CPU overheats when computer is used as tower

[Adam]

Hi

I recently replaced my PSU because it died and in doing so I jogged the CPU fan and it became loose (I had been unable to fit it properly when installing it). Everything seems to work okay when I use it lying down, but when I use it as a tower (like it's supposed to), the CPU overheats and the computer won't stay on for more than a few moments. The sensors think it goes over 100°C. The CPU fan came with something that sticks it to the CPU, but it has been used and I don't have any more. Does anyone know if I can obtain more of it? Or do I need a new CPU/Fan? Or is there something else I need to have/do to get it working properly as a tower?

X-Power GTX Light 580W
ASUS M2N4-SLI
AMD Athlon 64 X2 6400+
Nvidia Geforce 8800GT
3GB RAM 667
SB X-FI XtremeGamer Fatal1ty Pro

Thanks in advance

[pragma]

When you say CPU fan are talking about something like this:


Or does it loke more like this:


That is, are you talking about just the fan or the fan + heatsink assembly?
I'm guessing you're talking about the fan + heat sink but I want to be sure.
If I'm right, the stuff between the heat sink and the CPU is called thermal paste. It's job is to help move heat from the CPU to the heat sink. While it might be able to stick the heat sink to the CPU, you're not supposed to rely on it for that. The heat sink needs to be fastened to the motherboard. Honestly I'm surprised it worked at all in an upright position.

By the way, if you need new thermal paste, look for Arctic Silver, thats a pretty good brand. They also have excellent instructions on how to apply it properly (and how to remove old thermal paste).
But again, do not rely on thermal paste to "glue" the heat sink to the CPU, you will need to fasten it properly.

[Adam]

Yes. I'm talking about the fan + heatsink.

[quaxo]

Remove the CPU fan, clean the old thermal paste from the heat sink and the surface of the processor, then reapply and replace the fan/heatsink and fasten it properly. They hold on very tight and are often difficult to lock down, but without proper full surface contact, you will overheat like this.

[jimbo8098]

THAT , my friend , is one nice heatcink lol

i have heard of thermal tape... could that have been the stuff that sticked it to the cpu?

[patio]

Yes
And it needs to be removed and cleaned thoroughly and replaced with thermal paste if the fan/heatsink has been taken off...

Thermal Paste Instructions...

[pragma]

THAT , my friend , is one nice heatcink lol

i have heard of thermal tape... could that have been the stuff that sticked it to the cpu?

Doesn't matter if it was thermal paste or thermal tape, the CPU is not meant to be load bearing. I think the OP should count himself lucky if nothing has been damaged.

[patio]

What do you mean by load bearing ? ?
The large fan shown is the Intel Stock fan for Quad Cores...
If it overheats in the stand up position it is not fastened securely...

[jimbo8098]

I aggree with patio ...

As for overheat ... it shouldnt happen with an intel CPU , they have technology to stop that happeneing..

[Adam]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Arctic-Silver-3-5g-Thermal-Paste/dp/B0002VFXFE

Would this be any good for my CPU?

I want to be absolutely sure that what I'm getting is the right thing.


As for fitting the fan and heatsink correctly, I have tried before and couldn't do it.

[street1 (RIP)]

Arctic Silver is fine all thermal pastes work.

[pragma]

What do you mean by load bearing ? ?

The OP stated the heatsink wasn't fastened correctly and was at least partially held in place by thermal paste.

@Adam
Fastening the cpu cooler correctly is pretty important but unfortunately some models/brands can be a real pain to install.
Do you know anybody with experience in building PCs that might be able to help you out?

[Adam]

The OP stated the heatsink wasn't fastened correctly and was at least partially held in place by thermal paste.

@Adam
Fastening the cpu cooler correctly is pretty important but unfortunately some models/brands can be a real pain to install.
Do you know anybody with experience in building PCs that might be able to help you out?

My computer had been working okay for at least several months with the CPU fan/heatsink stuck on using the paste and only partially fastened to the base. However, I'm not sure that anyone I know can help me secure it properly.

[Aegis]

it shouldnt happen with an intel CPU , they have technology to stop that happeneing..

Well, that's all nice, in theory...

[Adam]

I used Arctic Silver 5 on my CPU and heatsink (cleaning the old paste with ArctiClean first) but it is still overheating when I use the computer as a tower. I am still unable to fasten the heatsink properly, having tried several times today; I'm begginning to believe it's impossible to do so on this machine.