Windows 7 RAM and CPU running really hot

williewillus

New Member
Joined
Nov 2, 2009
Compared to other problems right now, mine appears less important, so you guys are welcome solving others' problems before coming to this one :)
This has been happening for a while now, but today I found the time to actually post it.
So...my computer's been running very hot lately; one time, I was shut down in the middle of some work and felt one part of the computer was really hot. Opened it up and found the RAM and Cpu. When I was back on after 30 minutes of cooling, I installed EnhanceMySe7en and looked at the temperature. Right now, it's reading 89 degrees even though its being utilized very little (about 10 to 15 percent)
Note that this computer is fairly powerful, it is a dual core AMD Turion X64 with Windows 7 64bit on it with 4 gigs of ram. The only intensive application I have open is..nothing. What is causing this overheating?!, there is proper ventilation all around the laptop, plus a laptop cooling fan pad thing under it.

PS used Speedfan also to test temp, also gives 89c reading
 
Not all software will give an accurate temperature reading. (Though I'm sure if you felt it and it was hot.... then it's hot)
How did you use Speedfan? That's only for XP. Use something else like CPUID - System & hardware benchmark, monitoring, reporting

Is your computer clean? Did you clean it with air pressure? Look if there is dust or dirt blocking the air vents. Look if the fans are spinning ok. Make sure that it is in a ventilated area and nothing is blocking air flow. Here's help on cleaning it:
http://techreport.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=70932


Read here for some advice:
AMD Processors Forums - AMD Turion 64 x2 Running VERY hot

Does this happen when running on battery or also electricity?

Disable any overclocking you set, if you did. Did you install any software that controls the fan speeds (even from your manufacturer) - if so, disable them.


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There is a Windows solution too:
http://www.ruelke.org/blog-entry-134.html

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More help:
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Does the fan run all the time or does it cycle.

I have seen the fan cooling path become clogged by dust. If the system has been in use for a while, there may be an area in the cooling air path that has been blocked and inhibiting air flow. Something like this may not be visible using just an external inspection, but you might try blowing air backward when the computer is off. Make note of the exhaust air flow amount to see if it changes.

And make sure you still have the standoffs on the bottom of the unit to make sure it has a space between it and the surface.
 
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Simple question.... Are you blocking the air intakes?

One of my customers once totally fried his computer by sitting it on a pillow on his lap.
The pillow blocked the air intakes and it took about 15 or 20 minutes to totally melt itself down....

Laptops --especially Toshiba and Dell-- should be used only on a hard surface.

Also, AMD has a "Cool and Quiet" feature for their CPUs. If you enable this feature and use
an active cooling scheme you should see the temperatures drop radically. Basically the CPU
idles at 1/2 speed until demand is placed on it... Might also give you longer battery life...
 
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I'm a safety freak... When I use my laptop, I put 4 plastic contact lenses holders (The thin ones) on the table, and put the computer on those (by the four corners) so that air can flow under the laptop. Like I said... safety freak. :)
 
What does CPUID or Speedfan report as the fan speed in RPM? Fans are a mechanical component and sooner or later they wear out or get clogged with dust. Of course, knowing the RPM isn't that helpful without knowing what it's supposed to be, so if you are OK with opening the machine, take a look at the fan and consider
1. Is it very dusty?
2. Is it spinning freely? If (while the PC is OFF!) you give it a spin with your fingers it should spin very freely, taking several seconds to stop. If it just makes a turn or two then stops, it probably needs replacing. New CPU fans are pretty cheap though, around £10 here in the UK.

As always, when opening your PC, make sure you are grounded (touch something metal, like the case) to prevent static discharge and that the machine is off at the mains.
 
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