Q6600 Cooling Questions....
Last response: in Overclocking
Hello, I have a couple of questions about my CPU cooling.... I recently bought a Zalman CNPS9700 CPU fan, and an Antec 1200 case for my system for the purpose of OC'ing my Q6600 CPU.
I have done everything in my power to ensure that the airflow is maximized, got all the cables tucked in, the only things that I'm missing are the side panel and internal 120mm fans which I plan on purchasing soon. I'm also using the basic Zalman thermal grease that came with my 9700 fan, however, I do have a tube of the Antec Formula 5 Silver Thermal Compound (The local Frys didn't have any AC5 at the time).
However, I've been noticing that while my core temps have dropped nicely from the previous case / cooler, it's still not as cool as I expected it to be. When Idle, with all the fans on low speed, the core temperatures are 38-40 degrees as recorded by Core Temp and CPUID Hardware Monitor.
When I ran the Prime95 stress test, in place large FFTs, the temps jumped as high as 65, but mostly stayed around 62 degrees with the fans on low, and only as low as 60 with all the fans on high.
Shouldn't my temperatures be much lower than that especially since I'm running at stock speeds? If so, what should I try next to reduce them even more? I do plan on lapping the CPU / HS eventually, but for now I'm just looking to minimize the temps with what i have.
Also, the Antec Formula 5 compound is a LOT thicker and harder to apply than the Zalman grease, any tips / tricks I should know about when i do install that? I'm a bit nervous when it comes to the grease because i don't want to add too much, but i also want to make sure i add enough for the CPU to stay cool
Thanks a bunch for the help.
EDIT: Forgot to add my motherboard info: ASUS P5K-E WiFi
I have done everything in my power to ensure that the airflow is maximized, got all the cables tucked in, the only things that I'm missing are the side panel and internal 120mm fans which I plan on purchasing soon. I'm also using the basic Zalman thermal grease that came with my 9700 fan, however, I do have a tube of the Antec Formula 5 Silver Thermal Compound (The local Frys didn't have any AC5 at the time).
However, I've been noticing that while my core temps have dropped nicely from the previous case / cooler, it's still not as cool as I expected it to be. When Idle, with all the fans on low speed, the core temperatures are 38-40 degrees as recorded by Core Temp and CPUID Hardware Monitor.
When I ran the Prime95 stress test, in place large FFTs, the temps jumped as high as 65, but mostly stayed around 62 degrees with the fans on low, and only as low as 60 with all the fans on high.
Shouldn't my temperatures be much lower than that especially since I'm running at stock speeds? If so, what should I try next to reduce them even more? I do plan on lapping the CPU / HS eventually, but for now I'm just looking to minimize the temps with what i have.
Also, the Antec Formula 5 compound is a LOT thicker and harder to apply than the Zalman grease, any tips / tricks I should know about when i do install that? I'm a bit nervous when it comes to the grease because i don't want to add too much, but i also want to make sure i add enough for the CPU to stay cool
Thanks a bunch for the help.
EDIT: Forgot to add my motherboard info: ASUS P5K-E WiFi
More about : q6600 cooling questions
That might be a shade high for load temps, but your idle is probably fairly close...depending on your ambient room temperature. Remember, the warmer the room, the harder it is for heat transfer to occur from one warm object to another. Typically, there are a few methods preferred for thermal paste...Google can help you determine what the 'best' is for your specific chip.
The 'grain of rice' or 'thin line' in the middle...small dropline.
The 'razor blade/credit card' method.
The 'apply a small amount to the CPU and 'use your finger inside a baggie to blot' method.
All pretty much push to achieve the same goal; apply the thinnest amount of paste needed to fill in micro crevices of the metals being applied while allowing the best possible heat transfer.
The 'grain of rice' or 'thin line' in the middle...small dropline.
The 'razor blade/credit card' method.
The 'apply a small amount to the CPU and 'use your finger inside a baggie to blot' method.
All pretty much push to achieve the same goal; apply the thinnest amount of paste needed to fill in micro crevices of the metals being applied while allowing the best possible heat transfer.
Appreciate the reply, I have since reapplied the silver compound using a razorblade, however it's been tricky getting it only on the areas needed. Because of the size of the heatsync, it's hard to get it positioned properly, and when i had the entire CPU surface covered in the paste, I managed to cause a short and my system wouldn't boot... After removing the heatsync, I was cleaned about 2mm worth of paste from the edges of the CPU and sync, and now I'm booting...
Unfortunately, even after reapplying the compound, the temps are still rather high, so I'm rather apprehensive about either the Zalman cooler, or my chances to OC this CPU. And yeah, my ambient temperature is a bit higher than I'd like, but that's out of my control unfortunately.
EDIT: Would I be better off getting a better CPU cooling option? And if so, which one do you recommend? I've been looking at several Thermalright, noctua, scythe, etc. and i'm not too sure whether it would be worth the investment...
I would also like a fan that uses the motherboard fan speed controller, instead of the manual ones, i tend to forget to switch speeds....
Unfortunately, even after reapplying the compound, the temps are still rather high, so I'm rather apprehensive about either the Zalman cooler, or my chances to OC this CPU. And yeah, my ambient temperature is a bit higher than I'd like, but that's out of my control unfortunately.
EDIT: Would I be better off getting a better CPU cooling option? And if so, which one do you recommend? I've been looking at several Thermalright, noctua, scythe, etc. and i'm not too sure whether it would be worth the investment...
I would also like a fan that uses the motherboard fan speed controller, instead of the manual ones, i tend to forget to switch speeds....
I have a similar set up:
Cosmos 1000 w 6x120mm Fans low speed
Q6600 @ 3.6Ghz w Modded Zalman 9700@1500RPM
Room temps 23C
CPU temps 49 49 44 44
Prime95 small 68 68 62 62
I used zalman grease and then AS5 which worked much better.
Try to see if you have bad case airflow
![]()
For picture gallery ====>>>CLICK HERE<<<====
Cosmos 1000 w 6x120mm Fans low speed
Q6600 @ 3.6Ghz w Modded Zalman 9700@1500RPM
Room temps 23C
CPU temps 49 49 44 44
Prime95 small 68 68 62 62
I used zalman grease and then AS5 which worked much better.
Try to see if you have bad case airflow
For picture gallery ====>>>CLICK HERE<<<====
Quick question, I noticed that you've got your 9700 lined up 90 degrees offset from what the instructions say... Is that positioning better than lining up the fan to blow towards the exhaust at the back of the case? Currently I have a 4 fan tunnel from the front intake, followed by the internal full speed fan, then the CPU cooler, then the exhaust...
The setup does make a bit of difference, I'm idling in the low 40s, but at full load under prime95, it still jumps to 65+ unless I turn all the fans to high speed.
Another question I have, is your CPU the B3 or G0 stepping? Since mine is the B3, its part of the reason why it's running hotter, but still, it shouldn't be this bad...
And I don't think it could be bad air flow, I tucked all the cords as well as I could, and i have 8 case fans atm, so it should be fine...
The setup does make a bit of difference, I'm idling in the low 40s, but at full load under prime95, it still jumps to 65+ unless I turn all the fans to high speed.
Another question I have, is your CPU the B3 or G0 stepping? Since mine is the B3, its part of the reason why it's running hotter, but still, it shouldn't be this bad...
And I don't think it could be bad air flow, I tucked all the cords as well as I could, and i have 8 case fans atm, so it should be fine...
Rinadien said:
Quick question, I noticed that you've got your 9700 lined up 90 degrees offset from what the instructions say... Is that positioning better than lining up the fan to blow towards the exhaust at the back of the case? Currently I have a 4 fan tunnel from the front intake, followed by the internal full speed fan, then the CPU cooler, then the exhaust... The setup does make a bit of difference, I'm idling in the low 40s, but at full load under prime95, it still jumps to 65+ unless I turn all the fans to high speed.
Another question I have, is your CPU the B3 or G0 stepping? Since mine is the B3, its part of the reason why it's running hotter, but still, it shouldn't be this bad...
And I don't think it could be bad air flow, I tucked all the cords as well as I could, and i have 8 case fans atm, so it should be fine...
I have a G0 with VID 1.2625 The position of the hsf I've played around with since I wanted the fan to move the air over the northbridge and over the memory and I do have 2 exhaust fans on top of the case. Since i've taken the picture above I've placed 9700 using the method described in the installation manual. Though my CPU temps have dropped by 3C the northbridge temps went up by 3 so I guess that's the trade of I'll have to live with. Another plus of the set up in the picture is that the videocard was cooler by another 5C.
I do have 3 fan tunnel instead of 4 like you have.
During prime95 9700 is running @ 1690s RPM the rest of the fans are 1500 or less. I haven't gone over 65C yet but I also haven't tested the system for more than 4 hours with room temps at 23C. The bios voltage is 1.49 for CPU the FSB +.2 rest are stock
After AS5 has cured after about 3 days the idle temps have dropped to 44 44 38 38 @ 22C room
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