Ambient Temperature, Major Difference?

[xaelee]

Hey,

ok so im an idiot.
i just left my parents place (which is pretty cold, 13C)
and when i got to my place (around 19C)
i changed my thermal paste to artic cooler 5.
i definitely applied it correctly (redid 3 times with the creditcard spread method, dot method, line method...)
and the core temps are still around 42-44 at idle.
they used to be around 38-39 at my parents place.
does ambient temperature make that much of a difference?

incase any of u are second guessing my application method,
first cleaned it off with arctic cleaner 1
then wiped it with arctic cleaner 2 with a lint free cloth
did not touch either heatsink or cpu's surface with hands.
applied the arctic cooler 5 (using 1 of the methods mentioned above)
put the heatsink on top and screwd it down nicely.
and so on...

seeing how the temperature barely changed each time i reapplied it, (1 degree at most) i just stopped trying and decided to post this. thanks!

 

[cjl]

Ambient temp makes a huge difference.

 

[xaelee]

ok thanks!
makes me feel a whole lot better!
and as for the temps, do u think it will go down over the next week as the paste settles in? if so how much?

edit: LOL CRAP so i wasted so much thermal paste... o well. wasnt too expensive

 

[nikclev]

-snip-

i just left my parents place (which is pretty cold, 13C)
and when i got to my place (around 19C)

-snip-

and the core temps are still around 42-44 at idle.
they used to be around 38-39 at my parents place.
does ambient temperature make that much of a difference?

-snip-

Pretty much hit the nail on the head: 6C change in ambient, resulted in 4-5C change in idle temps. Yup, it does make that much difference. I would be willing to bet that your full load temps are about the same difference, or a little less.

 

[xaelee]

cool i see, thanks for the confirmation. the worst part is i dont know how much the arctic cooler helped. i used the zalman thermal paste that came with my 9800. oh well. i really appreciate your replies.

confirmations are no longer neccessary, but if there are any suggestions or questions, feel free. thanks everyone.

 

[JohnnyLucky]

If the thermal compound was applied correctly and the case has excellent ventilation, airflow, and cooling capacity, then temps at load should be somewhere around 20 - 25 degrees Celsius above the ambient room temperature.

 

[xaelee]

cool, lol. johnny, ur always there to help me out no matter what or where i post, thanks man. thats some seriously useful info.

 

[xsever]

Hey guys,

How long does it usually take for the thermal paste to "break in"? Just a rough idea please.

Thanks,

 

[xaelee]

ive heard two weeks, but im sure if johnnylucky gives u a reply, u can totally depend on that

 

[JohnnyLucky]

According to the Artic Silver web site it takes about 200 hours of operation for the compound to cure. That does not mean continuous operation. It also includes periodically turning the computer on and off and operating at different loads.

There are other compounds that do not need to cure.