Help Steab cool his core i7 920

[jkool55]

I built my sweet computer and realize it runs really hot. Here is what I got

core i7 920 CO stepping (one of the first out)
asus p6t deluxe
gskill 1066 3x2 gig o ram
antec tt quattro 1000w
sapphire 4870x2
640 gig wd caviar hd
its all sitting in an antec 900 case ( i drilled a hole in for cable management because I wanted to get max airflow, so cable management was paid close attention, it looks aight if i can say so myself)

anyways, everything is at factory settings. i have done no overclocking at all.

when i first got my build together using real temp i would idle at about 55-58 degrees celcius and under max load I would reach 1 million degrees.

I recently replaced the stock hsf with a cooler master hyper N520. i made sure it was seated correctly and the thermal compound is applied correctly (i used the thermal paste that came with the cooler master, and i know if i use artic silver or whatever it will be cooler but still). i know idle about 41 degrees, which is a significant improvement over the stock hsf fan, but under max load with prime 95 it creeps up to about 75-80 degrees celcius. i mean come on? really? i know my gpu gets hot but i turn the fan up to like 60% at least when running prime95 and the gpu doesn't go over 65C. i mean really? 80 degrees on load and no over clocking?

am i just screwed? i mean i dont plan on getting it to like 7.0 ghz but i would like to be able to overclock. i contacted coolermaster and they said on max load the cpu shouldnt go over 60C with their heatsink

any input would be appreciated, thanks!

 

[wathman]

That sounds like an odd temp problem, maybe you have faulty sensors on your board? You could pick up a decent IR thermometer and take some more accurate readings.. the cheaper ones aren't perfect, but for typical system temperatures they usually aren't off by more than 3-5 degrees at worst. I'd get one of those to make sure your temp readings are accurate.

 

[jkool55]

i mean, i have used various programs, especially the ones that came with asus, probe in particular and everything is pointing the same temps. you think the sensors in the chip could be wrong? while i think it is a valid point, i am a little skeptical at thinking the sensors are faulty on the board. real temp is taking the core temperatures. (i also use core temp). however, i would be more than happy if the temps were just off because of the senors. is there anyway to confirm bad sensors? or can you test different senors via the bios?

 

[Yoosty]

The Core i7 run a little hotter then the Core2's. Under Prime that is not bad, but here are some better CPU Coolers'.

Get one of these CPU HSF Coolers'.
XIGMATEK Dark Knight-S1283V 120mm Long Life Bearing CPU Cooler - Retail $44.98 Free Shipping*
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835233029

Scythe MUGEN-2 $36.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835185093

Another CPU HSF Cooler to look at is this one, it is similar to the ThermalRight and cools within 1 or 2 degrees' of it.
CoGage True Spirit Heatpipe CPU Cooler with 120mm PWM Silent Fan for Intel LGA1366 $37.95
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=26022

If you want one of the Best CPU HSF Cooler for the Core i7 then I would suggest this one, but it is more expensive.
Thermalright Ultra120 eXtreme-1366 RT Premium Heatpipe Cooler for Intel LGA1366 $74.95
http://www.performance-pcs.com/catalog/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=450&products_id=24727

One of the latest Reviews on 1366 CPU HSF Coolers'.
http://www.hardocp.com/article/2009/07/23/intel_core_i7_heatsink_roundup_q309/5

Also you do know that Arctic Silver5 takes at least 48hrs to cure before temps stabalize. I would suggest this Thermal Compound which requires no curing time and is easy to apply.
Noctua NT-H1 Thermal Compound - Retail $9.99
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16835608008

 

[wathman]

As far as I know, built in sensors are not extremely accurate because the probes sit under the CPU, and there are many variables that can affect what the temp really is, and what it says it is. In general though, the onboard sensors read a bit lower than actual temps. Here's an article that is a bit dated, but the principles haven't changed too much.
http://www.silentpcreview.com/article191-page1.html

I remember Asus has had problems with temp inaccuracies with past boards, but didn't look too much into the details since those boards are a generation or two older. It may be worth while to see if Asus has a BIOS update that could possibly address a similar issue.

 

[Yoosty]

Check this Review on the P6T Deluxe, have linked the page on running Prime and the temps associated when doing so.http://www.hardocp.com/article/2008/11/05/asus_p6t_deluxe/6

It is worth saying here that the Core i7 at 3.2GHz and up gets very toasty. The CPU shows to idle at between 45c and 58c with our watercooling in place. I know that is a big delta, but I have seen both temps shown at idle. This is using ASUS’ PC Probe II, and I currently do not have a way to verify our results. Our load temps are pretty much static though. At 25% CPU load we see around 60c from the on-die sensor. At 50% CPU load we are seeing about 69c. Moving to 75% CPU load we are seeing core temperatures of around 72c. And finally at 100% we are seeing around 75c. The ambient temperature at the time of taking these readings was 24c. We have had the office up to about 28c in the last week with our test systems in here churning for days and then I did see Core i7 temps on our 920 at 3.8GHz up to 85c after running for days. This did not however impact the stability.

 

[raybob95]

I built my sweet computer and realize it runs really hot. Here is what I got

core i7 920 CO stepping (one of the first out)
asus p6t deluxe
gskill 1066 3x2 gig o ram
antec tt quattro 1000w
sapphire 4870x2
640 gig wd caviar hd
its all sitting in an antec 900 case ( i drilled a hole in for cable management because I wanted to get max airflow, so cable management was paid close attention, it looks aight if i can say so myself)

anyways, everything is at factory settings. i have done no overclocking at all.

when i first got my build together using real temp i would idle at about 55-58 degrees celcius and under max load I would reach 1 million degrees.

I recently replaced the stock hsf with a cooler master hyper N520. i made sure it was seated correctly and the thermal compound is applied correctly (i used the thermal paste that came with the cooler master, and i know if i use artic silver or whatever it will be cooler but still). i know idle about 41 degrees, which is a significant improvement over the stock hsf fan, but under max load with prime 95 it creeps up to about 75-80 degrees celcius. i mean come on? really? i know my gpu gets hot but i turn the fan up to like 60% at least when running prime95 and the gpu doesn't go over 65C. i mean really? 80 degrees on load and no over clocking?

am i just screwed? i mean i dont plan on getting it to like 7.0 ghz but i would like to be able to overclock. i contacted coolermaster and they said on max load the cpu shouldnt go over 60C with their heatsink

any input would be appreciated, thanks!

Just for reference, I have a XIGMATEK Dark Knight Cooler w/ OCZ Freeze. Temps = Idle 35C, Load 58C. No Overclocking there either.

 

[Twoboxer]

Looks like you've done everything at least well enough . . . maybe you've got a bad sensor . . . or maybe its time to suspect the unusual. Please don't be insulted by the suggestions lol:

- Check the cpu voltages being used in bios and as reported by utilities like CPUID. Maybe you are generating more heat than you think.

- What is your room temperature?

- You say you modded the case. Is it possible you inadvertently changed the direction of one or more of the case fans causing heat buildup?

- Run Prime95 with the case side panel off, and let us know what RealTemp says about that.

 

[jkool55]

Thanks for your help. In response to my case mod, all I did was drill a whole in the motherboard plate, I check and all fans are blowing the the right direction. My room temperature is a little high, perhaps 26-27C but since I don't use the AC the summers get humid and hot in the midwest. I am going to double check the CPU volatages with CPUID again. I can't read them in the bios because on factory settings everything is on auto (to see numbers you need to change AI tweaker to auto with asus p6t delux board). I will try running prime95 with the side pannel off, however i am not sure if I will see much of a difference (my feeling is it is not an airflow problem, but i may be wrong)

 

[Twoboxer]

- With your ambient temperature, you can add 5-6 degrees to what those who operate at 21C might expect. So your idle of 41C is more like 35C and that's not too shabby. Your peak of 75C-80C is more like 69C-75C at a 21C ambient.

- Yes, I'm also guessing that terrible airflow is unlikely. But checking temps with one side off and the PC on its other side on the floor will show what could be achieved with near perfect air flow. Then we aren't guessing.