers or anything like that so i dont know how to tell any more specifically than that.

 

i have a large heatsink on it, that does get caked with dust, but has been cleaned recently, i just put some thermal paste on it, and didnt go over board. i spread a thin layer across the top part of the processor as instructed on the packaging.

 

i have one good fan blowing out the back of the case, i have a variable speed fan on the processor, a fully functioning fan in the power supply, and a completely worthless fan sitting at the front of the case doing nothing because its old and i dont have a way to plug it in. aside from all of that, the most important thing is probably that i have the side of the case off and a 10in fan (like what you would use to circulate air in your bedroom) blowing directly into the case.

 

there is plenty of air flow, any overheating issue would have to be directly related to the heatsink and how well its transferring heat from the proc.

[Drilon]

Did you say 95C, that is too much. Have you checked the temperature of the northbridge, southbridge and the GPU (graphic card). The high GPU temperature is causing me problems when I play games. It restarts my computer.

[Callipygous]

i havent checked the gpu, but it says the north and south bridges are at more like 30-35C

[Drilon]

Well if you have a integrated Graphic Card you could try that one ( you have to remove the other one ) or you could just try with another Graphic Card.

[oldo]

Been hovering on these forums for a while and thought i might aswell step in for this one

 

Computer restarts without notifying you of error: XP (not sure about 2000) will, by defualt, reboot the PC after a stop error occurs.. crap for problem determination, right? - It's easy to fix this: Right click My Computer > Properties > "Advanced" Tab > Startup and Recovery > Deselect "Automatically Restart".

 

The next time a stop error occurs, you can write down the error report and google it, or whatever you need to do - it's a start.

 

Next, you can monitor various temp sensor readings from within windows (assuming you MB supports it..) using this program http://www.coolmon.org

 

With regards to you CPU temp issues, it should not run above 60degC in general with any architecture. Optimum temp range is 30-50degC.. obv. colder is better! If it's running at 90degC you're have a major hardware problem, and you best look into what's causing it or, as has already been suggested, you might be looking at buying a new CPU soon.

 

So, you said your CPU has a variable speed fan? I've seen problems with these before. Is it manually or thermometer controlled? Manuall > Increase the fan speed, it's probably too low. Thermally > Where is the sensor positioned? Make sure the sensor is positioned as close to the processor (the source of heat) itself as possible without obstructing the contact between processor and heatsink.

 

My advice would be to remove the heatsink\fan, and clean any existing thermal paste from both surfaces, and clean until they both shine. Apply new paste then replace and check the fan rotation is not impared in any way. Dust\wires hanging accross the blades (!)\etc.

 

Still not working? Get yourself a new aftermarket heatsink & fan. After that you're probably looking at permanently broken CPU or motherboard.

 

Have fun!

[Callipygous]

its thermometer based speed. the sensor is built into the processor. the thermal paste was replaced about a week ago. the fan is moving fine, no wires or anything, and as i already stated, there is a floor fan placed next to the open case, air flow is not the issue.

 

unless i notice any perfomance issues at all im not about to go buy more things to fix the "problem"

 

if i hear my fan howling at me again i might consider it.

[oldo]

Your decision.. i'm was just trying to help, i work with problems like this every day.

 

If temps are normal then your original problem must already be resolved - reseating the heatsink and applying new paste may well have improved thermal contact. If they're still 90deg you can count on something breaking in the very near future.

[Callipygous]

i dont think they are really at 90C. i think my sensor is off.

 

i have reason to believe it has been significantly hotter than this fairly regularly in the past, if it were really doing 90c steadily, it would have fried a long time ago. its been the same set up for over 2 years now.

 

sorry if it seems like i dont appreciate your input, i was just a little grouchy and a couple things in your post had already been discussed above. all input is appreciated.

[oldo]

np.

 

hope it keeps working for you

[Drilon]

Well, have you checked the ram memory tempearture. It could be that.

[Ndi]

At 95, it'll not fry, but work erratically. I've had CPUs live years at 85 when idle.

 

* Test for temperature: Put your finger on it as it's working hard. Try to pack (zip/rar) a whole hard drive or something. If you can put your finger on the hottest spot and keep it there, it's not 95. Finger-on-component in CPUs is A Good Thing. Don't remove the cooler though. Note that thermal paste is only efficient if it's a thin, even layer between the wole CPU surface and the whole cooler/sink assembley. If the sink is tilted by 5 degrees it'll go nuts. RUN A CONTINUOUS BENCHMARK. Newer CPUs go into hysteresis by slowing down to the point where they can run at 10% of the speed with minimal cooling (e.g. no fan at all)

 

* Test RAM and MB cooling: RAMs should be cold-warm at all times, never hot. Think warm water as in bath temperature - 35-45 degrees Celsius. MB radiator should feel cold(er). At the very worst, it might feel warmer slightly, NEVER hot. If it's warmer than your fingers, try a chassis fan.

 

* Hook up your chassis fan: it's a case fan, it works at 12 Volts (black for Ground, red for +12 - re-check with the label on the fan if unsure). Hook it up to any of the 12V supplies. Strip an IDE power connector (the 4 pin type)[EDIT: Strip the wire isolation and hook the fan wires in parallel, don't strip the connector away - just thought I was clearer]. The wires are Red, Black, Black, Yellow, +5, Gnd, Gnd, +12 in this order. To hook the fan use one black and one yellow wire for +12V stabilised. You can hook any (sane) number of fans in this manner (parallel). Note there are power connectors that have a mother and a father on each end (extension) and 2 wires coming out that tap into the 12V supply for external fans. I had as much as 4 large (30 cm) fans and 3 smaller fans on the same 500W supply without exceeding the manufacturer's recommended limits. [EDIT: power down before this as a short will fry the PSU 99% of the time. Power down the PC, remove the power cord, then try to power it up - this will empty the capacitors. Then start stripping wires]

 

* Add additional fans for the hot spots. Look up the connections above and add fans that ventilate hotter spots: RAM, HDD, CD/DVDs or Graphic cards. Remember:

 

-- ALWAYS close the case. It's cooler, no matter what you may have heard

-- ALWAYS have the fans pump into the case in front/side and out of the case in the back. All chassis and MB manufacturers assume such a flow when designing heat sinks.

-- ALWAYS check the flow if air by hand. There are "quiet" fans designed for low power home computers. These fans rotate at 4000 RPM with different blades. You should feel a flow of air behind the fan with little effort, it should be able to move a sheet of paper if pointed at one. If you can barely feel anything, get a better fan. A non-quiet fan can have as much as four times the flow.

 

* Monitor heat in the case with an external thermometer for a few minutes (close case with thermo in, set it to do huge tasks for 15 minutes, read). Try to determine if the MB actually measures like it should. If you get anything over 45 degrees in the case at any time, consider supplemental cooling. As scientists, you should be able to answer this: a CPU designed to work at 60 is cooled with 40 degrees air by a fan at 3200 RPM. Should the case be at 50 degrees, what is the RPM needed? Can the fan provide?

 

I'd hate for this to become a cooling how-to, as I hate my typical long posts, but all the checks and the new hardware should be below 30 Euro including new fans and wiring, not to mention you can conduct the experiments in 30 minutes with no cost.

 

Let us know if it works.

[Callipygous]

new issue... everytime i let my computer idle long enough to shut off the monitor my internet connection acts up.

 

if i was connected to AIM before it shut off then i will still have my aim connection, i can still send and recieve messages and all that, but i cant make any new connections.

 

i cant load a webpage, i cant sign on to any of my online games, nothing like that works.

 

the only way i have found to fix it is to restart my computer. stopping and starting my wireless card has no effect.