CPU Temps keep spiking

[TomBerry]

Hi guys

The past few days my fans have been spooling up a lot for my CPU and I've noticed due to how loud the fans get (with them being at full power). I've checked HWMonitor and my CPU temps are jumping from 40c up to 95c (the worst I've seen it) for maybe 30 seconds and then it drops back down to 40c again as if nothing has happened?
All the other temps are completely fine, so motherboard, GPU, all perfect. What could be the issue here as I've not had the PC for even a year yet? Right now I only have Chrome and HWMonitor open to write this post, although when I started the PC and nothing was open apart from HWMonitor that's where it spiked to really high temps. I've posted my specs in the spoiler below to keep this post short.

Spoiler: PC Specs

Case
LIAN LI LANCOOL II GAMING CASE
Processor (CPU)
Intel® Core™ i7 Eight Core Processor i7-10700K (3.8GHz) 16MB Cache
Motherboard
ASUS® TUF Z490-PLUS GAMING (LGA1200, USB 3.2, CrossFireX) - ARGB Ready
Memory (RAM)
32GB Corsair VENGEANCE RGB PRO DDR4 3200MHz (2 x 16GB)
Graphics Card
8GB NVIDIA GEFORCE RTX 2070 SUPER - HDMI, 3x DP GeForce - RTX VR Ready!
1st Storage Drive
2TB SEAGATE BARRACUDA SATA-III 3.5" HDD, 6GB/s, 7200RPM, 256MB CACHE
1st M.2 SSD Drive
2TB 1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
2nd M.2 SSD Drive
2TB 1TB INTEL® 660p M.2 NVMe PCIe SSD (up to 1800MB/sR | 1800MB/sW)
Power Supply
CORSAIR 650W CV SERIES™ CV-650 POWER SUPPLY
Power Cable
1 x 1 Metre UK Power Cable (Kettle Lead)
Processor Cooling
PCS FrostFlow 240 Series RGB High Performance Liquid Cooler
Thermal Paste
STANDARD THERMAL PASTE FOR SUFFICIENT COOLING
Sound Card
ONBOARD 6 CHANNEL (5.1) HIGH DEF AUDIO (AS STANDARD)
Wireless Network Card
WIRELESS 802.11N 300Mbps/2.4GHz PCI-E CARD
USB/Thunderbolt Options
MIN. 2 x USB 3.0 & 2 x USB 2.0 PORTS @ BACK PANEL + MIN. 2 FRONT PORTS
Operating System
Windows 10 Home 64 Bit - inc. Single Licence [KUK-00001]
Operating System Language
NO OPERATING SYSTEM REQUIRED
Warranty
3 Year Standard Warranty (1 Month Collect & Return, 1 Year Parts, 3 Year Labour)

Edit: Once the temps spike again I'll grab a screenshot to post here.

 

[Steveyg]

It sounds like your CPU cooler is failing which is a fairly major problem

Contact PCS and let them know what's happening, the PCS Frostflow Coolers just aren't great and you're the second person this week whose been on the forums saying they're having issues with one. Generally they are generic parts so quality is very hit and miss with them

 

[TomBerry]

It sounds like your CPU cooler is failing which is a fairly major problem

Contact PCS and let them know what's happening, the PCS Frostflow Coolers just aren't great and you're the second person this week whose been on the forums saying they're having issues with one. Generally they are generic parts so quality is very hit and miss with them

Alright thanks! Really can't be doing with sending my PC back as I work from home now, do you reckon a replacement would be sent out for me to get this fixed or would it be needed to send the PC back?
Not quite sure either how to replace an AIO...would need to look it up over the next few days!

 

[Steveyg]

Alright thanks! Really can't be doing with sending my PC back as I work from home now, do you reckon a replacement would be sent out for me to get this fixed or would it be needed to send the PC back?
Not quite sure either how to replace an AIO...would need to look it up over the next few days!

You could do it yourself, it's personally the part of computer maintenance I hate the most but that is just me personally. Others will tell you it's fine.

It takes around 10-15minutes to change it over and the only real fiddly bit is cleaning off the old thermal paste and reapplying. Then installing the thing is fairly straight forward. Have a look on Youtube and see if you reckon it's something you can do yourself because it is fairly simple I just personally don't like doing it.

On the other hand I would recommend changing to proper brand name CPU cooler, there are some brilliant ones on the market now and they aren't that expensive. The Corsair H100i would pair with that CPU pretty good, the Coolermaster LiquidLite 240 may do the job as well.

 

[SpyderTracks]

I would also recommend upgrading, there’s a good reason why we don’t recommend the PCS ones and this is it.

 

[NoddyPirate]

The advice above is spot on I think. A proven brand is the way to go for something that needs to pump water around a radiator system faultlessly and on a full time basis.

For my own interest though I would be very eager to see a screenshot of HWMonitor when you are seeing the issue - as the AIO Pump and Rad fan speeds should hopefully be visible on there.....

 

[TomBerry]

Here is a screenshot from now, I have open 3 Chrome tabs. Been about 20 seconds now and it's back down to 65c. I'll look into buying a new AIO over the weekend thanks guys!

 

[NoddyPirate]

It looks like your pump is in Chassis #4 to me - and the indications don't seem abnormal really.

How long did you have HW Monitor open before that screenshot?

And have you seen any performance issues with your system? Slowing down or freezing or anything like that?

Again - just my own queries here - which don't affect the recommendations above from SteveyG and SpyderTracks in any way.

 

[TomBerry]

It looks like your pump is in Chassis #4 to me - and the indications don't seem abnormal really.

How long did you have HW Monitor open before that screenshot?

And have you seen any performance issues with your system? Slowing down or freezing or anything like that?

Again - just my own queries here - which don't affect the recommendations above from SteveyG and SpyderTracks in any way.

I opened HWMonitor once I heard my fans spooling up again to take the screenshot, then popped onto here. No issues with performance or freezing, just the volume of my PC in the past week. Since I've had it it's been pretty quiet all the time but now it just randomly turns into a jet engine every now and again for ~10-20 seconds and then spools back down to normal. When it reached 95c earlier I panicked and just shut down my PC for a bit haha

Could it be a dodgy sensor that's detecting the CPU heat...? If that's even a thing?

 

[SpyderTracks]

I opened HWMonitor once I heard my fans spooling up again to take the screenshot, then popped onto here. No issues with performance or freezing, just the volume of my PC in the past week. Since I've had it it's been pretty quiet all the time but now it just randomly turns into a jet engine every now and again for ~10-20 seconds and then spools back down to normal. When it reached 95c earlier I panicked and just shut down my PC for a bit haha

Could it be a dodgy sensor that's detecting the CPU heat...? If that's even a thing?

If it was just registering on one core, then I'd say yes, but that's clear across the whole CPU. Very unlikely to be a sensor.

It's likely the pump has failed. They're not really designed for a processor as hot as that in the first place. The 10700k is like a furnace on fire.

A mid range 5600x it would be ok with.

 

[NoddyPirate]

I would think a dodgy sensor is unlikely as all your cores are reporting individually in your screenshot and are in broad agreement - so it is likely an actual temperature issue.

If your AIO Pump is running normally - which it appears to be to my untrained eye - then it could be an issue with the fluid flow - like a occasional blockage or similar - although I would expect you might hear that. So I would guess the AIO system itself is the problem - as to which bit of that system is acting up it's harder to tell....

 

[NoddyPirate]

I do think the guys are right here and you should replace the AIO with a better one. Would you do me a favour and report back here after you do? Just interested is all!!

 

[TomBerry]

Alright thanks for the support guys! I'll be getting the new AIO when I get paid so it should be good before then.

then it could be an issue with the fluid flow - like a occasional blockage or similar - although I would expect you might hear that.

Now you mention this...sometimes I do hear like a gargle or a bubbling sound and thought this was just completely normal with AIO's, gosh I'm stupid.

I'll be getting the AIO below from PCSpecialist directly (just the upgrade section), should be okay with this, right? Is it just a simple screw in and plug in method?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Alright thanks for the support guys! I'll be getting the new AIO when I get paid so it should be good before then.

Now you mention this...sometimes I do hear like a gargle or a bubbling sound and thought this was just completely normal with AIO's, gosh I'm stupid.

I'll be getting the AIO below from PCSpecialist directly (just the upgrade section), should be okay with this, right? Is it just a simple screw in and plug in method?

View attachment 24213

That's like the ultimate AIO, a really nice piece of kit.

When you're installing it, make sure either it's on the roof, or if it's on the front, the pump needs to be higher than the tubes inlets to the radiator, ie install it with the tubes at the bottom if you can. Otherwise you'll likely get a flow blockage to the pump which causes issues long term.

Installation is screw in to the roof / front for the Rad, the heatsink comes preapplied with high quality paste, so you don't need to apply your own. Mount the heatsink, plug in the usb to the motherboard, and fit the fan headers. That's about it. There will be lots of installation guides on the interweb and we can help out if you need.

 

[NoddyPirate]

You will also need to carefully clean the old paste off the CPU though before you install the new AIO. CPU's are very sensitive to static discharge so touch the chassis of the case before you clean it off just to make sure you don't zap it like you might do when you touch a door handle after dragging your feet around the house (which is my usual method of transportation before I high five the kids).

 

[NoddyPirate]

Alright thanks for the support guys! I'll be getting the new AIO when I get paid so it should be good before then.

Now you mention this...sometimes I do hear like a gargle or a bubbling sound and thought this was just completely normal with AIO's, gosh I'm stupid.

I'll be getting the AIO below from PCSpecialist directly (just the upgrade section), should be okay with this, right? Is it just a simple screw in and plug in method?

View attachment 24213

The sounds may possibly be related to it all. The issue with an AIO is that if the fluid flow stops then there is basically no heat sinking of any sort - even a short term interruption in flow can cause your temperatures to go up very very quickly.

The Corsair looks pretty too! With any luck you'll have a nice cool system next week and a better looking one to boot!

 

[TomBerry]

Just gone to purchase this now but having an issue showing the case is too small for it. Checked the case online and it can definitely fit it. Any way to override it on the upgrades page?

 

[SpyderTracks]

Just gone to purchase this now but having an issue showing the case is too small for it. Checked the case online and it can definitely fit it. Any way to override it on the upgrades page?

Just give them a call or web chat tomorrow, I'm sure they'll be able to help.

 

[NoddyPirate]

Actually I'm not sure it will fit? It's a 280mm radiator where the case specs seem to take a 240mm max? 🤔

 

[NoddyPirate]

Ah it will take one at the front only I think..... The configurator may be confusing itself if the case comes with fans at the front already as there isn't enough room for the radiator to go elsewhere possibly?

A call to PCS will give you the answer!