New PC Build's CPU Suddenly Idling at 45 Degrees Celsius, Need Urgent Help

[ToastiestZombie]

So I build my first PC two weeks ago and from then until now the CPU has been about 30-35 degrees Celsius idle and 50-60 on load. The most important specs are below

Intel i5 4960k Stock
ASUS Maximus VII Hero Motherboard
MSI GTX 970 OC
Fractal Design Define R4 Case with stock fans
Hyper 212 Evo CPU Cooler

The thing that worries me about this is the fact that with the cooler and no overclocks I'd expect the CPU temps to be much smaller than they are. These temps are all with RealTemp so I doubt that it's the sensors that are faulty. I also tested Wolfenstein: The New Order and there was a noticeable drop in frame rates in a scene that before had 55-60fps constantly. The temperatures at load never increased past 60 degrees, so it's the idle temps I'm worried about.

What I most want to know is that if there is something wrong with the build whether it's permanent or can be fixed with either a new cooler (I'm thinking of getting the H100i) or a re installation of the CPU cooler with a reapplication of thermal paste? I'm scared that I've messed something up in the build process and have screwed my CPU in some way.

[EDIT] I have also noticed that Speccy isn't recognizing my ODD and when inserting a disc nothing happens. Any help on this issue would be appreciated.

 

[ohnoitsabear]

I'm no expert, but I can think of a few things you could look into.

Do all of your fans work? May seem like sort of a dumb question, but it can sort of be difficult to tell, and will obviously affect your temperature.

Did you recently do anything that might change the airflow, like move your case to a spot where one of the vents is blocked or start running your computer with the case open (don't do this by the way, it completely messes with the way the case's airflow is designed).

Are there loose cables in your case? If you have cables all over the place in your case, they can block fans and disrupt airflow. Zip ties are your friend here.

How much thermal paste did you use when installing your cooler? Because you do not need very much, and in fact using too much will reduce its effectiveness dramatically. Reapplying thermal paste isn't that big of a deal, just make sure to remove as much of the previous stuff as possible before putting new stuff on.

Finally, is there any dust on the components. This probably isn't the issue, seeing as how you just recently built the computer, but it doesn't hurt to blow some compressed air around to check.

I hope something here helps!

 

[ToastiestZombie]

Do all of your fans work? May seem like sort of a dumb question, but it can sort of be difficult to tell, and will obviously affect your temperature.

I've got a windowed case and I can see both the CPU fan and the exhaust fan and they're both working, a quick check of the front fan shows it works too.

Did you recently do anything that might change the airflow, like move your case to a spot where one of the vents is blocked or start running your computer with the case open (don't do this by the way, it completely messes with the way the case's airflow is designed).

The exhaust is close to my wall but I don't really see that as an issue seeing as it's an exhaust.

Are there loose cables in your case? If you have cables all over the place in your case, they can block fans and disrupt airflow. Zip ties are your friend here.

My cable management's not amazing but there aren't all that many cables blocking the airflow.

How much thermal paste did you use when installing your cooler? Because you do not need very much, and in fact using too much will reduce its effectiveness dramatically. Reapplying thermal paste isn't that big of a deal, just make sure to remove as much of the previous stuff as possible before putting new stuff on.

I think this might be the issue as I can distinctly remember doing something wrong with the thermal paste but I can't remember exactly what.

Finally, is there any dust on the components. This probably isn't the issue, seeing as how you just recently built the computer, but it doesn't hurt to blow some compressed air around to check.

It's two weeks old so I don't think there will be enough dust to restrict airflow all that much.

Thanks for the help though, much appreciated.