High Northwood Temps

[EG]

My CPU P4 1.8A idles at 50~51C and under Prime 95 reaches 63C. Ambient room temp is 24.5C and case temp (37C idle/45C Prime 95). Temperature readings are from Motherboard Monitor 5.1.07 (similar to what I see in BIOS).

System is OC'd to 2.2Ghz using 122FSB at 1.6V

My system consists of:
*
* Lian-Li PC60 Case
* Abit TH7II-R
* 350W Enermax PSU
* 2xSamsung 256MB RDRAM
* 3 IBM 60GXP 60GB HDDs
* Radeon 8500 Retail
* Turtle Beach Santa Cruz
* WD Firewire Card

I switched from an Athlon to the Northwood because I no longer wanted my PC to sound like my vacuum cleaner! How is everyone else able to get temps 10-20 degrees cooler? I really don't want to add additional case fans. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[JellyBaby]

You didn't happen to use thermal compound in addition to the stock thermal tape by chance? Retail HSF? Everything seated properly?

 

[Mikewarrior2]

see other post

 

[EG]

Forgot to mention I'm using AS3 (removed the thermal pad that came with the CPU). I'm using the default heatsink and fan. I have a sunflower but it only reduced my temps by 1-2 degrees max (AS3 made no difference from AS2).

 

[EG]

Case temp (idle) is about 37C, under prime95 it reaches 45C

 

[Mikewarrior2]

Your temps really aren't overly high... your case temps are the reason you have high temps overall...

at 45C max case temps, and the CPU only 16C over that, your heatsink is working really well... but 45C for case temp under load is really, really high.

I mean, with 45C case temps, you can't expect to have a 50C cpu temp.



Mike

 

[EG]

I suspect the high case temp is due to the 2 RDRAM RIMMs. The heatsinks on these babies get so hot that I can barely touch them (that and 3 60GXP HDDs).

Still I don't think my configuration is that different from others. If my temps were in line then I wouldn't have a problem.

 

[FrostyFlakes]

how many fans on case? as Mike stated, ur case temp is high.

 

[EG]

The Lian-Li has 2 case inflow fans (set to position 2) and 1 exhaust fan. The Enermax PSU also has an exhaust fan next to the CPU and another expelling the air out of the case.

 

[jiffylube1024]

That's quite a sizzling case temperature (45C). Try leaving the sides of your case off (as a bonus you get a free room heater). If your case is really 45C then opening the case while its running that hot would feel like a gust of stiflingly hot air hitting your face. Otherwise get more case fans or do some more reasearch as to why the case is so hot!

 

[EG]

As an experiment I took the side off of the case. The CPU temp (idle) is now 48C and the case temp is 35C (down from 37C). This is still some 10C+ higher than others are reporting...

 

[vfrjim]

Maybe your looking at the wrong sensor, I did at first, it read nasty temps, changed to the correct temps and all was well. But I use the Asus P4B266, so I don't know the correct sensors for your MB.

Jim

 

[EG]

I thought about that but it is consistant with what the temperature reads in the BIOS.

 

[lastig21]

I also have a TH7-IIR and a lian li case. My temps read almost identical to yours. I've tried the retail sink with stock pad, retail sink with as2, avc with white thermal paste, and avc with as2. I cannot find any combo to get the heat down. Tomorrow I will try running a 92mm fan directly over the heatsink and see if that drops the temps any.

I think the abit board may just be reading off a little bit. I also used the extra thermal probe connected directly to the heatsink and the temperature was very similiar to the case temp.

BTW, I had a Tbird setup in this same case and my case temps were between 25-29C.

 

[Mikewarrior2]

EG,

Once again, your case temps are a bit higher than other peoples... you can't compare directly with other people's temps without adjusting for case temp...

You're expecting 10+C lower CPU temp, with a 48/35C temp difference.... THere's no way your CPU is going to run at 38C with a 35C case temp.



Mike

 

[Duvie]

Exactly...I have a 38c idle chip right now, but my system temps are 24c....

What is going on in that case?? How many case fans do you have? What is the temp in that room? What other devices do you have?

In my last 4 systems...tbird750,tbird1100,tbird1400, & p4 1.8...I have never had a system greater then 26c...

Good cooling begins in the case, period...

 

[EG]

As I mentioned above, the Lian-Li has 2 case inflow fans (set to position 2) and 1 exhaust fan. The Enermax PSU also has an exhaust fan next to the CPU and another expelling the air out of the case.

The ambient temperature of the room is about 24C. Yet the case temp now reads 38C and the CPU temp 51C.

As I mentioned, I don't want to turn my PC into a vacuum cleaner! The numbers just seem a little high considering the room temperature.

 

[SSGTi]

I wouldn't worry about those temps. I have a 1.8a @ 2.5 ghz and my idle case temp is 38c and 41-42c with prime. I have no case fans. Just the stock hsf and my p/s. The system is quiet and 100% stable...

 

[Mikewarrior2]

EG,

If you're unwilling to add more case cooling, given the difference between room temp and ambietn case temp (which indicates either poor cooling, or the case is in a spot not ideal for cooling, or you have extremely hot devices), you're not gonna get lower CPu temps.

For your ambient case temps, your CPU temps are fine.



Mike

 

[Emperical]

Take out 2 of HD's if you can, and test without those. Then take the side panels and any other panels off the lian li and then run your temp tests. What Heatsink are u using? Any blow holes in the top?

 

[lastig21]

I just got my new TH7-II in today because my last one had 2 bad rimm slots. I hooked up everything to the new motherboard exactly as it was with the last board. My white thermal paste is even more poorly applied this time then it has ever been because I'm expecting some as3 in any day now. My idle temp is now 37C, and my voltages are much much better then they were with the last board. Since you're temps were reading exactly like my faulty board was, you might want to give another th7-II a try.

 

[ginfest]

I have my 1.6A at 2.1G, 2-256MB Samsung Dram at 533 on a TH7-II. With the same case and fans and my P3 setup, ambient 20C, mainboard 23-25C and CPU idle/load 30C/38C. With this P4 setup, ambient 20C, mainboard 28C, CPU idle/load 40C/50C!
With the P3 system, the mainboard temp wouldn't rise under load but with the P4 the mainboard temp was rising 10-15C over ambient!
When I would feel the side of the case "behind" the Rdram area, it was warm, and inside the Rdram was almost hot. I figured that the "hot" Rdram was contributing to my case temps so I put an 80mm fan attched to a slot cover and angled over the Rdram/DRCGs, and Northbridge.
With this extra fan, I now have 20C ambient, 25C mainboard and 37C CPU idle. Under load, the mainboard temp only rises to 28C, and the CPU now is only 48C after 6 hours of the "Prime 95 "Torture Test". Some will say that the 48C under load is high, but I feel that anything around 50C under load is good for these P4s, unless you get an Alpha or Swiftech cooler.
I'm using an OEM Sunflower, rated at .33 C/W, at 2.1G the P4 is putting out approx 65 W, so my CPU load temp should be in the range of 22C over the case temp.
I also added an extra fan in the upper rear of the case to help get that number down.
Anyway, I suggest adding a fan to push some air on the Rdram area, and also another exhaust to get some of the heat out.


Edit: CPU is at default vore (1.50) and varies between 1.48-1.52

 

[EG]

Is it likely that I have a faulty motherboard given my idle temps are so high (50C)?

 

[lastig21]

I can't say if you have a faulty motherboard or not. I didn't replace the motherboard because of my high temps, but was happy to see them decrease with the new one. I'm now running at 2.33ghz, 1.625v in bios (1.58 underload in Sandra), running 48.5C after about an hour of prime95. At 2.133 and default voltage I would hit over 60C with the old board. How low do your voltages read on your motherboard?

 

[EG]

The voltage of my TH7II-R reads 1.55v in MBM5 with a CPU temp of 51C and a case temp of 38C.