CPU RPM woes

A

Arriend

n00b
Joined
Jun 23, 2005
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I've been a bit conserned with my CPU temps lately. In the past month I've had a lot go on that may have traumatized the system, however. I had a nice idle temp of 28 in Colorado, then after increasing 2000+ ft in elevation my temps started rising slowly...Right now I'm idling around 38 and taking a full load at 47...I realize these temps aren't putting the system in danger, but I'm trying to figure what could have increased my temps as drastically as they have been.

I've gone through reseating the HSF, reapplying AS5 and doing my best to lower ambient temps, none of which seem to have done too much (we'll have to wait the 200 hr break in period that AS5 likes to take to see if that really did much of anything or not). I've noticed that my CPU fan speeds have dropped considerably however. Through BIOS I see that the chassis fan is working at 1068 and the CPU is at 4272...which is the opposit that Everest is reading out at. I'm a bit lost as to what to do, the MoBo is an ASUS K8V-X, running an AMD64x 2800+, I've tried the "cool 'n quiet" feature, but had a buddy suggest against that.

Any ideas would be appreciated, I've just reset the setup default settings and will see if I notice any improvements in the morning..
 
When I reseated the HSF I did notice a bit of dust (nothing excessive) and cleared it right away. I'm not sure why Antec decided to drill their name into the side of the Sonata Case, but I'm really considering covering the inner side of the panel with some sort of guard to avoid unnecessary debris intake.

*Thanks for the prompt reply!*
 
What about position of the case, is it in a new position, maybe to close to the wall?

How did it travel to it's new home? Was it boxed, with the cpu and heatsink laying flat, or up on it's side?

I would R&R each fan in the near future, but that's just me.
 
Arriend said:
When I reseated the HSF I did notice a bit of dust (nothing excessive) and cleared it right away. I'm not sure why Antec decided to drill their name into the side of the Sonata Case, but I'm really considering covering the inner side of the panel with some sort of guard to avoid unnecessary debris intake.

*Thanks for the prompt reply!*
Click to expand...
not much to do at work ;)

I controlled the intake vents on my case with some clear packaging tape on the inside. You can't really tell it is there and serves its purpose.
 
While moving I put the entire system back in the box it was packaged in, securing it with all the styrofoam bits. I didn't take out any of the components, and it traveled with me sitting upright. I have it positioned currently as close to what it was before we moved (sitting next to my desk, on the floor, leaving the back panel about a foot from the wall). The most noticeable difference is the ambient temps. I went from living in a basement (kept nice 'n cool in Colorado), to an upstairs apartment in Wyoming. Furthermore, my job allowed me to work from home, so instead of having the one desktop in a fairly open basement, I now have 3 desktops running in a smaller room on a the third floor. This room stays at least 10 degrees warmer than the rest of the house, even with the window open and a desk fan constantly running.

I hope that answers the inquiries (and then some) you had, as far as "R&R"ing the fans, what would that entail?
 
It does, explain. Ambient temps are your culprit, but not for the rpm loss.

An r&r on fans is rather simple, just need a very small regular screwdriver. Peel the sticker, pop out the little plastic split-ring washer and pull the fan apart, just dust the inside, maybe a little oil, it's up to you. Some people use oil, others don't. I recommend oil and a repeat of the entire fan cleaning process every 4-6 months, can go longer if you don't use oil. Oil picks up the dust and keeps it, forming, mud! :D

Sorry, this is an offsite link, but here is a step by step with pictures :)

It's all up to you. Could always buy new fans too.
 
I'll surely give it a try!

I'm still a bit confused as to why BIOS shows the CPU fan being fine, but the Chassis fan as spinning slow, and Everest shows the Chassis being fine but the CPU fan being slow. Either way, I'll strip 'em down, clean them out and see if that fixes anything. Also, I have purchased a 120mm Nexus to place in the front of the case, trying to promote air flow throughout, but we'll see if it really affects the system at all. As for replacing the fans that are in there now, the tower is from Antec and the fans (or so I'm under the impression) are pretty nice, and the proc is an AMD, the HS being stock, so I may consider placing something after-market on there, but for now we'll see if I can get it out of the red.

Thanks again for the help!
 
No problem.

The sensor apps available all differ by a bit, but usually not that much.

I always have problems reading voltages, they differ by .3-.5 volts when reading from BIOS and then checking with a software app. I think the formula to get the readouts differ somewhat from app to app. I always trust my BIOS readings above all others.
 
You could pick up some cheap fans from a local tech store that just use molex connectors and see if that helps anything. That way you can bypass the motherboard and any control that it's exerting over the fan speed (if that's what's actually happening).
 
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