URGENT! CPU Temp too high???????

[ripperuk]

thanks for the superb link DratUK mate...I will have a read on it once i fix the major issues. Okay guys, I know we've been over the issue of HSF but I've just noticed something that is really bugging me and thought u might be able to help.

Every now and then my pc is rebooted, the bios displays an error similar to this:-

"overclocking failed" and gives me an option to boot into setup or load defaults.

I of course load the defaults. Could this explain why i'm getting a heat issue or is this totally unrelated? FYI I just have tried upgrading to the latest BIOS, but this hasn't fixed it.

By the way when I installed the mobo, i never went into setup to alter anything as the setting were all set to "AUTOMATIC" already by the BIOS.

regards

ripper

[Biscuit]

Cooling, case chipset lots of reasons why you may not get the same result as another.

Good point, make sure airflow is good in your case i.e. cables are out of the way and the air taken in is roughtly the same as the air being expelled. Someone (forgive me whoever it was) said he put clingfilm on the side of his case (instead of the proper side) so that he cud see if there was any build up if the cling film inflates or visa versa.

[Clunk]

thanks for the superb link DratUK mate...I will have a read on it once i fix the major issues. Okay guys, I know we've been over the issue of HSF but I've just noticed something that is really bugging me and thought u might be able to help.

Every now and then my pc is rebooted, the bios displays an error similar to this:-

"overclocking failed" and gives me an option to boot into setup or load defaults.

I of course load the defaults. Could this explain why i'm getting a heat issue or is this totally unrelated? FYI I just have tried upgrading to the latest BIOS, but this hasn't fixed it.

By the way when I installed the mobo, i never went into setup to alter anything as the setting were all set to "AUTOMATIC" already by the BIOS.

regards

ripper

You need to go into the bios and manually enter your ram timings and voltages. Look on one of the sticks of ram, it will usually tell you what the timings and voltages are. Something like 4-4-4-12 2.1v or 5-5-5-15 1.9v. Make set the ram to run at 1:1. Run orthos while it is at these stock settings overnight, if it doesnt give you any errors, you can overclock, if it does, you need to find out why.

Have a read of the guide, theres plebty of info about setting up your board and a small troubleshooting guide if you get stuck.

[ripperuk]

thanks for that biscuit and clunk...

well guess wot??? I've just gone and bought myself a zalman CPNS9500!!!!

I hope I haven't made a mistake as this was the only one available that would fit in my case and provide adequent cooling power.

My only problem is that i'm baffled by the guide that zalman show in their manual and even more confused after looking at their animation on the website...do i need to take the mobo out as it says that i don't have to, yet my mobo (ASUS P5B) doesn't seem to have a back plate which is require by the fan

Lastly is there a simple step-by-step picture guide i could follow to fit in the fan in a 775 mobo?

thanks for your help

[ripperuk]

please ignore the above post...problem solved...I've fitted the zalman CNPS9500 LED...temperature dropped from 71 degrees to an average of 40 degrees in BIOS...the pc is running nice and smooth now, so definately the overheating was an issue with stability of the pc.

[ripperuk]

my next issue is getting the airflow sorted. My case has two fans. One blowing air IN from the front. The other which is huge (22cm!!) is on the side of the case. This one is also blowing air IN.

Then there is the Zalman cooler which has a FAN blowing air from CPU out to the rear.

My question is only regarding the fan on the side of the case....
Should I leave this fan to pull air in..hence onto the Zalman cooler and the rest of the mobo components, or should i change it, so that it instead pulls air out of the PC case?

[Clunk]

I would leave it blowing inwards, but it wont harm to try it both ways.

Doesnt the case have an exhaust fan at the back or in the top? Or a hole for one?

[acrobat]

You really need to get the air out too. If there is no air being exhausted from the case, pressure will build up in the case, and your fans sucking air in, will have a harder time and wont move as much air.

Most cases have a fan slot at the back of the case, so you really need a good fan in there.

You are ideally meant to balance your air intake, and your air exhausting - exactly. Although it doesn't really HAVE to be exact. But try to get as close as possible. Incase you don't know, the way you find out how much air a fan moves, is just by searching for the fan on the web. It should show how much air the moves with a number followed by "cfm" (which I think stands for cubic feet per minute). So anyway, just say your front fan does 50cfm, and your big side fan does 100cfm, then ideally you need a rear fan that does 150 cfm Those numbers will be way off - its just for an example. Also, seeing as the fan on the side of the case is so epic, you might have a hard time finding one to go on the back to match that much air flow.

You can get very high speed fans which might match the side fan, but it could end up being really noisy. If noise is no issue to you, then go ahead, and you will have a really cool running case. But if you are bothered by noise, I would just get any decent fan for the back, which moves a reasonable amount of air. And that should do you. Your CPU temp seems much better now, so if you get a decent fan for the back of your case, all the components should be happy

Good luck. Glad you got sorted so far. (I had very similar problems by the way).

[ripperuk]

thank you for that helpful info guys....I have no rear fan in the case, other than the PSU fan.

The zalman HSF needs to blow out air to the rear of the case and I'm wondering if i even need another rear fan, as the zalman is doing almost the same job as what a rear fan would have done in the first place...also won't adding a rear fan obstruct the zalman, by coming in its way?

Secondly are my temperatures okay or are they still too high? When I put on thermal paste, I put on such a small amount, that you can still read the the writing on the HEAT SPREADER (less than 1mm in my opinion).

thanks

[acrobat]

The zalman HSF needs to blow out air to the rear of the case and I'm wondering if i even need another rear fan,

The zalman will just be moving warm air towards the back of the case inside. But it won't actually escape out the case very well. If there are any holes in the back of the case, the hot air will likely seep out on its own. But it wont be any way near as good, as actually having a fan there to suck the warm air directly out of the case.

also won't adding a rear fan obstruct the zalman, by coming in its way?

I don't think so. The only way that would be true, is if there was a big gaping hole in the back of your case, directly in front of the Zalman. Otherwise, like I said above, some air will be getting out, but a lot will be getting stuck in the case, and a rear fan will make sure it sucks all that out.

Secondly are my temperatures okay or are they still too high?

They seem ok to me, although I'm not exactly sure with that particular CPU, so you may want to check with other people, but it sounds ok to me. But personally I think its ok, although a little on the high side. But there is more to worry about than just the actual CPU temperature. Because if the inside of the case gets warm, the CPU might be ok thanks to your Zalman, but the RAM, Hard Drives, and Graphics Card, could all end up heating up.

The only way to really help, is to have a proper air flow. It doesn't have to be a hurricane, but if theres a fan on the front (and side in yours) sucking in cool air, and then you have a fan on the back, blowing out the warm air from inside the case, then you have a nice air flow in there, and that should keep the components happy. You may not NEED it, but I definitely would get a rear fan if I was you. Because even if its ok now, it may not be ok in the summer. You can also check the temps of the other components using various bits of software you can download.

All in all, you are probably ok, but if you can look at the very back panel of your case, and see if theres a slot for a fan there, it would really help to have one in.

When I put on thermal paste, I put on such a small amount, that you can still read the the writing on the HEAT SPREADER (less than 1mm in my opinion).

thanks

This is almost impossible to advise on really, because its tricky in a few ways. Firstly, too much is very bad. Too little is bad too. Secondly, different computers seem to need different amounts. If you have a rough heatsink and cpu surface, and maybe if its not an extremely tight, it can actually help to have a little bit too much paste on. But in most cases, its best to be as thin as possible, so yours sounds good to me.

The only specific thing I've ever seen to advise about this stuff, is that you should put on some paste about "the size of a grain of rice" onto the centre of the cpu.

All in all though, I reckon you are probably doing ok now. If your PC is running stable, then thats a sign that its ok The only concern would be is if it can stay stable when the summer gets really hot, and when you are playing a game for a few hours straight in the middle of the hot summer If it passes that test, you are sorted. But to pass that test safely, all I would recommend doing, is getting a rear fan (if possible).


p.s.
By the way, you can download something called "CoreTemp" by just doing a search on google. That thing will check the temperature of your CPU from within windows, so you dont have to rely on the bios. It also checks the very centre of the core in the hottest part. So if your temperature is ok there, you are sorted. And it would be easier to compare that temperature with other people. So I recommend getting that, and then you will know for sure if your temp is ok. (Although like I said, 40C sounds pretty good to me. I'm sure it could be lower with a good heatsink/fan, but 40 isn't dangerous or anything).

And just to be safe: Anything you download (like that CoreTemp program), make sure you run a virus check on it first before you run it. CoreTemp is great, but whenever someone makes a useful tool like that, there is usually some nob who will try to spoil the fun by making a virus with the same name or something. Maybe not but.. best to be safe than sorry.

[ripperuk]

hi mate...i will take your advice and buy another fan to place on the rear side of the pc case. I put on a little more than a grain of rice as most was staying on my credit card.

I plan to overclock and need to deal with temperature issues now, hopefully by adding a rear fan to keep the air cool in the case.

Until I do that, can you please tell me what you or any other expert on this forum make of the following info as its too confusing for me :-



thanks

[acrobat]

Ello. The back fan will help things

As for that Core Temp program: The top half is basically just your processor info. Tells you what it is and stuff. (Frequency is the clock speed, so when you overclock it, you will be able to see the higher frequency in there. And the VID is the amount of Volts running through the CPU - which you may change when you overclock, and if so, you will be able to see it in there.)

The important bits for now though, is just those bottom 3 boxes. Tjunction (i think) tells you how hot the CPU needs to get until it shuts itself down, or atleast slows itself down to protect itself. 100C is surprisingly high, but that may be normal on that chip (or CoreTemp may just be reading it wrong).

Anyway, the bottom two are just the temperatures of each individual core on your CPU (cause its a dual core). So they are both running at 39 degrees celsius. I just checked on the internet, and those temperatures are ok, although a few degrees higher than some people. Good temp seems to be about 29/30 degrees or so, but the majority of people seem to have around 37 or 38 or so. So you are average, or maybe a couple of degrees above. BUT, its important to note:

1) Room temperature has a big effect on CPU's. So if your room is nice and warm, then your temps are really good. If your room is like a fridge, then you are probably like 6 degrees higher than average or something.

2) Temps can go down a few degrees when your thermal compound has had a few days to settle.

3) It could go down more than a few degrees when you add your rear fan to the case.


So basically, it seems like you are doing ok. I would be interested to see what it goes to when you put that rear fan in. But anyway, it all seems ok.

The only other thing you could check, would be what temperature both the cores go to when your PC is running at full load. I think the best program to test that is called "Intel Thermal Analysis Tool". It shows the same temperature as that Core Temp program, but there is a button next to each core, and you can click that to make it push your CPU's to max. And then you can see what temperature it goes up to.

You can get it here:
http://shintai.ambition.cz/files/tat.exe

[ripperuk]

Ello. The back fan will help things

As for that Core Temp program: The top half is basically just your processor info. Tells you what it is and stuff. (Frequency is the clock speed, so when you overclock it, you will be able to see the higher frequency in there. And the VID is the amount of Volts running through the CPU - which you may change when you overclock, and if so, you will be able to see it in there.)

The important bits for now though, is just those bottom 3 boxes. Tjunction (i think) tells you how hot the CPU needs to get until it shuts itself down, or atleast slows itself down to protect itself. 100C is surprisingly high, but that may be normal on that chip (or CoreTemp may just be reading it wrong).

Anyway, the bottom two are just the temperatures of each individual core on your CPU (cause its a dual core). So they are both running at 39 degrees celsius. I just checked on the internet, and those temperatures are ok, although a few degrees higher than some people. Good temp seems to be about 29/30 degrees or so, but the majority of people seem to have around 37 or 38 or so. So you are average, or maybe a couple of degrees above. BUT, its important to note:

1) Room temperature has a big effect on CPU's. So if your room is nice and warm, then your temps are really good. If your room is like a fridge, then you are probably like 6 degrees higher than average or something.

2) Temps can go down a few degrees when your thermal compound has had a few days to settle.

3) It could go down more than a few degrees when you add your rear fan to the case.


So basically, it seems like you are doing ok. I would be interested to see what it goes to when you put that rear fan in. But anyway, it all seems ok.

The only other thing you could check, would be what temperature both the cores go to when your PC is running at full load. I think the best program to test that is called "Intel Thermal Analysis Tool". It shows the same temperature as that Core Temp program, but there is a button next to each core, and you can click that to make it push your CPU's to max. And then you can see what temperature it goes up to.

You can get it here:
http://shintai.ambition.cz/files/tat.exe

Hi acrobat and thanks for your info....I have rechecked the temperature today and its dropped further to between 37 & 38 degrees, i assume because my room temperature is slightly lower and also because I've opened the case too.

My room tends to be hot most of the time as I like it this way. As for checking the temperature on full load, i used the tool Intel TAT and here's the results for the test:-

At full 100% load, with the large case fan blowing ONTO the mobo, the cpu hit a max of 63 degrees. This test i ran for a whole 10 mins.

After idling for 5 mins, the temperature rapidly dropped to:-

CPU 0 = 38/40 Degrees
CPU 1 = 40/42 Degrees

Is that still too high? If so, then wouldn't you think that its because there is hardly any thermal paste on the heat spreader?

[DratUK]

I would now not worry about your CPU temps, they are fine. I run the same cpu on my second/son's PC in a fairly smallish case and my temps are the same albeit the MX-1 paste from the AC Pro will still be curing.
Acrobat has really covered everything that needs to be said, nice one Acrobat ,.
I would still suggest you go for a rear fan to provide the balance to the rest of your system.At the very least you will gain some benefit from reduced case temps.

[acrobat]

I reckon your paste is probably ok. Its actually supposed to be extremely thin - so you can see the core through the paste. So your thin layer sounds about perfect to me.

But its hard to say for sure without seeing it, and also, some people can get away with a very thin film of paste, but some people need a bit more if their cpu and/or heatsink is a bit wonky. But yeah, my guess is that yours is ok.

You temperature is certainly ok anyway. Both the idle and load temps are a few degrees higher than perfect really, but its in no way dangerous or bad or anything. Your thermal paste can actually take a week or so to settle properly, so you may come down another degree or two in the next week But the main thing is getting that rear fan for your case. Because with that one thing... it could bring your temps down by a good few degrees or more. (It could even be much more).

So basically:

1) You are "ok/average" already.
2) You will be "good" when you get your rear fan (and the paste settles some more).


So once you get your fan, you can start thinking about overclocking. There are some great guides all over the internet, including this forum. So you can get going on that, and that will be the true test of your temperatures. If its a bit too hot when you start overclocking, then you can always re-do that paste again. Its not a big deal. But by the sounds of it, you probably won't even need to. Like I said, your temperatures are ok already, and the rear fan will likely make them great.

[ripperuk]

sorry for the late reply...1st thank you so much for reassuring me acrobat...the reason I kept asking is because on other forums (american), I was being given the opposite advice that my idle temp should be 30 degrees or less. This is why i kept asking m8, so sorry for that.

My next aim is to get a rear fan for the case and then i'll let you guys know how i get on.

thanks again