High CPU Temperatures and Power Consumption on Idle PC

[TheMitchG]

Hello all,

When I power on a PC that I have been given and leave it idling on the desktop with only Core Temp and HWInfo64 running to monitor it, it will operate for some time at nice, normal temperatures between 30-40 C, with CPU power consumption around the 10W range. However, after about 5-10 minutes of being powered on, the CPU power consumption spikes, seemingly at random, to 70W+, and the temperature likewise shoots up to 90-100 C. I'd love some help troubleshooting the issue so I can find out what is causing the problem. I've switched over to my laptop to type this, so if I need to post the dxdiag specs of the other PC, screenshots from my monitoring apps or anything else, please just let me know and I'll get it done right away. I'm not sure what else to post, and I hope someone can help me by asking the right questions.

Thanks.

CPU: Intel Core i5-4670K
GPU: Intel Haswell-DT GT2 - Integrated Graphics. No dedicated GPU installed at the moment, though the problem was the same both with and without an MSI R7 260X installed.
Mobo: ASUS Maximus VI Impact
RAM: 2-8GB G Skill PC3-12800 DDR3 SDRAM
Power Supply: Seasonic SSR-650RM Active PFC F3
SSD: Intel SSDSC2BW240A4
Case: Fractal Design Node 304

The CPU cooler, as far as I can tell, is a Kraken M22

 

[Dux]

That's a liqid cooler? Seems like the pump is dead.

 

[cvaldes]

A dead AIO pump wouldn't increase CPU power consumption just temperature. It would happen faster than 5-10 minutes too.

OP will need to start by opening up Task Manager and see what is putting a load on the CPU.