# cpu overheating: 118 C?

## chovy

I'm getting an error at bootup: 

"Hardware monitor found an error. Enter power setup menu for details".

When I look at the CPU temp, it say 118 degrees celcius.

However, if I bootup, and then run "sensors" (lm_sensors), after the cpu has been idle a few minutes, it reports 55 degrees celcius. Is that still too hot?

It's a p3-600 with ASUS p3v4x motherboard.

I just replaced the cpu fans (1 was not spinning), but no effect.

Is my cpu fried? mb perhaps (motherboard temp is 27 celcius).

Should I just replace the cpu? I'm getting wierd things happening when I do bootup, like no ssh, no dns. harddrive failing (replaced that already).

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## glr

As a data point, on my notebook the fan kicks on at 65 celsius and off at 55.  I can't off the top of my head speak to the question of whether anything is fried, however.

 -glr

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## NeddySeagoon

chovy,

118C, if its real, is far too hot.

When you replaced the fan, did you also replace the thernel compound on the heatsink.

It can only be used once. If you did not move the heatsink, the thermal compound should be OK.

Since you can still boot and have lm-sensors tell you the temerature is 55C, your CPU is OK just now.

55C is high for an idle CPU though.

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## chovy

 *NeddySeagoon wrote:*   

> chovy,
> 
> 118C, if its real, is far too hot.
> 
> When you replaced the fan, did you also replace the thernel compound on the heatsink.
> ...

 

I did not replace the thermal compound. I pulled the fan off the cpu and replaced. I'm thinking of just upgrading to a semperon 2200+ w/ new mb for $120 anyway.

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## bollucks

That temperature at idle vs that temperature at load suggests your fan is doing nothing. Check it's turning and check your heat sink isn't all fluffy from dust.

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## chovy

the fans are spinning (according to lmsensors). Just replaced them too. But because it's a slot 1 cpu, the heatsink didn't actually touch the cpu (about .5-.25 centimeter gap). Is that bad? Not really sure what to do here. Thermal paste wouldn't really do anything, in this case.

According to this guide for "slot 1" (see b1.), you don't use thermal paste. I'm guessing the cpu is fried (at least one of the fans was not spinning for who knows how long - could've been a month on at a time).

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## NeddySeagoon

chovy,

There are two sorts of slot 1 CPU heatsink arrangements.

Early ones had a metal plate, that was a part of the CPU and the fan/heatsink was fitted to that with 4 prongs that went through the CPU. It was retained by a spring clip. Thermal grease must be used between the metal plate and heatsink/fan to ensure no air is trapped. 

Later ones got rid of the metal plate and exposed the CPU chip itself. The clamping arrangement was unchanged. Now the HSF is clamped to the silicon of the CPU, with thermal grease between the two parts.

Starting a slot 1 CPU with no heatsink, or a gap big enough to see between the heatsink and CPU is terminal to the CPU. It will fail before its even POSTed. Since you can still boot, your assembly cannnot be very wrong.

The idea of the thermal compound is to displace air, too much thermal grease is as bad as too little. 

You mentioned lm_sensors. That can be a little difficult to set up. Without some edits to the /etc/sensors.conf file, it may give you readings that are out by a factor of 2 (or more). Can you check that your lm-sensors readings are about the same as your BIOS ones?

I can believe lm_sensors says 118C when it really means 59C for the CPU. Read the comments in /etc/sensors.conf

===========  edit =======

HSF for slot 1 (and other CPUs) are often provided with a thermosetting thermal compound already in place. Its use once only. You remove the protective plasic tab, fit the HSF and power on. The heat melts ans sets the thermal pad.

It must be replaced if the HSF is ever removed.

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## Apetrini

Don't worry 108c is fake...because every cpu died over 92c.

Your motherboard is asus so I think that you have to udpate your bios...

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## NeddySeagoon

Apetrini,

Not at all.  The transistors in the CPU will still have a reasonable life, even if they are operated at 150C.

Manufactuers 'derate' CPUs so they can get more to work over the declared temperature range.

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## hacnslash

Not to mention the fact that some cpus such as the pentium m are rated up to 100 degrees celsius. You ever run a duron? You can almost boil water on these things.

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## chovy

To clarify, the bios reports 118 C at bootup (before I even load the OS).

Once Linux is loaded, lm_sensors report ~ 60 C. 

So it could be both or one or the other are off.

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## chovy

Well, today I went and bought some thermal paste, and put a thin layer between the cpu and heatsink (I was wrong, they were touching).

I put a thin layer, maybe a "hair" or two thickness. The bios said about 94C and lmsensors says 56C.

still a discrepency.

i thought about flashing the bios, found the .awd file for the mb and the aflash.exe, but not sure how to run that .exe without dos.

also, now the RPM on the chassis fan is triggering the Hardware Monitor - running too slow (so it won't boot up). Before it was the CPU temp triggering it.

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## syg00

 *chovy wrote:*   

> i thought about flashing the bios, found the .awd file for the mb and the aflash.exe, but not sure how to run that .exe without dos.

 As a test ("I wonder if ..." type thing), I got around this by going to www.bootdisk.com, and picked up a DOS 6.22 image they had zipped.

Can be unzipped under Linux, and they resultant img file can be dd'd to a floppy.

Voila - a bootable DOS floppy.

I have a (several) DOS and Windows systems, so it was just an academic exercise for me.

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