System temperature 89-90C

[MisterWhite]

My old computer started restarting when browsing internet or playing a game. Now after booting into windows after like few minutes in firefox it restarts. I checked cpu temps, never higher than 50C (while in firefox). Although in bios and hwMonitor there is a section called System Temperature and it hovers between 89-90C, not sure what it represents. Any help would be appreciated.

[Naeaes]

It's the chipset on the motherboard. Depending on how old and what type of computer this is, it might be split onto two physical chips generally called north- and southbridges. There should be a heatsink on them which are now probably just dusty or the TIM under it has dried up. Northbridge is usually close to the CPU and southbridge somewhere more to the south.

[MisterWhite]

1 minute ago, Naeaes said:

It's the chipset on the motherboard. Depending on how old and what type of computer this is, it might be split onto two physical chips generally called north- and southbridges. There should be a heatsink on them which are now probably just dusty or the TIM under it has dried up. Northbridge is usually close to the CPU and southbridge somewhere more to the south.

i can hold my finger on northbridge heatsink

[Naeaes]

Just now, MisterWhite said:

i can hold my finger on northbridge heatsink

Kind of proves my point, doesn't it? The heat is not being passed from the chip to the heatsink. Obviously it could be a bad sensor too. Who knows. 

[bgibbz]

27 minutes ago, MisterWhite said:

i can hold my finger on northbridge heatsink

Thoroughly clean out the inside of the PC. sounds like you have a bad sensor.

[MisterWhite]

Faulty ram stick