Fan/Heatsink Question

K

Klaerth

Weaksauce
Joined
Jul 10, 2007
Messages
87
I've had a PC I've been using for a couple of years, and just now noticed that the CPU was running at ~42 degrees Celsius when idling. I had an AC Freezer 7 Pro I had purchased for it lkong ago, only it arrived after it was built, and my lazy self never installed it. I just now decided to do so...and most profess ignorance when it comes to this. Immediately after installing it, the processor is now idling at ~45 degrees Celsius. Does this mean it isn't mounted correctly, or will it merely take a bit of time for it to adjust and cool down?
 
You did it wrong -- probably too much TIM used or a bad mount. Take it off, clean it off well, put a very thin line down the center of the IHS (processor side) and re-mount. Make sure all 4 push-pins lock fully.
 
TIM used was merely the pad that came pre-applied to the heatsink. I'm toying with the mount now, and it /feels/ in there fairly firmly...I feel only resistance and no sign of it being unattached. Now, this is a silly question, but does said pad ever get old if unused? The cooler was sitting on my shelf for nearly two years now, albeit boxed.
 
Well, the pad is not the best quality TIM in the first place, generally speaking, so if you have some AS5 or MX2/3 around, I'd clean it off and try again with that.
 
I may have some left from a previous build - I'll check that. If not, I'll just order some. =>

Edit: Ooh...and...is it normal for the CPU fan to stop for a little bit once in a while? It seems like every five minutes it stops for a handful of seconds, only to start back up again. This has me worried about leaving this PC unattended..
 
I don't own a ACF7Pro, but I have a few very similar tower HSFs. Does it use a 4 pin (PWM) fan? If so, yes. The motherboard's fan controller is just cutting the fan off because temperatures are dropping below a preset threshold and it's set to "silent mode" or similar. If it uses a 3 pin connector you may have a problem...
 
It is a four pin, yes. And it does seem to only be cutting off for brief periods of time. Thankee for all the support!
 
Depending on when you bought the F7Pro, it may or may not have come with MX-2 pre-applied. ;) Anyway, it sounds like Smart CPU Fan is enabled, or whatever its called on your board. Its what s-c described in post #6. Turn that off and it should be idling a lot lower. Though, if you can't stand the extra noise, just turn it back on. BTW, which model CPU?
 
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