I know, youve read this 1000 times, but seriously, temp woes

One last thing - I saw in Intel Core Temp it said something like "maximum XXX temp" or something like that = 85C. Does that mean that the CPU can go up to 85C before it will konk out. THANKS!

That does sound too high, and generally indicates a seating problem...

Is it properly clocking down to a 6x multi? at idle...

Ensure that portable / laptop is selected, I'll drop about 6C with the 6x multi vs the 9x... TAT will tell you in the current frequency box (well you can work it out from there.)

And while you're at it, what I never got is where these differences come from in the first place. Don't all these progs get their data from the same hardware sensors? Could there be more than one truth out there??

there are two sensors, one for the package and 1 for each core.

However the ones in the core only trip at a temp, they do not actually tell you the temp, and so there is interpreting through software as to what the value at that sensor actually means, hence the differing values, and they tend to fall into the two camps of package and core.

BTW its more of an 8-9C drop for 6x multi.

This is the first I've heard about downclocking in idle mode. How the heck do you set that up. Sounds like a good idea.

The temps are taken from different sources. There a 100s of threads on this. Core Temp is the most accurate as it comes straight from under the CPU.

Im getting the Thermalright 120. Any idea of how many degress I will be able to drop the temp?????

One of the simplest ways to determine if its really overheating is to touch the HSF and see how hot it really is. Sensors are usually off, so you prolly need to verify things on your own.

Since two sensors don't match up and the other one give a low 60's reading, then you need to be concern. If that's the idle then that's not good. Touch the heatsink fan cooler itself while that temp is reading 60, if it's hot then it's hot and the cpu is not cooled fast enough by your stock cooler. If it's reading 60 while the heatsink fan cooler is not hot at all then it might be that there's a poor contact between the cpu and the cooler. Go ahead the remove the cooler, clean both surface areas and apply small pastes in the middle of the cpu. Then squeeze it with the cooler to spread it out the surface, twist it back and fort to have better spread an equal layer and then mount the cooler.

If you've done all this and the cpu is still hot and the heatsink fan is still hot as well, reaching temps of 60c. Then you need more cool air running in the case, preferably to the cpu cooler. You can mod your case and install the 120mm fan on the side panel, blowing air towards the cpu cooler. This mod decrease temps big time. Or you could go get a better aftermarket cooler like the Thermalright Ultra-120.

I'm waiting on the Thermalright 120. It looks great. Really dont know what the temps are so high, but it pisses me off. I should have dealt with this prob weeks ago. DAMN PC Probe. I'l have to redo everthing when the thermalright 120 arrives. Actic Silver 5 right? And some of that "iso-alchohol" stuff, the stuff I read about in that huge forum.

How much Artic Silver do I need to put on (size of a piece of rice right?)

What do I use to smear it off once the iso-alcho is applied (earbud, cloth etc).

THANKS MAN!  

I found that 3rd party programs don't read core 2 motherboard temps correctly but the ones that come with the board (easytune for gigabyte) read it right. CPU rightmark says mine is 70C and it is really like 30C according to easytune and my laser thermometer.

My system is only 3-4F degrees higher than room temp with stock everything and no extra paste.

Download CoreTemp and let us know what it reads. Your temps seem too low on stock cooling.

Any idea, anyone, how many degrees I can drop my temps at idle with the Thermalright 120???

Is it really worth the money?

They way I apply it is about half the size of a grain of rice and spread it across the entire surface of the processor with a piece of regular paper (not napkin). Then do the same with the heat sink; but remove most of it from the heatsink with a napkin after (this lets it fill up all the tiny imperfections and bonds better with the processor).

If you has Eist enabled in bios, and you use the portable / laptop settings, it goes into a power saving mode and drops teh multi to x6 when there is no demand for processing power, it comes back on instantly when needed, same as cool'n'quiet, which also needed to be set to laptop mode as it is only then that windows recognises that this is possible. You'll see the frequency drop in TAT as it does it, and the Vcore drop from 1.3 to 1.15 (for me anyway, it'll be different for each individual dhip according to binning).

Core Duo Artic silver instructions.

Read it, it will tell you how to do it.

Its not complicated, just read it thoroughly