High Temps for a High End Machine

[casualbuilder]

question about OC'ing this 955BE. I recently purchased it, but my temps are getting to a very hot level, where i can't even see it cap out before i close Prime95. I hav eno idea why, as my aftermarket cooler is a Zalman 9900. Idle temps are hovering around 36c...not great imo either, but i would think that it should keep my cpu temps running well within its means of 62c or less. i have this cpu OC'd to 4.0GHz, and can't see why i am having a problem. Previously ran a 555BE at 4.35GHz and it was running 48c at load. I know there is a huge difference with watts used, but am i silly in thinking my cooler should have troubles keeping this cpu under control?

Specs:

Cooler Master HAFX
Phenom IIx4 955BE (OC'd to 4.0GHz)
Zalman 9900 Copper HSF
Arctic Silver MX-2
Kingston HYPER X 8GB (2x4) (stock said 1600, runs at 1444)
ASUS Sabertooth 990fx MoBo
ASUS GTX560 (OC'd to 950MHz)
Hitachi 1.5TB 7200RPM 64Mb cache
Corsair HX750 80 PLUS Silver Certified

 

[geekapproved]

Ummm...you failed to mention what the load temps are.......

What do you mean by "I can't see it cap out before I close P95"? Cap out?

36c at idle seems perfectly normal to me, especially considering your overclocking.

It's summer, temps run hotter than in winter, so you either need to reduce overclock or reduce voltage.

Actually I see no reason to overclock the cpu at all with a single midrange video card, your just wasting electricity, making more heat and lessening the life of your components.

 

[casualbuilder]

LOAD temps reached 90c and i saw no end within 5 minutes of Prime95. the 555BE i just upgraded from ran 48c at LOAD, and was OC'd to 4.35GHz. My 560 is OC'd to 950MHz, and i just want to know WHY i can't seem to stabalize the temps. I run many programs at once on 2 monitors, and i would like to run the most out of my cpu as i can while keeping it stable. The idle temps do seem normal, but the LOAD temps are scary. Also, my apartment is at an ambient temperature of between 22c-26c. Plenty cool enough for stable temps much lower than 90c...

 

[beenthere]

Use "Core Temp" for accurate CPU temps as Speedfan and others can be inaccurate. If your CPU idles at 36C and jumps to 90C under load - which I doubt because AMD Phenom II CPUs tend to malfunction above 60C, then your heatsink is not mounted properly. I'd check the temps, HSF and case airflow - IF the 90C temp is legit.

 

[casualbuilder]

ok, hsf is mounted properly, and i use Core Temp. Core Temp read between 36c-41c with only 3 browser windows open. When i opened Prime95, temps rose steadily to 90c and i shut it down, fearing flames, fireworks, and hand grenades to start exploding from my case. The temp never actually stabalized under load. and my case is a HAF X with an extra 200mm top mounted fan.

 

[geekapproved]

If your cpu is hitting 90c then there is a problem with the heatsink, either isn't seated right or the fan isn't spinning fast enough or something.

 

[henydiah]

check CPU pin from bent, mobo 990X had pinhole bigger than Am3 pinhole, it can cause that.

 

[casualbuilder]

i downclocked my cpu to a "stable" 3.5GHz running under load at roughly 61c. i will check the cpu for any bent pins, as that would make a lot of sense. Fan is spinning at max settings for my hsf, and it is seated correctly, of that i am sure.

 

[geekapproved]

You should try reducing voltage.

 

[casualbuilder]

ok, maybe around 1.35v? Why is the voltage an issue on the 955BE when it wasn't on the 555BE? Still learning a lot

 

[geekapproved]

I don't understand why you keep referring to the 555BE. It's not relevant.

They are two different cpu's. One only has half the cores of the other, not sure why you insist on comparing the two.

 

[casualbuilder]

maybe im just asking to learn. sorry if that bothers you...

 

[casualbuilder]

i think the 555BE is an 80W actually.

 

[geekapproved]

95watt vs 125watt.

Actually it's 80w vs. 125w.

 

[casualbuilder]

Best answer selected by CasualBuilder.