Core i7 860 idle temps and overclocking potential

Hey everyone at the TH forums. I recently just built my first rig, and with the invaluable advice from TH, I chose a nice set of components that didn't break the bank! (Many thanks =)

Anyhow, the build went off without a hitch. I'm running an Intel Core i7 860 (not OC'd) with a Cooler Master 212+ in my Cooler Master HAF 922. The idle temps bounce between 29-31 degrees C and my load temps after running Prime95 max out at 54 degrees C after 10 about 10 hours.

My question is, are these temps good enough if I want to try my hand at overclocking the CPU? Or should I think about reinstalling the cooler and maybe having better luck with my AS5 application? Let me know if my temps seem a little high with the aftermarket cooling, I'm a first time builder, and so far so good, but I'd like to see how far I can take this. Below are the rest of my hardware specs:

ASUS P7P55D-E Pro LGA 1156 Mobo: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6813131621
Core i7 860: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6819115214
Corsair 650 Watt PSU: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6817139005
GSkill Ripjaws 4BG DDR3 1600 (currently running at specified timings 7-8-7): http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820231303
Arctic Silver 5 Thermal Compound: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835100007
Intel X25-V SSD 40 GB Boot Drive: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6820167025
Cooler Master HAF 922 Case: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6811119197
Cooler Master Hyper 212+ CPU Cooler: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6835103065
XFX 5770: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Prod [...] 6814150464

Thanks in advance for any an all feedback and responses. Cheers!

You temps seem fine to me. You have some headroom there, OC away!

Just remember to keep it under 70c during prime 95. If you see it pass that up then back down the voltage/clock. Up to that you're fine. You likely won't get your PC to those torture temps doing your regular uses anyways.

Let us know how it goes.

Remember, we have an overclocking section in Tom's forums as well. You'll find more overclocking gurus in there.

Your temps look fine. Remember that the temps will drop a couple degrees once your AS5 breaks in.

I recently built an i7 860 system for an engineering customer. I also used the Hyper 212+ and did a slight overclock. The customer wanted the system to use little power when idle, but put the hammer down when needed. I ended up leaving turbo enabled and doing an overclock that pushed the speed range to ~3.2GHz - 3.85GHz instead of the stock 2.8GHz - 3.46GHz range. I left the voltage settings on auto and left Speed Step enabled so the system was able to idle at ~1.5GHz at .8v. The system never got over low to mid 60's under full load at those settings.

I know that's a little different method of overclocking than we're used to, but my customer is very happy with the results. The system sips power when it's not needed, but has the higher clocks available when it needs it. It was also completely stable under multiple days of torture testing.

This overclocking method isn't for everybody, but I was quite happy with it.