False thermal reading causing shutdown?

[dochmbi]

Can a false reading of the thermal sensor on the e8400 cause system shutdown due to perceived overheating? I have a Noctua NH-U12P (all installation brackets have been checked and thermal paste is correctly applied etc etc) and good airflow, but my temps are way too high (like 15-20C too high) and I can't get it stable above 3,3Ghz.

 

[Zero82z]

In order for a system shutdown to be triggered, the CPU temperature must have exceeded Tjmax by a moderate amount (i.e. ~10C). Considering that Tjmax for your CPU is 100C, I seriously doubt that you were reaching temperatures anywhere near what would be necessary for that to happen, even if your sensors are reading 20C above what they should be (your CPU would still need to reach an actual temperature of around 90C in such a case).

In short, no, your computer is not shutting down due to overheating.