AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ overheating

[LT403F]

Hello there,

a couple of weeks ago, while playing World of Tanks, my computer randomly shut off. I rebooted, all seemed to be fine.

Then it shut off again. Like, no warning or anything at all; just a sudden, complete shutdown.

I figured out something might be overheating, so I fired up Core Temp. And I was right: My CPU was idling at ~70 degrees Celsius. So I did some work around my computer; changed some fan positions, changed the CPU thermal paste, that sort of stuff. Booted back up; idle temps still at ~60 degrees. So I connected the CPU fan plug to a Molex connector (using an adapter, obviously), just so that it runs at max RPM. That seemed to have worked: idle at ~35 degrees, playing WoT at ~60.

However, after I played Mass Effect for about 30 minutes or so, my PC shut down again. Measuring the temps (again, via Core Temp), I discovered that temperature of my CPU slowly climbed up to 120C (!) and it then shut down.

So since I kind of did everything I could thing of, I decided to post here. My full PC specs are:

AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (Brisbane) CPU

Sapphire Radeon HD 7850

3GB of DDR2 RAM

Asus Narra3 motherboard

Be quiet! Pure Power BQT L8-CM-530W PSU

My case's Enermax Ostrog.

(horribly unbalanced, I know. Couldn't afford a full PC upgrade)

If you need any other info, let me know.

P.S. I didn't want this to be such a wall of text, dammit!

Edit: Spec Ops: The Line does the same thing as Mass Effect.

[asusfan]

what kind of CPU cooler are you using?

 

looks like with your specs it could be pushing your system as old cpu, ram and board but a good gpu.

 

did you just start playing these games and it now overheats, or have you been playing them for a while and now there is overheating cpu?

 

if you check the min specs some of these midern games need it is boarderline to what you might have there and as you got a good GPU, maybe your cpu can't process all the instructions fast enough and getting hot.

 

a good cooler and paste should make some difference,

 

check your cpu fan header to see its working properly, and no dust inside the components and fans.

[LT403F]

I'm using the stock CPU cooler.

I've been playing Spec Ops: The Line for a while now. Mass Effect also used to work fine. Then again, summer came so ambient temperature increased, too.

The paste is fresh and good.

I mentioned the cpu fan header; It's connected directly to my PSU as of now (to make in spin at max RPM). Also, there's a tiny tiny bit of dust, but nothing major.

[Nickz]

The chip will not hit 120C. Try it again and feel the heatsink after gaming for a bit. If it's 80C+, you're going to have burnt fingers. If that's the case, something is wrong. Check the BIOS for the voltage, default is ~1.30.

 

If anything, the board will shut it off at 80, IF it's actually 80C. Sound like you have a bad temp sensor, but check voltages as well.

[XiaoPigs]

You should try undervolting it if possible and revert to stock clocks if you did any overclocking.

 

Investing in a CPU cooler like the Hyper 212 Evo would be a good idea and it's like 30+ USD. Fan might be a little to loud but hey better than the higher temps you're getting right?

[LT403F]

About the BIOS: this motherboard is from a HP computer, so it does not have any option to change voltages. Not even check them. Core Temp shows 1.3V, though, so that should be fine.

No overclocking. Not with this motherboard.

Will try some more serious gaming (WoT apparently does not count, since it doesn't overheat) and report back.

[Chevaishr]

i have a 5200+ (hp slim pc) and it does not overheat however i don't game on that system and i did jig saw out two 80mil fan holes on the bottom the case and install fans in them   

[swifty7]

good God!!  I remember having that cpu before I went Sandybridge.  You REALLY need to update your computer specially if you want to play the latest games @ higher settings.   Athlon x64./DDR2...talking about bottleneck.

[LT403F]

Alright, so I downloaded AMD Overdrive, underclocked the CPU a little bit, and it *appears* to have worked - load temp didn't pass 60C. Thanks for the help, everybody! At least so far.

 

good God!!  I remember having that cpu before I went Sandybridge.  You REALLY need to update your computer specially if you want to play the latest games @ higher settings.   Athlon x64./DDR2...talking about bottleneck.

I knooow. Like I said, didn't have enough money to get a full upgrade.

Also, I got the CPU in the end of '08, but it was released in '06. Prebuilts, never again!

[asusfan]

you should pick up an aftermarket cooler, there not expensive for an air cooled one. check out the Zalman website and make sure you get one that fits, there dirt cheap from NCIX

[LT403F]

I can't buy stuff from NCIX. I live in Lithuania, and so that's really not an option. Shipping too expensive.