Need help diagnosing overheating problem while playing Skyrim

[worthlesspeppermint]

Hi there. I'm Tori, and I can honestly say that I am an idiot.

 

About a year and a half ago I bought a new computer without really knowing what exactly I was looking for, or even what to look for in a gaming pc. I had very little funds, and even to this day have not completely paid off the computer I bought, despite upgrading it with ram and a new graphics card. I was told an i7 processor was good for gaming; that was about it.

 

I know my graphics card isn't great; I learned that the hard way. I used to have a Geforce GTX 660 TI that burned out because of my noobish gaming tendencies. The people at Best Buy/Geek Squad told me that a GTX 960 would be about the same, and I had to bang out the buck without knowing whether or not that was true. I hate it, and I don't have the money to get a better one, especially since my PC case is tiny and whatever graphics card I get doesn't fit inside properly. They say that's the reason I'm having overheating problems. It very well could be.

 

In the beginning, when I started having overheating problems with it, after countless times of bringing it in, Geek Squad figured out that one of my external fans was buzzed out. So I ended up sending my card to EVGA and got a replacement.

 

The only problem is it's still overheating, despite being a brand new card. Maybe I should elaborate- I don't really know if it's overheating, I've been monitoring it with HWMonitor out of morbid curiosity, and when I play Sims it usually hits around 53-65 degrees and when I play Skyrim with an ENB and tons of mods, it was around 73 degrees [the graphics card temperature] Because I'm an idiot, I don't know if this is normal, despite hearing some places on the internet that it is, or from other miscellaneous sources that it isn't. So I need your help to figure this out!

 

I've included my DXDiag because I figure someone out there has to be able to decipher whether or not my PC is absolute crap, or I need to cut out the ENB, or buy an external fan; etc. I don't know what to do because I have no real knowledge in these things, and I only started gaming a couple years ago. I really have no one in my personal life that I can get an honest answer from, either, and I'm quite far from trusting Geek Squad because I get a different answer every time I go in there. Last time I dragged it in, they didn't even plug it in, they just told me I had to deal with it, the case was too small.

 

If you could help me out, with whatever wisdom you may have I would be mighty appreciative.

 

Thank you!

 

[LeddBate]

Without specific info on your case, and the position of the GPU (graphics card) and PSU (power supply) I can only guess at possible physical reasons for your overheating. Is your CPU water-cooled? Or does it have a stock air-cooler? How many fans (not counting the CPU and GPU fans) does your case have? Where are they located and how many of them pull air into the case vs. blowing air out of the case?

 

By way of example: My PSU is bottom mounted and exhausts out the rear of my case. My GPU is located on the PCI-e slot furthest away from the PSU and exhausts out the back. My CPU and RAM are side-by-side right above my card. My CPU has a AIO (all-in-one) water cooling block connected to a radiator that exhausts out the top-back. Since my GPU's intake fan faces down towards the PSU (which generates some heat despite the back exhaust) I knew I would need additional cooling. Since the case side had a grill in it that would accomodate a fan, I added a 140mm one there blowing inwards just under the GPU (thus feeding it lots of cool air.) I added another fan to the front grill of the case near the bottom also blowing inwards. This created what is referred to as "positive case air-flow". That is, there is a bit more air being pushed into the case than being pulled out by the exhaust fans. This ensures that the inside of the case is never "starved" for cool air.

 

You might be experiencing overheating issues due to (but not limited to) any of the following:

1) GPU's intake fan too close to something else -like another card or your PSU. Solution: Attempt to move GPU to another slot that gives it more room to "breathe". Add a case fan that blows directly at or close to the GPU's intake area.

2) CPU overheating. Solution: If using a stock air-cooler (or even an aftermarket air-cooler) remove cooler and check thermal paste. If it is too dry and flaky, it probably was not transferring the heat correctly. Re-apply a fresh layer of new paste and re-seat the cooler. If using a AIO water-cooler, same as above, but also check to make sure radiator fan is working and make sure radiator itself is clean.

3) General overheating. Solution: add more fans. They should blow air inwards to create positive case pressure to help blow heat out the back and top (if your case has any top vents.) If you do not have any remaining fan connectors on your motherboard, you should be able to use molex adapters on spare leads from your PSU.

 

On a related note: DUST KILLS! No seriously, dust (and pet fur) is one of the primary killers of PCs. Keep a can of compressed air and clean out the inside of your rig at least once every two weeks (or once every week if you have pets.) This will help with overheating AND prevent malfunctions due to clogging of radiators and fans. This is especially important for your GPU. Also, keep a dust cover on your PC when you're not using it.

 

I'm afraid others will have to jump in on the subject of whether your PC is "crap" or not.

 

Edit: BTW, you are NOT an idiot. Idiots don't know how to ask for help properly. You have.

Edited September 2, 2016 by LeddBate

[bben46]

Some good advice from Leddbate. I will add that I have seen, more than once, a PC case with extra fans but all set to blow in and no easy way for the hot air to get out. There must be a clear path for airflow through the case. Usually intake ( inward blowing) fans should be mounted low, and exhaust fans mounted high as hot air naturally rises. Another possible problem is an underpowered power supply. Your replacement GPU likely needs more power than the stock GPU that came with your off the shelf box. Not quite enough power will cause the Power supply voltage to drop a bit, and the electronics will run a little hotter and fail quicker.

 

Your description leads me to believe you likely have a low profile case, meaning not much room to work with inside. It may have a non standard Power supply that may not have an easily acquired or more expensive higher wattage power supply.

 

We can research what you have and what you can (and cannot) do with it.

 

Edit:

 

A quick search shows you have a mini tower case with a standard size Power supply. But the stock power is only 300 watts. Low for using a modern GPU card.

The power supply can easily be swapped for a higher wattage - look into something over 500 Watts.

Dell is well known for using the cheapest power supply they can get away with in their off the shelf boxes. That works fine for office use, but is often not good enough for gaming

 

The Mother board is also an integrated type, meaning unless you set it in the Bios, it will try to use the integrated (built onto the Mother board) GPU and Ram as video.

Mini towers are often difficult to install longer GPU cards into as there may not be enough room. Be sure to measure just how much room you have and check the specs on any GPU to be sure it will fit before paying for a card that won't fit.

[worthlesspeppermint]

Hello to both of you kindly souls. I greatly appreciate you both taking the time to stop by to help.

 

I'm not entirely sure of what my internal computer's internal specs are, but I"ll include two images I took of the inside of it so that you two can have a more in-depth look at what my rig is like in exact terms.

 

Hopefully, this will clear up any mystery on what kind of power supply I have, or where my fans are. At least a picture can say more than I can!

 

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b570/stupidsamurai/20160902_122517_zpsp4f29isz.jpg

 

http://i1292.photobucket.com/albums/b570/stupidsamurai/20160902_122522_zpsa8szkrp7.jpg

[Project579]

That GPU cannot breed at all, you have a side panel without holes right?

[worthlesspeppermint]

My sidepanel does have a square of holes right above the graphics card. The thing is, I've been keeping the side panel off and getting these temperatures without it on. That's why I'm worried. Essentially the whole sidepanel has been removed so there can be more airflow. But I'm still getting really high temperatures despite that fact.

[LeddBate]

Good job with the pics. Yes, that helps a lot.

 

1) Your GPU's intake fan appears to be facing downwards towards the bottom of the case. There appears to be very little clearance between the GPU and the bottom of the case, ergo, no room for it to "breathe". That's going to cause temperature issues right there. Unfortunately, the slot above the GPU only appears to be for a sound card, so you cannot move it away from the bottom of the case. Short of getting a new (bigger) Mobo (Motherboard) and case -I don't see a solution for this EXCEPT to use additional fans to blow cool air into the case (positive case air-flow, remember?) thus getting at least some cool air into that space under the card for it to breathe in.

 

2) You clearly have a fan in the back. Does it blow out the back?. That's okay, but you need MORE fans to get air moving in there. (Just leaving the side panel off isn't enough.) You told Project 579 that your side panel does have holes for attaching a fan. Do so. Get the biggest one that will fit. 140mm or bigger if possible. See if you can remove the front bezel (panel) on your case. You may need to unscrew it, but the photo seems to indicate it will pop right off. That metal panel between it and the HD (hard drive) cage is full of holes so that you can attach another fan or two. Try to fit two if you can. If not, then put in the biggest single one that will fit. Make sure it blows inward also. Your Mobo probably won't have enough power headers for all those fans, so you'll have to get some molex adapters to plug the fans into spare power plugs from your PSU. NOTE: I can't see the front of your bezel, so I don't know if it has vents for airflow. If not, you may have to perform some plastic surgery with a dremel tool. You could cut away a part of the bezel (DON'T CUT OFF ANY WIRES OR MOVING PARTS!) then use cyanoacrylate (super-glue) to place a plastic panel that does have vents over the area you've cut off. You can go to any electronics or home improvement store to find such a part. Or, you can scavenge off something around the house like a broken old radio for example.

 

3) Your PSU appears to be a bronze-rated 600watt supply. MORE than enough for your needs. In fact, it's a bit of overkill, though not by much. However, it looks like it's intake fan is facing down into the space right above your CPU. So this is probably another major problem. You see, your PSU is trying to suck in air for it's own use -right from the area where the CPU stock-cooler is trying to suck in air to cool the CPU. In addition to this, that rear-mounted fan (if it is exhausting outwards) is ALSO trying to draw air from the exact same spot. Small wonder you're having overheating issues even with the side panel off. Well, adding the fans in (2) above will help. But you need a better cooling solution for your CPU. An AIO water cooler would be ideal, but I can't see anyplace to put the radiator. So, I'm thinking that a "tower" style air-cooler (such as this) might serve your purposes. That one I linked to is a bit of a monster, so you will have to measure the dimensions between your CPU (not counting the current stock cooler) and the far panel to make sure it fits. You can get smaller-sized air-coolers that are also quite powerful, but that Noctua one is probably the best bang-for-the-buck.

 

In summary, there ARE things you can do to alleviate your heat issues. Try to add the fans. Remember to go for the biggest ones you can fit in the side and front. Replace your stock cooler with an after-market air-cooler. Make sure it will fit before you order it! (Or, make sure the supplier is generous with their return/exchange policy.) Doing these two things will run you between $80. and $110 depending on the cooler you settle on. There's no guarantees (especially with the placement of your GPU) but this SHOULD help. And don't forget to keep your PC's innards clean by using compressed air!

 

I'm afraid your suspicions are at least partially correct. I wouldn't classify your PC as "crap" but it is definitely on the "not-well-designed" side. (Except for that PSU. That's a nice one.) You can actually build your own computer with a minimum of studying. (There are TONS of "How to do it" guides online. I recommend starting with Maximum PC and Tom's Hardware.) And a good middle-of-the-road PC can be built/bought for as little as $850. A really kick-ass one can be built for $1,100. I know, I built my own for just over that amount. However, a better way is to get a "bare-bones" rig (case, PSU, Mobo) then add the other components you want (RAM, GPU, soundcard, SSD(s) and HDs.) So start saving now and keep abreast of developments and parts online. In the meantime, good luck on fixing your heating issues on your current rig.

[Project579]

The hole that case has is right above the CPU don't put anything on it but try putting fans in front; or find a FLEX and cut that case bottom open (where the GPU is located) same for the side panel cut a rectangle where the GPU is.

 

When i say flex i mean this:

 

 

 

not this:

 

 

[worthlesspeppermint]

Thanks everyone for all your advice. I ended up biting the bullet and decided to purchase a new graphics card, a smaller one that is compatible with my PC. I still have the receipt for the 960 so I'm going to try to return it after I get the new card installed and hopefully this will solve all the problems. Either way, thank you for your help!

[Project579]

What i would have done is buy a new case and put the stuff inside it.