I'll check that. I know where the fan is but not the heatsink. I carried all my PC equipment in my car so it wouldn't get damaged but I suppose vibration could have cause something to come loose. Where's the heatsink?
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I'll check that. I know where the fan is but not the heatsink. I carried all my PC equipment in my car so it wouldn't get damaged but I suppose vibration could have cause something to come loose. Where's the heatsink?
Well sir I don't know your level of tech expertise and without writing a book I can explain it like this - if you open the computer case there will be a large aluminum thing with cooling fins and a fan perched on it. If you can see how to remove it (some have clips and some have screws so its hard to say what you should do here) you just take it off exposing the processor chip. You then apply some thermal paste such as Artic Silver that you get from any run of the mill computer store to the top of the processor chip and then replace the heatsink on top of it. Sounds like you have an older computer so the original paste that was there might be kinda dried up and the move may have made the heatsink move so its not making optimal contact with the chip. Oh also don't pull it off unless you already have the new paste already to reinstall.
If you were closer to me I would offer to come take a look at it... Perhaps if you posted a pic of the inside of the pc we could walk you through it lol
Have you tried an application such as Speedfan to check or monitor your temperatures?
If you were closer to me I would offer to come take a look at it... Perhaps if you posted a pic of the inside of the pc we could walk you through it lol
Have you tried an application such as Speedfan to check or monitor your temperatures?
First...it's Ms LOL! See my avatar.
I posted a pic of the inside of my PC a while back but I think I deleted it. I have a Dell with a bright green cover over the fins. I can get that off and expose the chip. When I did this before to blow it out it didn't look like there was any glue on the chip if I remember correctly. I didn't see any heatsink either. I'll check it in the morning before I power it up.
I've tried a couple of monitor programs but my PC doesn't have a sensor for the CPU. It only monitored the temp of my HD. Yes, it is old but not ancient.
OH. Well you never can tell even with the avi. My apologizes mam old habits die hard lol. I believe I know of the setup you describe (sort of). The bright green cover is an air duct and the heatsink should be under that. If you remove the green duct you should then see the metal thing with the fins. If it is still inside the duct after you remove it then that could be a problem. If there is no piece with the fins and you can see the processor chip directly then that's also a problem. Since it has the air duct its possible the heatsink wouldn't have a fan as there should be a fan in the end of the duct (or back of the case where the duct attaches) that does the same thing a fan directly on the heatsink would do. Pop that green sucker off and take a pic so we can see what's going on in there.
Just for grins I would also google speedfan and install it just to see what it says for sure. All of my computers here are way old (p4 and pentuim d) and all show up with temps with the newest versions of speedfan. Could be a windows thing but I just killed a xp system to put 7 on and it gave me the temp under xp. Almost didn't fool with it as it only did 3xx ppd but for some reason it wouldn't let me open the fah client window and I don't like the web interface window at all... and then I discovered there is no driver for the built in intel video for either vista or 7 so I cant set the screen resolution to match my lcd monitor fooey well its going in the basement with a crt anyhow so whatever...
Say would that dell be a BTX system by chance? It might say on the case if its got all the spec on the side like lots of them do lol
Just for grins I would also google speedfan and install it just to see what it says for sure. All of my computers here are way old (p4 and pentuim d) and all show up with temps with the newest versions of speedfan. Could be a windows thing but I just killed a xp system to put 7 on and it gave me the temp under xp. Almost didn't fool with it as it only did 3xx ppd but for some reason it wouldn't let me open the fah client window and I don't like the web interface window at all... and then I discovered there is no driver for the built in intel video for either vista or 7 so I cant set the screen resolution to match my lcd monitor fooey well its going in the basement with a crt anyhow so whatever...
Say would that dell be a BTX system by chance? It might say on the case if its got all the spec on the side like lots of them do lol
I have a Dell Dimensons 4600. When I took the green cover off the fins did not come off with it. I'll get a pic tomorrow. I'm going to bed now and will be shutting down my PC so I will open it up in the morning. Thanks for your help.
The heat sink shouldn't come off with the green duct piece, looks like it has it's own locking mechanism holding it in. Also I would recommend Real Temp for monitoring temps. I believe all you have to do is download it, unzip, and run RealTemp.exe. If it is running too hot it may just need a good dusting, fresh thermal paste, or could just be a bad fan.I have a Dell Dimensons 4600. When I took the green cover off the fins did not come off with it. I'll get a pic tomorrow. I'm going to bed now and will be shutting down my PC so I will open it up in the morning. Thanks for your help.
Couple things I would suggest:
- Find the service manual for your specific model and read about the retention bracket / clips for the cpu & heatsink. This will allow you to locate them on the motherboard.
- Ensure the retention mechanism is in place (clips, spring bracket, etc)
If not in place, the heatsink will not make adequate contact with the surface of the cpu and the heat won't be "pulled away" from the cpu.
If I was home I would have told you exactly what to look for - but I'm at work and can't really "browse" the web... :X
- Find the service manual for your specific model and read about the retention bracket / clips for the cpu & heatsink. This will allow you to locate them on the motherboard.
- Ensure the retention mechanism is in place (clips, spring bracket, etc)
If not in place, the heatsink will not make adequate contact with the surface of the cpu and the heat won't be "pulled away" from the cpu.
If I was home I would have told you exactly what to look for - but I'm at work and can't really "browse" the web... :X
Ok tm here here is the service manual for the dell you listed.ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-prod...ktops/dimension-4600_service manual_en-us.pdf
The heatsink removal is on page 24. Its not exactly the setup I thought but pretty close lol I hope this matches your setup as it should be pretty easy to get off and replace/add new thermal paste
The heatsink removal is on page 24. Its not exactly the setup I thought but pretty close lol I hope this matches your setup as it should be pretty easy to get off and replace/add new thermal paste
Ok tm here here is the service manual for the dell you listed.ftp://ftp.dell.com/Manuals/all-prod...ktops/dimension-4600_service manual_en-us.pdf
The heatsink removal is on page 24. Its not exactly the setup I thought but pretty close lol I hope this matches your setup as it should be pretty easy to get off and replace/add new thermal paste
Well, if you go this route it is important to clean off the existing TIM... But do not submerge cpu or even soak it... One drop of highest percent rubbing alcohol then wipe off. Or you can order something like arctic silver thermal cleaner which has cleaner and purifier. Either way, whatever you use needs to be used sparingly. Then you would need to reapply TIM in a thin layer (as thick as a piece of light weight piece of paper) and with constant pressure reattach heatsink.
Wasn't* gonna go this route but since harmonic suggested figured I'd add to it.
If you don't feel comfortable doing any of this then don't do it, not worth the risk of killing your pc.
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heh I didnt read the manual just looked for the heatsink removal instruction sorry. I would for sure try the temp monitors again first to see if you can get one to work and find out if it really is running hot. I wouldnt remove the processor chip but as loft said you do need to wipe the old stuff off maybe just put the alcohol on a paper towel and use that to clean it off. On the other hand I sometimes find "If it aint broke - dont fix it" to be the better strategy. Just want you to be able to make an informed decision on what you want to do
That has been my experience with these programs also.
I have some pics to post and read the PDF manual and I haven't figured out how to get that metal fin box out. It has clips holding it in but they don't want to unclip. I'm sure I'm just being too cautious and afraid of breaking something. I appreciate everybody's help and will post pics soon.
The fan is not loose and spins freely and isn't chewed up. Here are pics of under the green housing.
I'm suspecting that my battery backup unit may be the culprit. It has a new battery in it but when I shut it off to tinker with my PC this morning it would come back on. I kept getting the red light saying to replace the battery. I've had this happen before when I moved but I thought the battery had just drain too much so I waited awhile and tried again and the green light came on and has stayed on. But if this thing is failing then that would cause a hard crash. Thoughts?
Edit: I'm not using the battery backup right now. I have everything plugged into an outlet strip.
Edit: I'm not using the battery backup right now. I have everything plugged into an outlet strip.
I tried to run Realtemp but it wouldn't run. Error msg said Processor is not supported.
Removing the Heatsink on the Dell Dimension 1100 - YouTube
Looks like the same locking mechanism as what you have. Just remember if you do decide to remove it, you must have some new thermal paste to put on it.
And yeah, it looks like Dell's motherboards don't support any kind of temp monitoring which is kind of odd. When you're folding can you feel a lot of heat coming from the fan that pulls the air from the heatsink?
Looks like the same locking mechanism as what you have. Just remember if you do decide to remove it, you must have some new thermal paste to put on it.
And yeah, it looks like Dell's motherboards don't support any kind of temp monitoring which is kind of odd. When you're folding can you feel a lot of heat coming from the fan that pulls the air from the heatsink?
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