Extremely high Winchester 3200+ temps

[alex1122]

I recently put together an AMD 64 winchster 3200+ with an MSI K8N neo2 platinum mobo. I am overclocked to 2.5ghz with 1.52v, however, my temps at idle are 36-38C and at full load, they jump to 52C almost instantly and after awhile they top out at 56-58C. At these temps however, the system passes a 12 hour prime95 run without a problem.

I am cooling the cpu with a Zalman CNPS-7000b Cu heatsink and I am using AS5 applied by putting a small blob in the middle of the heatspreader and letting the pressure of the heatsink spread it out. I have a cheiftec dragon case with 2 panaflo h1a fans in the back exhausting and 2 coolermaster fans in the front intake. My psu is a 550w TTGI modular with a 140mm speed adjustable fan always on high. My case temps stay around 26C most of the time.

Today I borrowed a friend's arctic silver ceramique and applied the same way as the AS5 to see if it makes a difference, and my temps are around 1 degree hotter than before and my comuter seems unstable. World of Warcraft and other applications crash every now and then and the overall system feels flakey.

If I underclock to stock speeds at default voltage my temps under full load are 44C. I have felt the heatsink's outer fins at full load before and they just feel barely warm. Any suggestions no how I could improve my temps? would trying a different method of AS5 application be better? or maybe a whole different brand of thermal paste? Could my heatsink not be making good contact with the cpu?

 

[biff420]

I'm no expert on the subject of thermal grease but I believe that you are using too much which is actually hendering its performance. I think the proper techniqe is to spread the thinest layer possible becuase the idea it to smooth out the surface of the chip in order to have maximum area in contact with the heatsink. If you just glob it on then it is not allowing the heatsink to come in contact with the chip which increases your temperatures.

With my current set up I did it just as you did and was seeing heat issues and then a friend showed my the "less is better" approach and I noticed a huge drop in temps. Of course this was on a 2500 xp OC to 3200 speeds with a volcano 11 cooler.

 

[Phlargo]

People usually suggest using a razor blade or folded piece of paper to spread out the thermal compound. I typically apply it, carefully spread it out with a flathead screwdriver, then fully distribute a thin layer with a folded piece of paper.

I've got the same chip and I'm actually running only about 3-4 degrees cooler than you at load but I'm running at 1.67v. You may wanna try to reapply, as biff420 suggested

 

[imported_Kensai]

Maybe too little or too much thermal compound?

 

[JohnAn2112]

Those temps aren't actually that bad. As long as you don't hit past 60C under load, you're fine.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

Temps are fine, not a problem

 

[Dadofamunky]

That's interesting; I may have to try using less thermal grease on mine as well

 

[piroroadkill]

Yours are all insane.

My friend's runs at around -50°c to around -30°c.



Overclocked to 2.65Ghz. But then again, he does have a Vapochill LightSpeed AC.

 

[GuitarDaddy]

2.65 is pretty lame with Vapochill, I can get slightly higher than that on air

And the proper amount of thermal paste is one small dot 1/2 the size of a BB

 

[alex1122]

The temps may be fine, but I still dont like that fact that my temps are quite higher than other people's at this voltage. Even people that run near 1.7v are still like 1 or 2 degrees cooler than me. It must be the way I apply the paste, I'll have to try the methods suggested here. Also, when using arctic ceramique paste instead of as5, I am 1 to 2 degrees hotter which I think is making my system unstable at those temps. I am forced to settle for stock speeds for now until I can lower my temps a bit.

 

[NokiaDude]

You need very little thermal paste. You want almost metal on metal contact, not a layer of thermal grease. Try running at stock speeds and report back. My Winchester 3200+ idles at 32C and maxes out at 42C with a very thin layer of AS5 and the stock heatsink!!

EDIT: At 55C, I SERIOUSLY doubt those temps are making your rig unstable. The culprit is most likely your O/C.

EDIT Rev.2: Your heatsink is supposed to be barely warm when running. If it hot to the touch you've got a problem. Also do a clean install, you said that even at stock speed your computer was flaky. Something must have happened to your installation.

 

[Abunai]

You probably applied it correctly, it may just be the amount you used. Artic Silver recommends the blob and mount method as well. You're getting the flattest and most even distribution of the compound this way. And dont worry about not covering the entire heatspreader. Here's a quote from their website...

"Since the vast majority of the heat from the core travels directly through the heat spreader, it is more important to have a good interface directly above the actual CPU core than it is to have the heat spreader covered with compound from corner to corner."

Step by step is here...
http://www.articsilver.com/arctic_silver_instructions_big2.htm

 

[Phlargo]

Just for reference, my 3200+ Winchester runs about 27-29 idle at stock speeds/voltage with the Zalman 7000Cu

 

[StuffedMonkey]

The Neo2 Platimum has a problem with temperature readings off a cold boot. Mine reads 58-59C at 100% load on a cold boot. Off a warm boot it calibrates correctly and reads 45-46C at 100% load. It is a known issue. There was a thread on it here a month or so ago with a better explanation. The 1.6 bios that MSI just released supposedly fixes the problem, but I haven't flashed from the 1.5 and confirmed it yet.

 

[Doctorweir]

Originally posted by: alex1122
I recently put together an AMD 64 winchster 3200+ with an MSI K8N neo2 platinum mobo. I am overclocked to 2.5ghz with 1.52v, however, my temps at idle are 36-38C and at full load, they jump to 52C almost instantly and after awhile they top out at 56-58C. At these temps however, the system passes a 12 hour prime95 run without a problem.

So your problem was...? No, honestly I think you're fine...my temps are quite similar (topping @ 54C)