Are these temperatures normal?

[xxXEvandarXxx]

In idle the my graphics card is about 60C and the cpu on 40C. Dunno if this is normal but it feels wrong.

Sometimes when playing games, the whole computer gets really hot, and then crashes. if I hold my hand on top of the case it feels like it wont be long until I burn it lol. I'm not sure exactly how warm it it, but as I said, it's really hot.

Could the crashes be because of the high temperatures (if they actually are high, I dunno what they supposed to be like :confused:) ? If so, what can I do to keep them down?

[bben46]

I believe that the high temp is what is causing your crashes, and will soon destroy the computer.

 

On idle those are warm, but not bad. However, sometimes the programs that report temps are not accurate. Temps above 70c are usually considered hot, and 80c serious. If you see 90c expect to be buying a new board soon. If you do overheat, do not shut down as that removes the cooling effect of the fans. Instead, shut down all running programs and allow the computer to cool itself for a few minutes before powering down. You may take the side panel off and direct a fan into the case to increase cooling. - this should be considered a temporary fix and not a permanent solution.

 

Check your fans make sure they are all running at top speed. check to see if you have a dust bunny infestation. Dust on fans, in air channels and heat sink plates kill the cooling effect of fans.

 

Here is a link to my article on Cleaning your computer

http://www.tesnexus.com/articles/article.php?id=304

 

Typically you should have the fans on the front and side of the case pulling air in, and the fans on the back, and top pushing warm air out. Be sure there is not a lot of stuff obstructing and slowing the air down, as slow air is not carrying heat as well as fast air. In general hot air rises so you want your exhaust fans near the top and your intake fans near the bottom of the case.

 

Be sure the fan on the video board has a clear path to get cool air. Hot air that has just passed through the CPU heat sink will cause higher temps if it is directed toward the video card fan intake.

[Vagrant0]

Your graphics card is a bit on the hot side. Your CPU temp may be the temp on the motherboard and not the processor. What program are you using?

 

Here's a bad example from my system using speedfan:

 

My system temps - Idle

System: 32c - 34c

CPU: 70c - 76c

Graphics Card: 54c - 62c

HD0: 40c - 42c

HD1: 40c - 42c

 

My system temps - moderate/heavy use

System: 36c - 38c

CPU: 80c - 86c

Graphics Card: 65c - 68c

HD0: 42c - 44c

HD1: 40c - 42c

 

I have 1 fan for the back of my case to blow air out, 1 fan above my processor to suck air in from the side, and 1 fan on the graphics card pulling air from within the case, all of them are a few years old and are clearly not performing as well as they could be. HD0 is an older drive, system drive, and is about at the end of its life cycle. But, so far I've only powered down once due to overheating.

 

Crashes could be caused from other problems, usually RAM or software. If you crash because of heat, most of the time you will get some notification of it when you reboot.

Edited November 30, 2009 by Vagrant0

[xxXEvandarXxx]

I can't see much dust, but I'll clean it asap. I tried taking of the side panel, but it had no effect on the temperatures but I'll leave it off anyway.

 

The program I was using is CPUID hardware monitor. I tried Speedfan, and the temperatures are a bit lower, graphics card is 57C and cpu 35C.

I was thinking, would a bigger case with more fans help with cooling? Right now I have only one fan and cables are pretty much everywhere, so I can imagine the airflow is not very good.

[bben46]

A larger case could help. Leaving the side off can sometimes help, but can sometimes make it worse as it changes the airflow.

Your typical one fan case has a fan on the back of the case blowing out, that means it is sucking air in through every gap in the case and dust with it. Many don't have proper air intakes on the front, meaning the fan is pulling in outside air through the vents in the back, then blowing that cooler air right back out. It should be getting most of its air from the opposite side of the case drawing that cooler outside air across the components then exhausting the warm air.

[xxXEvandarXxx]

Ok, thanks. I'll look for some cases when I've cleaned the computer.

[DagonTheranis]

Those temperatures are still not necessarily good for your graphics card in my experience. Running high-end graphics games like oblivion could damage the card(happened to both my cousin and friend). I've found that if you unplg everything on your computer for 24 hours, then sometimes it stops your card from breaking, but you could also use what I believe is called a water cooling system. I haven't used it myself, but it is apparently very effective.

[xxXEvandarXxx]

I'm not so sure about using water cooling. I've head it's difficult to use and can apparantly leak too.

Anyway I've cleaned out dust from the fans and I'll see how it goes now.

And by the way, does any one have suggestions for good computer cases? :)

[Vagrant0]

And by the way, does any one have suggestions for good computer cases? :)

You don't necessarily have to go with something excessive as a $80 coolermaster case, even fairly cheap ones can provide decent airflow. I'd really be more concerned about where your computer is placed instead of what case you have. If you have it placed in one of those computer desks that has a tall compartment that is entirely enclosed (wooden door in front, cheapy paper backing), you're going to have heat issues no matter what you do.

 

Although wires can impede airflow, most of them are only blocking the space between your powersupply and your harddrives. The processor is usually situated further back, and the videocard situated near the bottom. If wires are a real concern, you may not necessarily need a new case, but instead just better wires. There are more compact versions of IDE (ribbon) cables which often make a big difference if you happen to have both media drives and harddrives that use an IDE interface. Even using some zipties (non-metallic) to secure excess cables out of the way can make some difference.

 

Selecting a good case really depends on where things are located and positioned in your system. Although many cases come with openings on the side of the computer, and even air funnels these don't do much good if they're misaligned with your components. Basically, take some time to look at your specific situation and decide what would work best for you. However, you should double check the specifications of a case before buying one. Although it may appear to have venting on the side or front, it could be entirely decorative. I would however suggest nothing smaller than a mid-tower case. Minitowers are fine for office environments or the average consumer, but can become rather cramped when you aren't using an onboard videocard.

 

As for watercooling... That's usually only an option for processors and not videocards. Even still, it's usually something which is best left to people with enough money to replace fried components and maintain the damn thing. For the average user it's just simply impractical to even suggest (kinda the reason why you would never be able to buy one from retailers who don't cater specifically to power gamers).

Edited November 30, 2009 by Vagrant0

[xxXEvandarXxx]

Hm... would another cooler for the graphics card and CPU instead of a case be a better idea?

I'm looking at the Noctua NH-U12P for the CPU cooler and Arctic Cooling Twin Turbo Pro for the graphics card. The grahpics cooler seem to be quite good, I looked at a review where they tried it on a 4870 (I have a 4890, and as far as I know they're not much different). Temperature was reduced from 60C to around 40 in idle.