CPU Temperature

[Acoshi]

I have an overclocked AMD athlon 2500+ and I went into the BIOS to change see how hot the cpu got. Right now its about 136-146 degrees F. I was wondering at that temperature does the processor slow down significantly? Should I get a better cpu cooler?

 

[Tenchi4U]

best convert those temps to celsius...most people here only work with celsius in terms of computers.

Fahrenheit seems to be only used to rectal temps and the temp outside; if you post temps in F people would have to convert to C to help you...and that means extra effort and us computer nerds are lazy

I'll do it for you this time

136F = 57.77 C
146F = 63.33 C

57-63C on a barton 2500+ is an okay temp, could be lower (depending on ambient temp, cooling solution, et cetera). I would find out at what temp your mobo will sound the thermal alarm and try to stay 10C under that. Heat is what usually kills cpu lifespan (and poor HSF installs).

 

[Acoshi]

Thank you. =) I got one more question does the perfomance of the cpu change significantly when the temp is slighly high like that?

 

[LAVAB84615]

Originally posted by: Tenchi4U
Fahrenheit seems to be only used to rectal temps and the temp outside

lol

yah that temp is a little on the high side, but it isnt something to be worried about - but, if you want to overclock more, you should think about getting a better hs [like a thermalright slk-900 or better], and use some quality thermal paste [like as ceramique or as5]...

 

[Acoshi]

Even though its not too hot, would it still be better to lower the temperature anyway?

(Don't mind spending money as long as it can prolong the life of my processor) =)

 

[Degrador]

Originally posted by: Acoshi
Thank you. =) I got one more question does the perfomance of the cpu change significantly when the temp is slighly high like that?

For Athlon XPs, the performance will not slow down the hotter it gets, until the cpu melts and as such just stops . Athlon 64s and Pentium 4s will throttle the cpu down once it gets too hot, but this isn't until 80-100C (not sure exactly, but extremely hot non-the-less ).

Anyway, better cooling will almost always prolong the life of the cpu, however the cost sometimes might not be necessary. Why spend $50 on a cooler to increase the life from 3 to 5 years, when in 3 years time to replace it it'll only be $40, or in particular, it'll be well out of date (not worth replacing).

This isn't always true of coolers however, if you're an overclocker, then by all means it's worth getting a better cooler. Or, if noise is important, then once again it's worth it. However I have seen people trying to spend a fair amount of money on coolers just to prolong life, and I really don't see much point in that...

 

[treadhed]

If you are running at 166mhz clock speed and if Tenchi4u's conversions are correct, you seem to be running hot for a 2500+. I have a 2500+ Barton and it maintains temperature of around 48 C, + or - a couple of degrees. Mine right now is running at 333 Mhz FSB, 166 clock however. Once I get a new powersupply and a different case (refer to my other posts on my case eating powersupplies) I am going to bump it up to 400 mhz, which is very optimal for that 3200 memory.

What is your clock and what heatsink are you using?