Outrageous Athlon XP 2100+ Gigabyte GA-7VRXP temps!

[Aratharn]

I've got a real problem with my 2100+ system. According to MBM5, the CPU idles at 57 C and has climbed as high as 67 C under load (seti@home). System:

Athlon XP 2100+
Gigabyte GA-7VRXP
Gigabyte AV64S-T "Radeon 7000 Pro Maya"
1.0 GB PC2100 memory
2 x Maxtor 60 GB hard drives in RAID 1 on integrated Promise chip
decent quality mid-tower case

This system was built for me as a work machine (programming) and I have a hard time using it due to worries about the temps. It is using a retail boxed processor with the AMD heatsink and fan, so it had a warranty on the CPU I suppose, but the heat is just incredible. I removed the thermal pad and used ASII and the temps came down a bit (not much). I also tried replacing the AMD fan with a Delta AFB0612EH (7000+ rpm) fan, but the idle temp was still 51 C, and the noise was terrible.

The case has an exhaust fan pulling from the CPU area and an intake fan at the lower front, per AMD system builder specs. I feel this system will be lucky to last a year. Any suggestions? I don't want to put too much effort into it since its just a tool and not a gaming rig or my personal home workstation, but I'd like it to last a while.

Thanks!

 

[mechBgon]

Some possibilities, you probably checked these already:

• Did you get the heatsink on with the notched end over the cambox of the socket? (dumb question, sorry)
• Is the CPU down into the socket all the way? (another dumb one, sorry)
• Did you get all traces of the thermal pad material off the contact surfaces?
• What is the ambient case temperature, hopefully not far above room temperature?
• What voltage is the CPU getting? Should be 1.75V if I recall right.

Different motherboard makers calibrate their socket thermistors differently too, and the XP2100+ is a hot-running chip that can hit well over 70C actual core temperatures, although there are currently only one or two motherboards on the market that will tell you the truth about the core temperatures. Maybe your board is simply telling you a reading that's closer to the truth than most boards do, although it's Asus who has the reputation for the highest calibrations, not Gigabyte.

You might want to hit "edit" and add "on GA-7VRXP" to your title so the VRXP owners notice and can offer more ideas. Welcome to the Forums, hope you find a solution to your temperature issues.

 

[farmercal]

Aratharn is the fan blowing air on the HSF or sucking air off? It is possible that it was installed wrong at the factory, I am pretty sure it is supposed to be blowing down on the heat sync to be effective. If you can't get the temps down and you are pretty sure that they are the actual temps you might want to get one of those inexpensive HSF at SVC. I haven't bought one but a lot of people on this forum seem to swear by them. Good Luck.

 

[Aratharn]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Some possibilities, you probably checked these already:

• Did you get the heatsink on with the notched end over the cambox of the socket? (dumb question, sorry)
• Is the CPU down into the socket all the way? (another dumb one, sorry)
• Did you get all traces of the thermal pad material off the contact surfaces?
• What is the ambient case temperature, hopefully not far above room temperature?
• What voltage is the CPU getting? Should be 1.75V if I recall right.

Yes, I did check the CPU alignment and seating. I thought that might be a problem at first, but it seems to be correct. I spent about 20 minutes working on the heat sink when I cleaned it and I was very thorough. The temps were higher before switching to the ASII, but only 2-3 C under load.

I just disconnected the intake fan (lower front) and it seems to have helped out considerably. Not sure why that would be the case, but it seems to have helped. Temps are still too high IMO:

room ambient: 26 C
case ambient: 31 C (measured with RadioShack probe near middle of case)
chipset: 47 C (only has a heatsink, not a fan, reported by MBM5)
CPU: 58 C (full load, reported by MBM5)

So disconnecting that extra fan has brought the full load temp down by 9 C, which isn't too bad I guess, but it seems a bit hard to believe.

The CPU is getting 1.75 v according to the motherboard and 1.78 v according to MBM5. This Gigabyte motherboard isn't really for overclockers and doesn't allow the voltage to be tweaked down, only up. I was going to try to lower the voltage a bit, but no go.

Thanks for your suggestions, mechBgon.

 

[Aratharn]

Originally posted by: farmercal
Aratharn is the fan blowing air on the HSF or sucking air off?

I checked that too (just now). It appears to be installed correctly--I had reinstalled it after trying the Delta fan.

It could be that AMD is using a really poor HSF combo in the retail box and it will have to be replaced...idling at over 50 C just seems way too hot to me.

 

[WTT0001]

It's possible that the Motherboard is reading temps wrong too. My 1800+ Idles at 60 - 62 (I am using the included retail Heatsink and fan) and full load will sometimes take it up to 68 - 69 (case temp 40 - 45 due to no air conditioning ) yet, it is pefectly stable (I run the DNET client all the time so the CPU is almost always under full load).

Anyway, Good Luck,

 

[bunker]

Same motherboard here with an xp1800.

I just replaced the ThermalTake Volcano7 HSF I originally put on it. I was at 53c full load with that hsf and I thought that was high. I shelled out the cash for a Thermalright AX-7 and the temps only dropped 3 deg.

I think this motherboard may just report the temps a bit more accurately.

I will agree with your front fan situation. I removed mine and the temps didn't drop quite as dramatically, but they did drop a few degrees.