CPU Overheating. Fans not working properly? + General Post Install Help

[SnaccPacc]

Thanks. I'm going with HWMonitorSMC2. I may need help installing everything properly though. I can't seem to find the associated kexts on the Github page. Do I need to uninstall the HWMonitor before install this one?

 

[Edhawk]

Wouldn’t hurt to uninstall the old application, however they are not likely to interfere with each other.

 

[SnaccPacc]

Hey Ed, just an update on my system after using it for a couple of weeks now. Firstly, I'm still having trouble getting HWMonitor to show any other info besides drive health, graphics and ram. Not sure what to else to do to fix that. Secondly, it seems that Finder, or my OS in general, is getting hung up on simple processes like opening a file or directory. This may just be that my HDD takes a moment to spin up but it also happens with files on the SSD where my OS is installed. Really, this may not be anything and I'm just conflating nothing to the changes we made to my system.

Another thing I've notice is that my fans are a bit louder than before when my system idles. I'm not sure if my CPU is idling a higher temp now or what since I can't monitor it. This may also be that the changes we made actually made the fans work properly.

At the end of the day, I've really not experienced anything that's made me too concerned other than not being able to monitor my CPU temps while doing some big 3D renders. I've refrained from doing them as much as I can in the event that I'm still overheating my CPU and not knowing it but unfortunately school is requiring me to do some CPU intensive renders here soon.

I've attached a debug file just in case that could be of any help.

Let me know what I can do to solve this HWMonitor issue. Thanks again for all you help.

 

[Edhawk]

Remove these FakeSMC sensor kexts from your /CLOVER/kexts/Other folder, as you are using VirtualSMC.kext these are not going to provide the necessary information from your system:

• FakeSMC_ACPISensors.kext
• FakeSMC_CPUSensors.kext
• FakeSMC_GPUSensors.kext
• FakeSMC_LPCSensors.kext
• FakeSMC_SMMSensors.kext

Add these two VirtualSMC sensor kexts, they cover quite a few sensors:

• SMCSuperIO.kext
• SMCProcessor.kext

You can also add these sensor kexts, see if they provide the information monitoring you need:

• ACPIMonitor.kext
• IntelCPUMonitor.kext
• RadeonMonitor.kext
• Plus which ever chipset kext your system requires - ITEI87x.kext, F718x.kext or PC8739x.kext

See the included README.pdf in the attached Sensor Extensions folder, it contains a very brief summary of what each kext does and what devices it should be use with.

My GA-Z97X-UD5H system only requires the two VirtualSMC sensor kext plus ITEI87x.kext and ACPIMonitor.kext for a full system monitoring display.

HWMonitor display for my iMac1 system.

Are you using the a recent version of HWMonitor app?
The latest HWMonitorSMC2 app v2.6.1 can be downloaded here - https://github.com/CloverHackyColor/HWMonitorSMC2/releases/tag/v2.6.1

Some of the older versions don't work with VirtualSCM.kext and its accompanying sensor kexts.

 

[SnaccPacc]

I really appreciate this. I'm about to give it a try right now. Would I need to rebuild my kext cache after adding/removing these kexts before rebooting? I was planning on following a similar process to the one you laid out in post #10. I want to confirm the right steps to take here to avoid not being able to boot.

 

[Edhawk]

No you don't need to rebuild the kextcache or repair permissions, as none of the kexts are being added or removed from a System folder.

The new kexts are to be added to, and the obsolete kexts removed from, your /CLOVER/kexts/Other folder.

So they should not result in your system failing to boot.

 

[SnaccPacc]

Great news! I'm getting all the readings I need. Thanks again for your help.

I'm curious what your preferred method for benchmarking is? Now that my system is running properly I want to confirm I'm cooling my i9 properly as this was the original concern for the entire thread. My guess is the Noctua NH-C14S probably isn't doing enough, so I may consider switching to a nice liquid cooler. I only used the thermal paste that came with the Noctua as well so I may want to reapply some higher quality paste if you have any suggestions. I also want to check if my case is getting proper airflow.

My CPU idles around 30-40ºc which I understand is fine but I'd like to know what temps I should be aiming for under load. I understand the i9 is notorious for being hot. I'm afraid to get back up to temps of 86-90ºc again like I mentioned in the very first post.

 

[Edhawk]

Good to hear you have the Hardware Monitoring working.

I use a number of common benchmark applications:

• Geekbench 3 and 5 (I have licences for both versions)
• LuxMark
• Black Magic Speed Disk (App Store)
• CINEBENCH R15
• CINEBENCH R20
• Unigine Heaven

There are others I use that are Windows based apps. The Passmark suite being the most helpful.

I can't recall what CPU cooler you are using or how many fans you have in your case. These will all have a bearing on how warm the case gets and how hot the CPU gets under load.

My systems tend to idle at 30-40ºc, with top end CPU temps at 70-77ºc (running LuxMark utilising CPU and GPU)

Temps etc. when running LuxMark V3.1.

Highest temp reached was 77ºc, but averaged 66-67ºc during the test.

 

[SnaccPacc]

My CPU fan is the Noctua NH-C14S, and I'm using the stock fans that came with my case, the NZXT h500.

My first test using Luxmark 3.1, all 3 scenes, utilizing CPU and GPU I got average 55-60ºc with 71ºc being the highest during the most complex scene. But for some reason Luxmark started giving me this OpenCL error and now crashes every time I try to run any test. Not too bothered by this though.

OpenCL ERROR: clBuildProgram(-11)

I switched to the Blender Benchmark test because I use Blender for my 3D work. I figured it'd better represent what my typical loads would be. About halfway through the first test my CPU fan kicked up to 1400+ RPM and the CPU temp was rising steadily all the way to 80ºc until I cut it off. My guess is that if I let it keep going it'd reach 85-90ºc.

From this alone my guess is that my CPU is not getting enough cool air. The stock fans in my case are both exhausts so I'm getting negative pressure in the case. I'm not using any intake fans. NZXT h500 doesn't really have great front intake but I've seen some people say otherwise if you configure things right.

I might take take apart the machine and give it a nice deep clean to remove all the dust. I've had it for a year now so it's probably time for that. I might also try adding two intake fans at the front to switch to neutral pressure. Or maybe even try positive. I may also try applying nice thermal paste when cleaning my machine too. I've read Thermal Grizzly Kryonaught is very good.

Let know if you have any suggestions!

 

[SnaccPacc]

Oh also, how did you get that "Utilization" percentage at the top of your HWMonitor under CPU? Mine just has "Proximity" at the very top. Having that percentage would be useful and I'm not sure why I don't have. May be a kext thing?