Help.....major overheating

I am getting desperate with this problem. I had what I believed was a bad motherboard so I replaced it with an MSI KM2M Combo-L. In the process I discovered that my stock heatsink/fan was very weak/ barely running and my case fan had locked up. So along with the new mb I installed a new case fan and a nice big heatsink/fan (don't remember the make). Along with the mb came an app called PC Alert 4, to monitor temps and voltages. It consistently shows very high cpu temps (high 60's C. at cold boot rising into 70's or 80's) if I don't use the CoolerXP app to keep the temp down. The system temp stays good, all computer operations seem good except that CoolerXP is a HUGE resource hog(99%) at times, but always the high temp. I've double checked the fans, thermal paste, heatsink mounting, all are good. What can be causing this? Could the CPU have been damaged in a way as to operate properly but overheat? What else, if not that could be the problem? BTW I am using an Athlon XP 1700.Any help would be greatly appreciated as I am at a total loss.

 

what CPU and is your HSF at least 4000 RPM?

 

pc alert can be very misleading in its reporting of temperatures make sure you visit MSI and have the latest version of that program
i personally dumped it and use sisoft sandra which gives me a much more reliable temp reading you can download it here
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download92.html

it reads the temps 8c lower than pc alert the readings are under the mainboard heading

 

CPU is AMD Athlon XP 1700 and HSF is over 4k rpm (currently running at 4821rpm).
Also installed Sandra and it's readings are consistent with PC Alert (newest version).
Using Sandra I disabled CoolerXp and my CPU temp immediatly climbed to 76.5 C.

 

did you put thermal paste on with that new HSF?

 

hmm i heard that the newest version of pc alert might work better thats why i mentioned it ill take alook myself but that dont help you

what sort of thermal paste did you use also if you apply too much and it gets messy this can do more harm than good

you may have to clean up the cpu with some rubbing alcohol then apply some artic silver on there

what about airflow in your case how many fans you got in there also make sure your cables are nice and tidy and not all over your HSF or obstructing the rear vents/fan

edit: he does mention thermal paste in his post and ive got to stop posting at the same time i think thats the third time today

 

The thermal paste is nothing special, just what came with the HSF, but it is not on too thick or messy. I could get Artic Silver, but would that make up for being close to 30 C. over the proper temps? As for case fans, I only have one in front (in addition to the ps), but I did not consider that to be the problem as my system temps are fine.

 

having Arctic Silver on there wouldn't hurt.. the stanard stuff is weak.

 

Well if your H.S.F.; C.P.U.; thermal pasting is all okay, then P.C. alert may not be giving a correct reading.

Depends on whether you're experiencing any P.C. lockups or shutdowns. If not, and everything else seems hunky-dory, don't stress about it too much.

And yeah A.S. is usually better than the white silicone goo that comes with the C.P.U.'s.

 

your bios should have some thermal info as well.. check out what is says in there.

 

your system temps could still be fine but how big is your case? the fan in the front may be bringing cool air in but you still need to expel the hot air out from around the cpu does your power supply have twin fans? as often in smaller cases the power supply is mounted right on top of the cpu and if it hasnt got a bottom fan the heat just reflects off the metal plate is there anyway you can mount a rear exhaust fan or possibly put a blowhole in the top also make sure the front intake is not obscured by cables etc you want that sucka blowing in nice and clear

 

so, is the paste that comes with aftermarket hs/f better than the stock paste? i'm going to assume its much better than a thermal pads on the stock hs/f's. i just installed a volcano 7 to replace my stock hs/f on my 2200+ and my temps dropped from mid 30's to low 20's.

 

Arctic Silver 5 has a mixture of silver and cermamic particles, which will (a) smooth he bottom of the heatsink, and (b) increase conductiivity. This works well because, in part silver has the greatest conductivity of heat.

http://www.arcticsilver.com/

However, the best value thermal paste on the market that I've come across a.t.m. is CoolerMaster's Premium Thermal Compound.

test results

 

I am having exactly the same problem with my MSI KM2M Combo-L...although I had a high temperature of around 57 C. I use CoolerXP to keep the temp down. I'm not quite sure how to check fans etc...

 

Voltage

By the way, I've got a similar string going on the hardware post board on this site, and I got a couple of recommendations on adjusting voltage levels to help keep temperatures down...search for jimkata.