Help on CPU Cooling

Izmalov36 · September 7, 2015

So I've recently built a new PC for the first time but when I ran the benchmarks I was puzzled with the results. The results showed a disappointingly low performance rating on the CPU and GPU, so I decided to consult my tech friend and get some advice. So we ran through the CPU benchmark again and found out (with the help of CPU-Z) that the core clock speed isn't a constant 3200mhz on the Xeon E3-1225 that I currently have on my PC. The core clock speed dropped below 2000mhz well over half the time over the course of the benchmark, so I installed Throttlestop to monitor the temperature and, as my friend suspected, the average rest temperature was around 54 degrees celsius. When I ran the benchmark again, the CPU temperature skyrocketed to 97 degrees celsius. So we concluded that the problem lies in the CPU cooling, and I checked the interior of the PC to see if the cooler was installed properly. I am currently using a stock LGA 1155 fan with pre-applied thermal paste. However, the fans seemed to be installed properly and it isn't loose. The fans were also cool despite operating at 97 degrees several minutes ago.

Other possibilities for the issue might be the pricing tag that was attached to the front of the CPU that I removed, leaving a layer of stickiness behind, though my friend insisted that that had nothing to do with the heat issue. The cable management inside the case is chaotic due to the limited space of the Sharkoon MA100 but it shouldn't be enough to severely limit airflow and reduce the effective cooling. And finally, I think I dropped a bead of sweat into the motherboard when I was working but it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm curious to hear what you think the issue lies in; also if the fact that the CPU is not properly cooled might be affecting the performance of the GPU itself, a Radeon HD 7970.

wangyuji431 · September 7, 2015

So I've recently built a new PC for the first time but when I ran the benchmarks I was puzzled with the results. The results showed a disappointingly low performance rating on the CPU and GPU, so I decided to consult my tech friend and get some advice. So we ran through the CPU benchmark again and found out (with the help of CPU-Z) that the core clock speed isn't a constant 3200mhz on the Xeon E3-1225 that I currently have on my PC. The core clock speed dropped below 2000mhz well over half the time over the course of the benchmark, so I installed Throttlestop to monitor the temperature and, as my friend suspected, the average rest temperature was around 54 degrees celsius. When I ran the benchmark again, the CPU temperature skyrocketed to 97 degrees celsius. So we concluded that the problem lies in the CPU cooling, and I checked the interior of the PC to see if the cooler was installed properly. I am currently using a stock LGA 1155 fan with pre-applied thermal paste. However, the fans seemed to be installed properly and it isn't loose. The fans were also cool despite operating at 97 degrees several minutes ago.

Other possibilities for the issue might be the pricing tag that was attached to the front of the CPU that I removed, leaving a layer of stickiness behind, though my friend insisted that that had nothing to do with the heat issue. The cable management inside the case is chaotic due to the limited space of the Sharkoon MA100 but it shouldn't be enough to severely limit airflow and reduce the effective cooling. And finally, I think I dropped a bead of sweat into the motherboard when I was working but it shouldn't be an issue.

I'm curious to hear what you think the issue lies in; also if the fact that the CPU is not properly cooled might be affecting the performance of the GPU itself, a Radeon HD 7970.

This sounds like dried out thermal paste, or a bad cooler.

Xeons are meant to function at 50 degrees Celsius, so nearly double that should tip you off.

Reapply the thermal grease, and if that fails, get a hyper 212 Eco.