# Speedfan/Overheating, help?



## 19TcH91 (Mar 31, 2011)

Okay so i was having a lot of issues with overheating when i was playing such games like WoW and SC2, also running youtube videos etc. I didn't think much of it at the time due to the case i had only had like 2 fans in, but i kept it from overheating by having a desk fan facing the inside of my computer with the side panel off.

So i recently bought a new case from my local computer store, everything is fit fine, i have 2 120mm Fans and 1 40mm fan (Purchasing 2 more 120mm tomorow), my graphics card is a Nvidia 8600 GT, and im asuming this is the reason for the force shut down. Im not quite sure what i can do to fix it or does anyone have any suggestions.

I have attached a screenshot of Speedfan, which i downloaded recently but i am not sure what Temp 1 is linked to...

Faithfully
TcH


----------



## GZ (Jan 31, 2010)

Hello 10TcH91 and welcome to TSF,

Check your CPU and system temps in the BIOS. They are the most accurate.

To check and monitor your temps real-time, use a program like HWMonitor (CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting)

HWMonitor will put a name to most temps, making it easier to figure out what is what.


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Allo 19TcH91 and welcome to TSF :wave:

Speedfan is great for having an instant display in the System-Tray but, it's not much help if it can't identify what's what :grin:

If you install '*PC-Wizard*' (It's a freebie :wink and run it, it will identify all the appropriate bits and show their temps, voltages etc. too.

With that info, you can configure Speedfan and rename the readings to something more appropriate than 'Temp1', 'Temp2' and so on :wink: 

I'd guess that the 'Temp1' is the CPU, though the graphics card(s) tend to be the hottest part of a PC, unless the CPU-heatsink needs an urgent clean :laugh:

Have you cleaned out your PC recently? - The heatsink can quickly build up an insulating layer of dust between the vanes and on the fan-blades, making both inefficient at what they're supposed to do. 

A can of compressed-air and an artist's paint-brush is ideal for cleaning both, you can use a vacuum-cleaner to catch the dust that'll float around in the air, but don't get the nozzle closer than about 6" to any of the components - Fast-moving dry air can generate a lot of static electricity, which can zap some components.

Also, how tidy is the cabling inside the case? Bundles of wires and cables can seriously disrupt the air-flow through the PC, causing dead-spots and hot-spots. If necessary, cable-ties can be used to fix the cables out of the way.


----------



## 19TcH91 (Mar 31, 2011)

Thanks for the welcomes 

I downloaded PC-Wizard and give it a run by the looks of things the hottest parts which running on idle are ranging from 58C - 65C are the processor and my graphics card.

With installing everything within my new case i sorted out all the wires to make sure that they were out of the way, but im thinking maybe i don't have enough fans?

Also i havent really cleaned any of the hardware so im asuming that would be a good idea to start with 

I'll give them all a go and be back in touch with the results!

TcH


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

When cleaning the hardware, a plastic knitting-needle, drinking-straw or biro-case/sleeve type object is ideal for holding the fan-blades still, whilst cleaning 'em, otherwise the compressed air just makes 'em spin round in a very frustrating manner :grin:


----------



## 19TcH91 (Mar 31, 2011)

Okay finnished up doing as suggested 

Bassicaly stripped my pc apart, took out the motherboard etc. Cleaned it to death and in all honesty im still coughing with the 2 and a half year collection of dust i've just endured ^^

My CPU is now down to a reasonable 30C and is not overheating when on games or anything or doesnt seem that way at the moment, although my GPU is still on about 52C.

Any suggestion on what i may need to do, or just buy a new graphics card?

TcH


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Depending on your specific card, you should now be OK - The newer cards operate at a lot higher temperature than the older ones. My Nvidia GTS-250 happily chugs along at 65C-70C flat out (I'm permanently running the [email protected] client, which uses the GPU's spare cycles), dropping to approx. 45C-50C, when idling, and the AMD CPU never rises above 38C.

I believe the ATI cards run even hotter


----------



## 19TcH91 (Mar 31, 2011)

I have a GeForce 8600 GT, it's about 4 years old but i still got a modest 50fps while running World of Warcraft on medium settings so its doing fine, and thats made me a lot happier to hear! 

I just didnt want to end up burning a hole in my GC as that would be a bit upsetting ^^

Thanks for the help, greatly appreciated! 

TcH


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

The 8600GT is a nice card









When I originally built this PC back in 2007, I opted for the 8400, then upgraded to to a 9600 a couple of years later. Because the fan was noisy, I replaced it with an 'Arctic-Cooling Twin-Turbo' cooler, which was brilliant for about 8-9 months. 

I was happily working away and suddenly had a 'call of nature', within the few minutes I was away, the twin-turbo fans died and toasted the card :sigh: - Yep, it's upsetting :grin:


----------

