Stock i7 920 running at 100c @100% normal?

[methal]

This does not seem normal. In fact it is very far from normal. What I don't understand quite yet is WHY its running that hot. No other intel/amd cpu that I have ever owned has ever run over 60c on full load (most of which have been over clocked by 1ghz -1.5ghz. ) This chip is running @ 3.2ghz with intels speed step (or whatever its called) should I disable that and just be happy with the stock 2.66 ghz for now? I've got a life time hardware replacement through the company I work for (PC laptops rocks!!) but I still don't want to roast my i7.

what to do next? I am running it in the antec 900 case which has 5 fans, and on the evga mobo. 2 raptors, and a 500 gig back up.

Soooo...who do I sleep with to get this thing about 50c cooler?

 

[someguy7]

Re do the heatsink install + paste. It has to be that or faulty sensors. CPU should be getting to high of temp. And you should never even atempt a overclock untill you are sure that machine is perfectly stable and cool at stock settings anyways.

 

[methal]

did all the above a couple times. still getting 95c-100c. At full load.

 

[shiftstealth]

lol, your going to fry your chip in 1 month if you dont fix it.

buy a new cooler, if that doesnt work get a new one saying its defective.

 

[derek2006]

A temperature like that can only be caused by 3 things. The heatsink not being mounted correctly, a program that doesn't properly support the cpu's temperature sensors, or a bad thermal sensor.

The first 2 are most likely. I have never heard of a bad thermal sensor on a cpu, just uncalibrated ones that will report incorrectly to software. The cpu will still know if it's in danger or not, check for throttling. If the cpu was putting out enough heat that a proper heatsink that is properly mounted can't keep up with then the chip should already be dead. Also it would stress the hell outa the motherboards power system since it would need to be using a lot of wattage to reach 100C. This scenario just doesn't seem likely.

Check the temp in your bios. That could eliminate the possibility of it being a non supportive program. Also if your chip was hitting that temp it would throttle. If you chip is not throttling it is not in fact hitting that temperature. Use different programs to monitor the temperature such as everest, speedfan, coretemp, or the motherboard software.

Speedstep only overclocks your cpu a few hundred more MHZ. You should be looking at like a 2C temp increase only.

When turning on your computer from a cold start check the bios right away. What is the starting temp? Check if it starts close to room temp and then steadily increases. Does it immediately start at a high temp but seem to stabilize at that temp? Is the Heatsink cool or hot? Is the area surrounding the CPU hot?

If the starting temp is high off the bat but stabilizes it may just be an uncalibrated sensor. If the heatsink is cool and the cpu and surrounding area on the motherboard is hot your heatsink is not installed correctly.

 

[methal]

I'll have to check those =) you gave me a lot to do today =) besides checking the ones at work which seem to max out at 89c on a full load after 10 minutes.

im sure the sink is on right. i've built enough of these to know that much.

 

[derek2006]

89C is also very hot for an i7. My friend owns one and we overclocked it to 3.4ghz on stock cooling and it was just in the high 60 - low 70s when being stressed by 8 threads of Prime 95.

Did you use the same program that reported a high temperature at work at home too?

 

[chin311]

if you touch the HSF and you can't keep your finger on it, then I'd say it is really at 100c, because I can barely keep my finger on my GPU when it is 50c+.. that's all you really have to do.. and if it is cool then you're just getting wrong readings, doesn't take a genius.. just take off the side panel and touch it.

 

[cjl]

Not true at all. At 75C with my i7, the top of the heatsink is cold to the touch.

That test doesn't work.

 

[spathotan]

Ditto. When I had my Xiggy + Q6600, during prime when it would touch 70c the HSF is still cool to the touch.

 

[chin311]

well then my temps are wrong and must be through the roof, because my HSF is pretty hot most of the time and coretemp speedfan all report 30 - 35c idle.

 

[derek2006]

You guys don't have the stock heatsink. If you do not have a stock heatsink, instead touch the heatpipes or the base.

cjl, if your cpu is running at 75C and your heastink is mounted correctly, which I am sure it is because of your 4ghz clock speed, start at the top of the heatpipe and move down to the base. Don't go directly to the base. IF the heat is transferring properly that base is gonna probably burn you. However, 75C is probably your internal temp and not your tcase (External) temp, therefor it will be lower.

 

[chin311]

You guys don't have the stock heatsink. If you do not have a stock heatsink, instead touch the heatpipes or the base.

I forgot to add that I have stock HSF for x2 7750.

 

[derek2006]

That is why yours feels hot.

 

[cjl]

You guys don't have the stock heatsink. If you do not have a stock heatsink, instead touch the heatpipes or the base.

cjl, if your cpu is running at 75C and your heastink is mounted correctly, which I am sure it is because of your 4ghz clock speed, start at the top of the heatpipe and move down to the base. Don't go directly to the base. IF the heat is transferring properly that base is gonna probably burn you. However, 75C is probably your internal temp and not your tcase (External) temp, therefor it will be lower.

Definitely true - I don't need to try that to know the base will be quite hot. I'm just saying you can't reliably judge temperature by heatsink temperature.

 

[derek2006]

I am positive it would be pretty reliable if the cpu was actually at 100C.

 

[dragonsprayer]

i think i need to write an i7 guide

what you think - ?

 

[cjl]

I am positive it would be pretty reliable if the cpu was actually at 100C.

Not necessarily, actually. The reason a CPU (that isn't ridiculously overclocked) would run 100C is because it isn't transferring the heat very efficiently to the heatsink.

 

[Zorg]

Right, the CPU would cook and the HS would be cool. That is an indication of bad HS mounting assuming the temps are correct.

 

[dragonsprayer]

Not necessarily, actually. The reason a CPU (that isn't ridiculously overclocked) would run 100C is because it isn't transferring the heat very efficiently to the heatsink.

i just tore down an i7 with xig cooler on it it was running 99c aftre 3 mins in orthos - i think an air gap in the thermal compound

that is why i re-post the xig post


i ship one a week - i7 set to 3.8ghz blk 180-190 or 200, usually we get them down to 75c orthos at equilibrium with a dual fan - this one was something different

so i have to remove the xig 1283 and use a double fan -- it will drop to 75c 3.8-4ghz at full max

 

[dragonsprayer]

Right, the CPU would cook and the HS would be cool. That is an indication of bad HS mounting assuming the temps are correct.

no - if you build the same system over and over you could tell there is less heat

but not -- the heat sink is never warm the air is warm coming off it - and if the cpu is 100c or 75c there is not that much difference

the big heat pipe heatsinks, you can barelly tell they work

yes you are right with a small heat sink or non-heat pipe fine type

 

[cjl]

Realtemp is my favorite for my i7. Speedfan seems way off.

 

[lyleb]

This normal idle temp for my I7.

If I were you I would be really concerned.

 

[Zorg]

no - if you build the same system over and over you could tell there is less heat

but not -- the heat sink is never warm the air is warm coming off it - and if the cpu is 100c or 75c there is not that much difference

the big heat pipe heatsinks, you can barelly tell they work

yes you are right with a small heat sink or non-heat pipe fine type

I was under the impression he was using a stock HS. If it is cool to the touch and his temps are really at 100, which would invoke thermal throttling at least. then his HS isn't properly seated. Yes the TRU120 and S1283 etc. are harder to tell. You can feel a heat difference between idle and load with idle ~30C and load ~55C, by directly touching the fins and in the heated air coming off, so I'm quite certain there would be more heat at 100C which is double the load temp. You may not be able to determine if it is sufficient but you can get an idea if you completely screwed the pooch on install. You can reach in and touch the base of the heatpipe coolers to get a better idea.

If you are having a problem with your S1283, you should try applying a thin layer of TIM across the CPU IHS or across the whole base of the heatsink. The paste won't spread properly through contact because of the gaps between the heatpipes and the base, but I imagine you already know that.

 

[derek2006]

Not necessarily, actually. The reason a CPU (that isn't ridiculously overclocked) would run 100C is because it isn't transferring the heat very efficiently to the heatsink.

That was my point. If your heatsink was cool and the cpu was at 100C it would confirm or bust the possibility that the heat sink is mounted properly. If a cpu was running 100C I think it would be safe to assume that the heatsink would at the very least be warm and to the point of hot if it was stock; not cool to the touch if it was installed and working properly.

I feel that we are getting off topic. Methal has not yet said what heatsink he has. So it's safe to assume it is stock since people with aftermarket coolers seem to want to tell everyone. What I said about feeling the heatsink for warmth applies to Methals situation only and people with a similar setup. Not for everyone with aftermarket coolers because that is a different situation and requires different approaches to things