Should I replace my sink and fan?

[wolfmcbeard]

I have a Dell OptiPlex 7010 turned gaming pc, I'm planning on applying new thermal compound to the cpu since it gets toasty (no overheating though) under load and I'm wondering if I should just get a better sink and fan, or if possible, put a aio cooler on it, or if the stock Intel cooler is fine.
Here's a pick of the inside...

Edit: temps

idle 35c (95f)
load 54c (129f)

[WoodenMarker]

What are your temps?

[SenioRR]

Sinks generally have a really good life span as long as you take care of them so unless you have dropped something on your sink (only applies to ceramic), you don't need to replace it.

A good sink, however, can certainly improve the aesthetics of your kitchen/bathroom.

 

On a serious note, you probably dont need to replace the heatsink as you can't overclock on prebuilt PCs.

Replacing the thermal paste should be enough.

[wolfmcbeard]

I don't have an easy way to find out, I just know my case where the cpu is gets quite hot to the touch....I also just realized that I might be able to check with task manager....

 

[wolfmcbeard]

Ok i can't, just usage...any program to check cpu temp?

[WoodenMarker]

Just now, wolfmcbeard said:

I don't have an easy way to find out, I just know my case where the cpu is gets quite hot to the touch....I also just realized that I might be able to check with task manager....

It doesn't take very high temps for metal to be hot to the touch. You can check temps with software like HWMonitor. 

Make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

[TVwazhere]

Just now, wolfmcbeard said:

I don't have an easy way to find out, I just know my case where the cpu is gets quite hot to the touch....I also just realized that I might be able to check with task manager....

Being hot to the touch doesnt necessarily mean it's overheating. 70ºC is around 160ºF which is definiely not pleasant to touch, but is perfectly fine for a CPU to be at. 

 

You can download a program like HWMonitor to get better details on your system hardware

[wolfmcbeard]

2 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

It doesn't take very high temps for metal to be hot to the touch. You can check temps with software like HWMonitor. 

Make sure to quote a post or tag a member when replying or else they won't get a notification that you replied to them.

Right now it's cold as ice, I'm only considering this because of how quickly it heats up and how hot it gets, I haven't seen signs of throttling yet though.
I'll update the op with the temps here in a bit.

[wolfmcbeard]

I just edited in the low temp and high temp on the op and then my high went up again...134f (57c)

[YoFavRussian]

1 minute ago, wolfmcbeard said:

I just edited in the low temp and high temp on the op and then my high went up again...134f (57c) 

57C is fine if that's under load, if you're really concerned and must have it Closer to 50 you can invest in an aftermarket heat sink. But I have a dell tower just like this one with an I7, use it as a server almost 24/7.

[wolfmcbeard]

1 minute ago, YoFavRussian said:

57C is fine if that's under load, if you're really concerned and must have it Closer to 50 you can invest in an aftermarket heat sink. But I have a dell tower just like this one with an I7, use it as a server almost 24/7.

I kinda figured, with my case getting hot to the touch when I play anything, I honestly expected something more dramatic in terms of temperature difference.
I've had a lot of used pc that wern't taken car of and by the time I got them, they already had problems, but this one was treated nicely so I want it to last four or five more years at least so I'm trying to baby it without gimping what I can do on it.

[WoodenMarker]

8 minutes ago, wolfmcbeard said:

I just edited in the low temp and high temp on the op and then my high went up again...134f (57c)

Did you stress test the system? What are the highest temps? You should be fine up to 80-90c at load. 

[wolfmcbeard]

Just now, WoodenMarker said:

Did you stress test the system? What are the highest temps? You should be fine up to 80-90c at load. 

What would be a good stress?
I've been running BeamNG as it's cpu heavy.

[WoodenMarker]

1 minute ago, wolfmcbeard said:

What would be a good stress?
I've been running BeamNG as it's cpu heavy.

I like using OCCT. 

[YoFavRussian]

Problem with these Dell system boards is they have a proprietary fan connector, at least my Optiplex 990 does. So good luck finding a heat sink with compatible fan connectors.

[wolfmcbeard]

7 minutes ago, YoFavRussian said:

Problem with these Dell system boards is they have a proprietary fan connector, at least my Optiplex 990 does. So good luck finding a heat sink with compatible fan connectors.

I forget that, I like to tinker, I know the 980sff uses the same fan as my 7010, so I might be able to test out making a aftermarket fan work using the 980 as a sort of test bed...

[wolfmcbeard]

16 minutes ago, WoodenMarker said:

I like using OCCT. 

I've got it running right now.
All that's left to do is wait...

[TomvanWijnen]

9 minutes ago, YoFavRussian said:

Problem with these Dell system boards is they have a proprietary fan connector, at least my Optiplex 990 does. So good luck finding a heat sink with compatible fan connectors.

My Optiplex 990 also has a proprietary fan connector, as has my Optiplex 755, and my Optiplex 360, and my other Optiplex 360, and my Optiplex who's counting at this point, and two other Dells. Unsurprisingly, the Optiplex 7010 also has a proprietary fan connector, as can be seen in the handy picture posted above.

 

You should indeed try stress testing it with a program like OCCT or Prime 95 (I use that myself), to see what temperatures it really gets at full load.

[wolfmcbeard]

Yup, 980sff uses the same cursed connector, I'll experiment with trying to get a non-Dell fan working with out having to butcher the replacement fan and stuff, but that's a discussion for another time.

[wolfmcbeard]

So this is what it spat out when it finished.
There are thirteen of these things geez....

[hello_there_123]

those temps are good

[wolfmcbeard]

13 minutes ago, hello_there_123 said:

those temps are good

Yeah, still gonna put on some new paste for sake of maintenance but I'm not going to worry about the cooling.
If I swap out the cpu for something a bit beefier, I might change the cooling.

[YoFavRussian]

5 hours ago, wolfmcbeard said:

Yeah, still gonna put on some new paste for sake of maintenance but I'm not going to worry about the cooling.
If I swap out the cpu for something a bit beefier, I might change the cooling.

Still curious to see if the possibility of even using an aftermarket cooler would work.

[WoodenMarker]

12 minutes ago, YoFavRussian said:

Still curious to see if the possibility of even using an aftermarket cooler would work.

It should. The mounting holes should be standard but you'd probably need a dell fan adapter to plug it into the motherboard. 

[YoFavRussian]

Just now, WoodenMarker said:

It should. The mounting holes should be standard but you'd probably need a dell fan adapter to plug it into the motherboard. 

They have 5 pins, a fifth one for a temp sensor on the fan, if you bypass that you get an error fan error every time you boot the system.