Cooling issue...

[Keean]

Just recently I returned from some training and was able to be around my computer again. I'd had no issues with it so far as I'd owned it, but that has been a very short ammount of time. Well, naturally the first thing I did when I got home was update the drivers on system and load up my various games that I play (Dragon Age, WoW, etc...) and I noticed that while playing Dragon Age, if loaded first, my CPU is running around 66*C and if continued to play at that temp for over an hour will start to heat up more and the Ultra ChillTEC that I have will alert me that it's going above 70*. I immediately shut down the system when I heard it beeping at me for being at 71*C. Now, I'm not sure if this is a problem on part with the cooler, or if something else is amiss, but everything seems to be working fine other than that. Any advice on what I should do?

[Major_A]

Doesn't that cooler have a pelter? Maybe it's not functioning correctly. Is the fan on the heatsink spinning/plugged in? Did you check to make sure it was securely fastened to the motherboard?

[Keean]

Taking her apart now that I have some time. I'll post again here in a few minutes with what I find.

[Keean]

Well, I opened up the computer and besides some dust (which has been removed) there was no issue that I saw with the cooler externally. I checked to make sure it was seated properly and that the fan was spinning. It's getting power but for some reason it's still running outside of the normal range. Right now, with only IE open I'm running at 38*. Not sure how to check the Peltier on this thing or honestly how to remove it entirely from the processor. I hate to sound like a noob but I'm still learning on the majority of computer building and repairing. Anything you sugguest Major?

[Major_A]

The only way to see if the pelter is working other than using a voltage meter is to touch it and I wouldn't recommend that. If it's idling at 38 what is it loading at? My CPU idles at 35-40 depending on how low the AC is. And I've seen it load in the upper 70s (LinX) and it's on a little water cooling loop (that's actually worse than my Xigmatek HDT-1284).

Things to try....
1) See if there is a BIOS update for your motherboard. If there is update it, might fix the problem (incorrect sensor readings).
2) Pull the cooler you have now and run the stock one to see what temperatures it reports.
3) What do you have your VCore voltage set to in the BIOS?
4) Run a few different programs to see what temperatures are being reported. Examples - AMD Overdrive, HWMonitor, Everest Ultimate Edition

[Keean]

Well checking the temperatures through all three programs is showing me higher than what the coolers LCD is showing. Right now the TEC is showing 38* while the AMD OverDrive and CPUID is registering anywhere from 38-41*. Going to check the BIOS right now...will post again once I have the answer there for you.

[Keean]

Checking the VCore voltage I'm set at 1.4250. I personally haven't tried to OC or do anything yet with this computer so I haven't touched the voltages at all. I think you might be correct in thinking that the peltier isn't functioning properly because when I opened her up the other day to see if the cooler was seated properly, it hadn't been but a minute or two from shut-down and I was able to touch the heat pipes that were in contact with the CPU itself. Not sure if that's a significant finding or not, but I want to make sure you have all the information needed to help me diagnose the issue

Oh, and I can't use the stock cooler because I gave it to a friend who is several hours away :/

[Major_A]

Well a new BIOS came out a week ago.
Download it here...
1) @BIOS-Windows based flash utility
2) BIOS F8H

All a peltier does is basically makes one side cold and the other side hot. So the top side of the peltier where it comes into contact with the heatsink should be pretty warm. With AMD running much cooler than Intel on aftermarket heatsinks these days I'm really surprised that it is running this hot. I wonder if Ultra installed the pelter on upside down? Seems like a stretch but may be worth investigating at this point.

Ran across this, keep in mind it's one sample from a review.

When the testing was done, there were a few things that we liked about the ChillTEC but many more that we disliked. First off, the control module was just about worthless. It looks decent in a black case but that’s just about where it ends. The temperature readout never worked once, unless I am to believe that the CPU never got above 26 degrees. Then we move onto the man digging.

http://techgage.com/article/ultra_chilltec_cpu_cooler/1

The good news is for your CPU there are a ton of cheap alternatives out there if you can't get this thing working correctly. For the price/performance ratio I think it's pretty hard to beat the Xigmatek HDT-S1283.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.a ... -_-Product

[Keean]

I appreciate all the help Major. I'll be leaving my computer again for an extended period of time, so I'll just wait till I get back to look into buying the new cooler if it comes down to that. Hopefully this BIOS update will help, or quite possibly the LCD is just defunct like the article says. I will say that I think that the lack of being able to control the cooler more is definitely more of a issue than I thought it would be.

Again, thanks for the help and if this BIOS update fixes the issue than you have my gratitude even more. I'll keep you posted on it

[Apoptosis]

We reviewed that one here too - http://www.legitreviews.com/article/491/1/

Make sure the cold side of the cold plate is actually cold... wonder if the TEC failed and now it's working as just a regular heatsink/fan combo without the functioning TEC... You can always unplug the TEC and if the temps remain the same then you know the TEC has failed.

[Keean]

I'll give that a try Nate and let you know what comes of it. I've read the review here, it's actually one of the many I read before I bought the cooler