95w CPU at 100.7w under load

[rking12345678]

I installed a Phenom II x4 945 95w CPU in my MSI K9N6PGM2-V2 board. My motherboard's compatibility list says the 945 is supported and my BIOS version supports the CPU as well. Running HWMonitor I'm told that under load it uses 100.7w and 27.3w at idle, and my motherboard supports only up to 95w CPUs. Everything in the BIOS is set to auto, Cool'n'Quiet is enabled (should that matter any) but is it possible there's something set incorrectly anyway or is this normal and HWMonitor isn't reporting accurately? I assume since my motherboard and BIOS both support the CPU it should work but I'm curious as to why I'm being told it's using too much power.

 

[heyheybooboo]

On 'Auto' the BIOS could be over-volting a bit.

Switch to 'Manual' and drop the vCore a smidgen if you are the worrying type. 1.325-1.35v should be fine. A PhenomII can take a serious under-volt (in your case probably as low as 1.25v) if you wish to save even more juice.

Keep an eye on the low end --- with C&Q enabled keep the volts above 0.85v and you should be fine.




--

 

[rking12345678]

In the BIOS it said it was at 1.325v while set to auto, I have to reduce it to 1.25v in order to hit 95w in HWMonitor. AMD states the CPU works between .80v-1.40v, http://products.amd.com/en-gb/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=619, so leaving it at 1.25v shouldn't cause a problem would it? Would I need to turn off Cool'n'Quiet to make sure the voltage didn't drop too low in that event?

Also, is it even necessary to have Cool'n'Quiet running?

 

[Rifter]

I dont know if i would believe HW monitor, it tells my my i7 930 @ 4.2Ghz is idling at 13w and loading at 105W which im pretty sure is a load of crap. seems at least 30w low.

 

[rking12345678]

Intel states your CPU at 130w max at the stock speed so that doesn't sound right, no. My computer runs just fine otherwise, I'm just paranoid about this sort of thing since (to me) the CPU was a very large purchase and I'd hate for something to happen to it because of an incorrect setting or something. Is there another program I can use to check this or should I just stop worrying and enjoy my new quad core?

 

[mfenn]

Intel states your CPU at 130w max at the stock speed so that doesn't sound right, no. My computer runs just fine otherwise, I'm just paranoid about this sort of thing since (to me) the CPU was a very large purchase and I'd hate for something to happen to it because of an incorrect setting or something. Is there another program I can use to check this or should I just stop worrying and enjoy my new quad core?

Stop worrying and enjoy your ticking time bomb.

But seriously, HWMonitor is probably just basing it's calculation on the voltage, and those reading can be inaccurate.

 

[Rifter]

Intel states your CPU at 130w max at the stock speed so that doesn't sound right, no. My computer runs just fine otherwise, I'm just paranoid about this sort of thing since (to me) the CPU was a very large purchase and I'd hate for something to happen to it because of an incorrect setting or something. Is there another program I can use to check this or should I just stop worrying and enjoy my new quad core?

You should defiantly stop worrying about it. I think my CPU is more likely to go nuclear and melt a hole through the earth than yours

Seriously though even if it is running at 100w(which is unlikely) it is still going to be 100% fine.

 

[heyheybooboo]

In the BIOS it said it was at 1.325v while set to auto, I have to reduce it to 1.25v in order to hit 95w in HWMonitor. AMD states the CPU works between .80v-1.40v, http://products.amd.com/en-gb/DesktopCPUDetail.aspx?id=619, so leaving it at 1.25v shouldn't cause a problem would it? Would I need to turn off Cool'n'Quiet to make sure the voltage didn't drop too low in that event?

Also, is it even necessary to have Cool'n'Quiet running?

With C&Q enabled f you can run 100% load without errors at 1.25v check the voltage in CPUz at idle --- hopefully you will be in the 0.89v range. Let your computer go to sleep (FYI probably 3-5w at the wall), and then see if it will wake without blue screen or error.

Load the CPU again and repeat until you are comfortable. End result: If all operation nominal at 1.25v, you have dropped your load power consumption at the wall around 30 percent (probably half that amount at idle).




--

 

[rking12345678]

I've been having issues with Borderlands ever since upgrading my CPU, I tried reinstalling Windows and Steam/Borderlands and neither did any good. I flashed my BIOS to the newest version and that didn't resolve the issue either. I ran Prime95 and after a few seconds there were errors on two of the cores. I reseated the CPU/heatsink and ran Prime95 and got 15 minutes in before an error occurred so I disabled Cool'n'Quiet in the BIOS and set the voltage manually to 1.25v and Prime95 has been running for just under an hour without error. HWmonitor also reports the CPU power usage at 95w instead of 100.7. How long should I let it go before assuming it's fine?

Also, with Prime95 running HWmonitor reports my CPU temps at 46c for all 4 cores and 48c max each. Is this an acceptable temp?

 

[somethingsketchy]

If you're hitting 48c while under full load, you're doing great. You should be more concerned if the temperature was much higher (approaching the thermal limit for the processor, say 100c for example). Though I'd wonder about that, since Prim95 (among other CPU stress-tests) are known for pushing CPUs to a much higher temperature than that.

Even with an aftermarket heatsink, I know my i7 860 hits 58c

 

[mfenn]

Sounds like you have 2 weak cores that can't handle running at lower voltages. If you're only at 48C while Priming, then I would not worry about the extra volts.

 

[rking12345678]

I just hit 2 hours with Prime95, I checked Speedfan and it reports the following temps:

Temp 1 - 49c
Temp 2 - 37c
Temp 3 - -128c (I don't know what this is but it's always shown up as -128c ever since I got this computer)
Core - 45c

Since it's been running at the same temp for 2 hours and hasn't shown error I should just leave it at 1.25v in the BIOS and run as it is now?

 

[mfenn]

I just hit 2 hours with Prime95, I checked Speedfan and it reports the following temps:

Temp 1 - 49c
Temp 2 - 37c
Temp 3 - -128c (I don't know what this is but it's always shown up as -128c ever since I got this computer)
Core - 45c

Since it's been running at the same temp for 2 hours and hasn't shown error I should just leave it at 1.25v in the BIOS and run as it is now?

Looks fine to me. Speedfan misdetects sensors all of the time, so I wouldn't worry about the funny reading.

 

[betasub]

Yea , speedfan just looks for outputs that might correspond to temp monitors. Usually it picks up CPU (Temp 1) and motherboard (Temp2), and possibly some blanks/dummies (Temp 3). With some driver versions, it can even pick up GPU temps as well.