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Help - PC build in Seattle under $500

Started by Nancy Booth · · 👁 12 views · 137 replies

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Participants Nancy BoothRobert Rodriguez2crimsonstag84fadedorca66graniteharbor85Kimberly Gomez34Kate Ross7Amy Vaughn12Larry Ortiz5Adam Moore3Grace KernNicole Thompson46swiftfalcon89analogtiger19Alexander Moore67
swiftfalcon89 swiftfalcon89 Active Member
85 messages
joined Aug 2013
#101 ·
Ronald Bishop58 said:Hey everyone,
I was hoping someone could suggest a decent CPU cooler for this build. It’s about a year and a half old, but lately, when I’m playing games, the rig starts overheating and just shuts down. Basically, my processor is overheating... :/

Thanks in advance!

1 x Intel Z77, AM3, AM3+, AMD 970, SB950, BUS 5200 MHz, DDR3

1 x Processor AMD FX-Series X8 8320 3.5GHz, 16MB, 125W, AM3+, FD8320FRHK

1 x DDR3 8GB (1x8GB) Crucial, 1600MHz CL11

1 x Power Supply Fortron 500W, Hyper, PPA5005003, 12cm fan

1 x Thermaltake Versa H21, Midi tower, ATX, mATX,

1 x TOSHIBA 500GB, 7200rpm, SATA 6 Gb/s, 32MB, DT01ACA050

1 x Sapphire R9 280 3GB OC Dual-X, 3GB GDDR5 384bit, 28nm

1 x ZALMAN CNPS 5X Performa, socket 775/1155/1156/AM2/AM2/AM3

Who installed that Intel and did you take it apart yourself? It might not be seated properly, which would explain the heat issues. Honestly, your best bet is to pull the cooler off, wipe all that old thermal paste off both the chip and the heatsink, put a fresh pea-sized amount right in the middle, and reseat it. See if that helps.
Have you tried overclocking the CPU at all? Or messing with any settings in the BIOS? You should probably check the voltage settings in there.
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#102 ·
I don't have any text to rewrite yet. Please provide the post you'd like me to work on! kaže:
Who set up that Dell for you—did you tackle the install yourself? It’s possible the heatsink didn't quite seat right, which would definitely explain why those temps are spiking. Honestly, your best bet is to just pull the cooler off, wipe away whatever old thermal paste is left on the CPU and the base, and then slap a fresh pea-sized amount right in the center. Reinstall everything and see if that stabilizes things.
Have you maybe tried overclocking the CPU? Or did you mess around with the BIOS settings at all? You should probably go in there and check the voltage levels.

I didn't touch a thing... hehe. Honestly, I don't know the first thing about that stuff...

crimsonstag84 said:Got one Zalman CNPS 5X Performa lying around—fits sockets 775, 1155, 1156, or AM2/AM3.

Look, you’ve already got a decent cooler—so if things are running hot, the issue is probably just dust buildup, some bad airflow, or maybe even a case that's struggling to breathe. Honestly? That LC-CC-95 isn't going to be any better than what you're running right now.

I don't have any content to work with yet! Send over the text you want me to overhaul, and I'll get to work turning it into something that sounds like a real person living in the States. I was poking around online earlier and stumbled upon this case—it looks like a pretty solid little setup if you're looking to refresh your rig. It’s got that clean, no-nonsense vibe, kind of like something you'd pick up at Best Buy when you just want something that works without all the flashy RGB nonsense. Honestly, though, sometimes the simplest builds are the ones that actually stay quiet while you're grinding away. Just thought I'd toss it out there for anyone currently staring at a dusty old tower wondering if it's time for an upgrade. Just stick those two on the front panel of the case—easy enough.

How am I supposed to get this dust out? I tried using the vacuum, but the nozzle is way too thick—it’s basically impossible to get into those tight spots...

Man, you guys just confused me even more—now my PC keeps shutting down right in the middle of playing Euro Truck Simulator...🕺
crimsonstag84 crimsonstag84 Regular
518 messages
joined Jun 2010
#103 ·
You could try using compressed air to blow everything out, or just take your time with a small brush to pick up whatever you can find. Just make sure you kill the power and unplug everything from the back of the case first 😛 vacuum up what you can...

If it's crashing while playing Euro Truck Simulator, something's definitely off because that game barely puts any stress on your CPU or GPU. It's also possible the power supply is overheating if the thermal protection kicks in at something like 104°F.

Another thing you might want to try is heading into the BIOS (I think it's the Delete key on your motherboard before it boots up), going into Advanced Mode -> AI Overclocking, and disabling Intel Turbo Boost Technology. Also, check what your settings say under CPU offset Voltage. If it's sitting at 1.3V or higher, you could probably try lowering it by setting the CPU offset Voltage to -0.05.
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#104 ·
Checking SpeedFan and it looks like the load is hitting my CPU instead of the GPU...
swiftfalcon89 swiftfalcon89 Active Member
85 messages
joined Aug 2013
#105 ·
Check in with your buddy about that offset voltage. I’ve run into the exact same headache you’re dealing with before, and it usually turns out someone had it hard-coded at 1.5V 😁
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#106 ·
Thanks for the tips—the Turbo Core technology was basically killing my system, and the offset voltage was sitting around 1.2-something. I just dialed it down to 0.050000... honestly, I'm not even sure how many zeros I actually typed after that five.

Does that look alright?

Best,
analogtiger19 analogtiger19 Active Member
134 messages
joined Dec 2016
#107 ·
What kind of CPU temps are you even seeing? Download speccy and post a screenshot of all the temperatures
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#108 ·
Does this look okay to you guys?😵

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Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#109 ·
analogtiger19 said:What kind of CPU temps are you even seeing? Grab Speccy and just post a screenshot of all your temps here.

Here’s that Speccy info... This is just the CPU sitting idle—not even running any Electronic Arts games or anything.

image
analogtiger19 analogtiger19 Active Member
134 messages
joined Dec 2016
#110 ·
62C while idling? That's just way too high...
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#111 ·
analogtiger19 said:Hitting 62C just sitting there idle? Yeah, that's way too hot...

Any advice? What kind of things should I expect them to tell me when I take it in for service?
analogtiger19 analogtiger19 Active Member
134 messages
joined Dec 2016
#112 ·
You really ought to check—visually at least, if you aren't up for tearing things apart—to see if that CPU cooler is actually making contact with the board. There is no way those temps should be hitting that high with the current setup. I’m pretty sure Intel's safe limit for core temps tops out around 62C (with a max socket temp of 70C), so that heat spike is definitely why your PC keeps shutting down.

EDIT: If you're feeling handy, you should pull the cooler off, wipe away the old thermal paste, apply some fresh stuff to the processor, blow out the heatsink with some canned air (grab a 20-$10 ounce can at a CVS), and then seat everything back together... but look, if you aren't comfortable doing this yourself, just don't touch it. You don't want to end up breaking something.
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#113 ·
analogtiger19 said:62°C at idle? That’s just way too high...

Check this out—this was my temps just this morning right after I booted up the rig. But yeah, the second I launch an Electronic Arts game, it jumps straight to 70-80% and takes forever to settle back down once I close it...

image
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#114 ·
Can someone give me their two cents on these three pics? Please?

Ronald Bishop58 said:Is this looking okay?😵

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fadedorca66 fadedorca66 Regular
372 messages
joined Nov 2022
#115 ·
Come on, just pop the side panel off and snap some pics of the rig
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#116 ·
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Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#117 ·
It looks like there’s a decent amount of dust buildup. You should probably give it a good cleaning (or hire someone who can) and swap out the thermal paste.
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#118 ·
Timothy Kim60 said:Looks like you've got a decent amount of dust buildup there. Best bet is to clean it out—or find someone who can—and swap out the thermal paste.

Since I’m already going through the trouble of reapplying paste, might as well upgrade to a proper cooler so I don't have to deal with this again—plus, you guys originally suggested getting a better fan since this CPU is overclockable anyway. Any specific recommendations, or is that one from TechRepublic good enough for overclocking?
Kimberly Gomez34 Kimberly Gomez34 Regular
686 messages
joined Jul 2009
#119 ·
The LC-CC-120 is definitely the superior choice, but in your case, you're likely dealing with a combination of dust buildup and old thermal paste
Nancy Booth Nancy Booth NewcomerOP
5 messages
joined Nov 2012
#120 ·
Timothy Kim60 said:The Lc-cc-120 is definitely better, but honestly, you probably just have a dust buildup mixed with old paste issues

Look, I'm not about to go out and buy new thermal paste every eighteen months—I'm not exactly rolling in it... 😉 I'd much rather just drop the cash on a decent cooler instead.

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