Problem cooling new system - need help!

[crudler]

Hey Everyone -
I've got some great advice from the people on this forum before and I hope you guys can help me again!

I recently put together a new system and I believe that it is running far too hot for what it should/could be. I could really use some advice as to if I should upgrade my cooling or if you think any of the parts might be defective.

The computer is:

Intel Q6600 Quad core - not overclocked, running stock cpu cooler/heatsink and stock thermal paste. B3 Stepping.


Antec Sonata III Case - Rear and front 120MM fans installed (antec tricool)

Antec Earthwatts 500 watt PSU

ASUS P5K Premium WIFI-AP ATX LGA775 P35 2PCI-E16 2PCI-E1 3PCI SATA RAID Sound WLAN 1394 Motherboard

OCZ Reaper Hpc Edition PC2-6400 DDR2 2GB 2X1GB DDR2-800 CL4-4-4-15-1T Dual Channel

EVGA E-GEFORCE 8800GTS Superclocked 576MHZ 320MB 1.7GHZ GDDR3 PCI-E Dual DVI-I HDTV HDCP Video Card

WD Raptor 74 gig HD, and WD Caviar 500 GIG hard drive.


Anyway, down to the numbers.
Right now, in a cold basement, Everest and Speedfan are telling me that the CPU is running at 44C, with the individual cores ranging between 52C and 56C.
GPU at 53C

When I put the processor under load by playing a game the processor reaches temperatures of 65+C and the individual cores are reading 75C-80C. This is kind of worrying me.

I don't know if this is normal or not, but I would love any suggestions as to better ways to cool this system. Or if anyone knows any bios tweeks to get similar performance with less heat please let me know.
Thanks in advance!

 

[crudler]

bump

 

[ichirouganaim1]

And you dare not overclock it either!! Those temps are way too high. With the goodies you have in your rig you should get yourself a good cpu cooler like the ultra 120 extreme or similar unit and not rely on the stock cooler. Before installing it to see how well it works you should first lap the thing, and if you are adventurous enough also lap the cpu itself, mate them together with a good paste like arctic silver and I guarantee your temps will drop drastically.... and you dont necessarily have to be in a cold basement either.

 

[crudler]

Any idea how hard it is to install the ultra 120 (I assume you mean from thermaltake)?
I've never installed an aftermarket heat-sink before so I'm a little curious about how difficult it is.
Also, I have some OCZ silver thermal paste from about a year ago that I havent used since. Is this stuff ok to use, or does it have an expiry date after it has been opened?
Should I just buy some new stuff, or can I stick with what I've got for paste?

 

[Kraut]

Go to the trouble of removing the motherboard to inspect the back side to make sure that all four legs of the fan unit are seated into the motherboard properly. If you use a new thermal paste like Arctic Silver goo to the Arctic Silver website to see how to install their paste on a QUAD--I have seen some suggestions on forums that are not in compliance with their instructions, and their instructions are not what you would guess them to be by intuition.

 

[crudler]

Thanks for the advice -
Yeah, I remember with the OCZ paste you were supposed to apply it like a grain of rice. Not what you would think.

I'll take your advice on the motherboard and fan as well. It shouldt be too hard to pull it out and take a look.

Also, just for next time - do you guys usually install your processor and heatsink before you put the motherboard in the case, or after?

Thanks J

 

[texasnightowl]

Install the processor and heatsink before you put it in the case. Especially many of the "heavy" ultra cooling heatsink/fans...they require a backplate on the underside of the motherboard anyway.

 

[Zorg]

Get this combination and your CPU temp problems will be a thing of the past

Thermalright Ultra-120 Extreme CPU Cooler - Retail

Scythe S-FLEX SFF21F 120mm Case Fan - Retail

If you go through the trouble of replacing your HS you might as well get this also.

Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound - OEM

 

[ausch30]

The Ultra 120 Extreme might be too tall for your case. I would do what the others said and make sure the heatsink is seated properly. Quad core CPU's run hot and the B3 stepping processors are a little hotter as well but your temps are too hot. Also are you able to install a front fan in the sonata? If so that would help your temps a little especially due to the fact it's a mid-tower and with a 8800 video card in there producing a lot of heat you want good air flow. A lot of people install the HSF before installing the motherboard, I don't. I install it after because it makes some of the screws easier to get to, just personal preferance.

 

[Zorg]

The Ultra 120 will absolutely fit in the Sonata III. It is a as wide as the P182. The stock HS is so crappy I replace it in the initial build. Even mounted correctly the temps are to high for me. With such an easy OC to 3G it makes no sense to use it. Keep the CPU cool and it will last longer.

 

[Kraut]

Arctic Silver on a QUAD is applied in a single thin line in a certain orientation with respect to the chip. What you apparently don't want to do is to spread the stuff out covering 100% of the surface and then apply the heatsink--this will trap air pockets apparently which is bad. Apparently better to get 100% good fill in a critical area where most of the heat is generated than a questionable fill over the whole surface. You will end up with an oval application over the critical area the instructions said.

 

[ausch30]

Here is a link to the AS5 application PDF http://www.arcticsilver.com/pdf/appinstruct/as5/ins_as5_intel_quad_wcap.pdf
It is supposed to be applyed in a straight line across the cores in order to get complete coverage.

Zorg I've just seen pictures of the Sonata III and not actually in person so I didn't know if it would fit, all I know is that my Stacker 832 is huge and it just fits. I agree though with getting an aftermarket cooler even something inexpensive like the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro would do a great job if not overclocking and if he would like to overclock move up to the Ultra 120 or Extreme or the Tuniq.

 

[Zorg]

I checked the width measurement on Antec's site, it is the same as the P180/182. I even put one in my budget Antec SLK3000 and it fit no problem. I say for the extra couple of bucks, given the hassle of installing it, buy the best. Relating to this Arctic Silver discussion, in my opinion, there is far too much emphasis and heartache placed on how to apply the Thermal compound. Spread a very thin layer on the IHS and apply the heat sink. All this crap on Arctic Silvers website, I say Bah. Also, I have seen pictures on the web of the HS removed, after using that method, and in my opinion the coverage is pretty poor. It's a little spot in the center of the IHS. The heat will be across the whole IHS and therefore the TIM should cover the entire contact area between the IHS and the HS. Just make sure it is a thin layer, don't ladle it on.

 

[crudler]

Thanks for the help guys! Really apprecate everything.
I think i'm going to have to get myself an aftermarket heatsink. I have the front fan installed so the computer is getting as much air as its going to get. I think the stock cooler just sucks - maybe its not a great connection to the processor, but I think I did it ok.


Now what do you guys think of the Arctic Cooling Freezer 7 Pro. Would this help significantly as well? I don't really want to spend more money than I have to, but I don't mind spending money if its worth it.

Let me know what you guys think

Thanks again!

 

[lockdownx1x]

Get the Thermalright Ultima 90 Tiny but almost the same cooling as the 120 extreme.
http://www.anandtech.com/casecoolingpsus/showdoc.aspx?i=3068&p=5

 

[Zorg]

If your going to OC, which you should at least to 3.0G then get the 120 extreme. Spend the dough you won't be sorry.

 

[crudler]

One more quick question - how do you properly take off the old thermal paste?
Just grab a cloth or something and wipe it off and re-apply new paste?
Or is there something special I have to do to clean off the old intel crap?

 

[ausch30]

Scrape most of it off with something soft which won't scratch the surface like a credit card or something similar then what I do is use rubbing alcohol and a coffee filter (so there won't be lint left behind on the surface) and clean the rest off, you could also use a q-tip in hard to reach places. Make sure you don't touch any of the surfaces after cleaning, the alcohol dries pretty quickly and then just apply new thermal compound and reinstall.