When or how often to clean a CPU heatsink

R

rt

Geek Trainee
My CPU has a heatsink and fan like:

IntelE4400_pspc.jpg

IntelE4400_d.jpg


Installing an additional hard-drive I noticed that there was a considerable amount of grungy fluff on top of the vanes. I cleaned it off as best I could, got a stiff stencil brush and a tooth pick to clear out as much as I could from the vanes and set the vacuum cleaner nozzle on the job too. However, it is still far from completely clean.

Code: 
$ sensors
w83627ehf-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
VCore:       +1.19 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +1.74 V)   
in1:        +12.36 V  (min = +13.46 V, max = +13.25 V)   ALARM
AVCC:        +3.34 V  (min =  +2.03 V, max =  +4.08 V)   
3VCC:        +3.34 V  (min =  +2.74 V, max =  +3.47 V)   
in4:         +1.69 V  (min =  +2.02 V, max =  +1.50 V)   ALARM
in5:         +1.60 V  (min =  +2.04 V, max =  +2.01 V)   ALARM
in6:         +5.12 V  (min =  +6.53 V, max =  +6.53 V)   ALARM
VSB:         +3.34 V  (min =  +4.08 V, max =  +2.99 V)   ALARM
VBAT:        +3.25 V  (min =  +2.29 V, max =  +0.98 V)   ALARM
in9:         +1.62 V  (min =  +2.04 V, max =  +2.04 V)   ALARM
Case Fan:   1834 RPM  (min =    0 RPM, div = 8)
CPU Fan:    2636 RPM  (min = 2122 RPM, div = 4)
Aux Fan:       0 RPM  (min =   55 RPM, div = 128)  ALARM
fan5:          0 RPM  (min =    0 RPM, div = 128)
Sys Temp:    +32.0°C  (high = -17.0°C, hyst =  -5.0°C)  ALARM  sensor = thermistor
CPU Temp:    +45.0°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = diode
AUX Temp:    +45.0°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = thermistor
cpu0_vid:   +1.563 V

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 0:      +52.0°C  (high = +84.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

coretemp-isa-0001
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 1:      +56.0°C  (high = +84.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

Generally both cores run in the mid-fifties. Sometimes under load the temps rise to the low sixties. This still seems to me well below the 84℃ that ls-sensors indicates is high.

Is it worth taking the risk that removing a heatsink involves at the current time to do a more thorough clean or should I leave it until the temperatures are more continually running red?
 
generally you only need to power system down and dismantle stuff & clean it about every 6 months assuming the system vital net server but having said that a standard home system should be ok if you give it a good clean not more than 2 years after the last time you gave it a good clean or when you think it need it or when you can be bothered using a standard hoover is not good you are best using a can of compressed air (available from most good computer stores)
 
donkey42 said:
...a standard home system should be ok if you give it a good clean not more than 2 years after the last time you gave it a good clean...
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input.

The computer is now just over two years old and I have not cleaned the heatsink on it before, so perhaps it is indeed time.
 
After a clean and new thermal paste:

Code: 
$ sensors
w83627ehf-isa-0290
Adapter: ISA adapter
VCore:       +1.19 V  (min =  +0.00 V, max =  +1.74 V)   
in1:        +12.41 V  (min = +13.46 V, max = +13.25 V)   ALARM
AVCC:        +3.34 V  (min =  +2.03 V, max =  +4.08 V)   
3VCC:        +3.34 V  (min =  +2.74 V, max =  +3.98 V)   
in4:         +1.69 V  (min =  +2.02 V, max =  +1.50 V)   ALARM
in5:         +1.60 V  (min =  +2.04 V, max =  +2.01 V)   ALARM
in6:         +5.12 V  (min =  +6.53 V, max =  +6.53 V)   ALARM
VSB:         +3.33 V  (min =  +4.08 V, max =  +2.99 V)   ALARM
VBAT:        +3.23 V  (min =  +2.29 V, max =  +0.98 V)   ALARM
in9:         +1.62 V  (min =  +2.04 V, max =  +2.04 V)   ALARM
Case Fan:   1721 RPM  (min =    0 RPM, div = 4)
CPU Fan:    2636 RPM  (min = 2122 RPM, div = 4)
Aux Fan:       0 RPM  (min =   55 RPM, div = 128)  ALARM
fan5:          0 RPM  (min =    0 RPM, div = 8)
Sys Temp:    +25.0°C  (high = -17.0°C, hyst =  -5.0°C)  ALARM  sensor = thermistor
CPU Temp:    +38.5°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = diode
AUX Temp:    +44.5°C  (high = +80.0°C, hyst = +75.0°C)  sensor = thermistor
cpu0_vid:   +1.338 V

coretemp-isa-0000
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 0:      +43.0°C  (high = +84.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)  

coretemp-isa-0001
Adapter: ISA adapter
Core 1:      +46.0°C  (high = +84.0°C, crit = +100.0°C)

Still leaving one core processor in amber and consistently running two or three degrees warmer than the other:

temps.jpg


but an improvement of about 10℃ and no running in the red region.

Improvement of alignment of silver particles after some hours running expected to improve things further?
 
Ya, thermal paste does have a burn in time, but the temperatures won't drop more than two or three degrees further. The cores being two different temperatures are not a big deal, as it is pretty normal. Mid 40's is good if that's full load, depending on your processor and if you are overclocked. I'm curious as to what you're running to get thermals like that?
 
gazaway said:
Mid 40's is good if that's full load, depending on your processor and if you are overclocked. I'm curious as to what you're running to get thermals like that?
Click to expand...

That's basically with just a few applications open (Thunderbird, Firefox) but essentially running idle. Opening something up, e.g. VMware and another operating system with it, will force the temperature up something like another three degrees, but the temperature will then drop back immediately when the load on the processors drops. As the temperature in the room I'm using (we have freezing conditions outside at the moment) goes up and the session continues the temperature goes up further. Generally it only just goes above fifty; the highest I've seen since cleaning the heatsink is 55℃ while the highest it reached before was about 65℃ – so in all the temperature has fallen by ten degrees.
 
I hope you're running a Pentium D or a processor with a huge overclock, because that type of thermal change is not really acceptable.
 
Ya, your thermals are WAY WAY too high then. It could be the sensors, but it's kind of doubtful. Personally, I would be a little worried by it.
 
Wait, what model Core 2 Duo are you running? Some of the older models have a tjmax of 85C, and in that case your temps are perfectly normal.
 
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